AUO Notes Flexibility/Manufacturing Process is Key for E-paper
When AUO introduced a stretchable e-paper, EpaperCentral had a event to plead a key with C.T. (Chun-Ting) Liu, Corporate Senior Vice President as great as a General Manger of Consumer Product Display Business Group of AUO. Taiwan’s largest manufacturer of skinny movie transistor potion arrangement panels, AUO Optronics Corporation (AUO) additionally ranks in a tip 3 TFT-LCD manufacturers in a world.
Q. From AUO’s perspective, what do you see as a intensity for a e-paper market?
Liu: AUO had complicated e-paper technologies for a couple of years as great as motionless to begin this commercial operation by taking advantage of SiPix record in Q4/2008 since SiPix shows a many earnest roll-to-roll prolongation capability. We hold a e-paper should in a destiny be done by copy routine identical to announcement attention for copy out a newspapers, books, magazines, as great as articles. With this kind of prolongation for genuine paper replacement, it will unequivocally stroke a vital character in a nearby future. (Note: In mid-2009, AUO became a vital shareholder (over 30%) in SiPix Imaging.)
Q. Is AUO operative with SiPix upon alternative applications of e-paper record as great as when competence they be introduced?
Liu: In further to a e-reader, you have been additionally operative upon e-tag applications, which had been mass constructed in Q3/2009. In fact, a genuine paper deputy is what you unequivocally caring since a sum accessible marketplace distance is measureless as great as can revoke a lot of CO glimmer profitable to tellurian beings.
Q. What were a hurdles to building a stretchable reader? What have been a categorical facilities of a stretchable display?
Liu: The many severe indicate is a vast apportion supply with analogous low price for stretchable e-reader. Currently, a TFT backplane is rebuilt by piece to piece routine upon potion or cosmetic substrate by utilizing potion substrate as a carrier. The prolongation price is comparatively tall due to a tiny scale production.
Using SiPix’s disdainful Microcup® technology, a stretchable e-paper incorporates a cosmetic substrate, so which a arrangement can be regularly bended, permitting it to compare even some-more closely a functionality of genuine paper. While a winding radius of this e-paper reaches 100mm, it stays stretchable as great as facilities sixteen gray levels, a 9:1 tall contrariety ratio, as great as a reflectance of 33%. The distance of a stretchable e-paper is means to be tailor-made formed upon customers’ needs. AUO expects to discharge samples to business in 2010 as great as to begin volume prolongation then.
Q. What differentiates a AUO E-reader from those right away accessible upon a market?
Liu: The roll-to-roll routine formed upon SiPix record is a idealisation idea to success per to a price indicate of perspective as great as a intensity of tone as great as stretchable record in a single shot. We have been speeding up a expansion to have these ethereal products to a market.
Q. Commercial product is programmed for subsequent year for a stretchable e-reader . you creed which is a black-and-white device. Are tone and/or video inclination in a skeleton for a future? When competence those be introduced for commercialization?
Liu: We have set a step-by-step miracle toward stretchable as great as color, which will be voiced someday this year. Keeping a relations great whiteness is consequential for bringing a tone to e-paper. Otherwise, it will turn a single kind of TFT/LCD row instead of e-reader.
Q. What kind of direct do you predict for a stretchable e-reader? Has AUO programmed any prolongation enlargement to house a demand?
Liu: From tiny to vast distance application, they all need a non-fragile as great as slim style, which have been a characteristics of stretchable substrate. Eventually, many of a e-paper products will be transposed by a stretchable one, as great as as a result you have been reuniting all a resources internally as great as outwardly to be ready for this transition.
There is no longer any subject either e-readers will turn supposed in a marketplace. According to investigate organisation iSuppli, tellurian shipments of e-paper displays projected during we estimate 3.6 million units in 2009 have been approaching to climb to 18.3 million units in 2012. Revenues for tellurian e-paper displays have been foresee to strech US $291.2 million by 2012, taking flight during a devalue annual expansion rate (CAGR) of 143% from US$3.5 million in 2007. Rather, as foe heats up, a subject becomes which e-paper record will turn widespread as great as which association will turn a marketplace leader. Until now, E-Ink (now a auxiliary of Prime View International) has dominated a marketplace with a electrophoretic technology. However, with AUO’s support, SiPix electrophotetic technology, with a intensity for roll-to-roll manufacturing, is staid to yield critical competition. There is additionally no subject which 2010 will yield a little of those answers.
Linda Casatelli