14 DAY TRIAL // Seiko Epson Corp. (Epson) announced that it has developed an A6-size (7.1 inches diagonal) electronic paper using a plastic substrate.
It seems that because of Epson's original SUFTLA1 technology, the new electronic paper reaches the world's highest Quad-XGA resolution (1536 x 2048 pixels) and shows the potential for increasing screen size. Officially, the progress was announced on June 9 at the Society for Information Display (SID) international symposium held in San Francisco.
In order to create this prototype, Epson has amassed a range of proprietary technologies including low temperature polysilicon thin film transistors (LTPS-TFT) and SUFTLA (Surface Free Technology by Laser Ablation /Annealing), which enables the transfer of TFT circuits to flexible substrates.
Prototype Outline (According to the manufacturer)
1. World's highest resolution LTPS-TFT formed on a plastic substrate using SUFTLA technology gives this electronic paper Quad-XGA resolution - the highest in the world. This ensures that even the smallest letters on a portable display are fully visible.
2. High contrast guaranteeing high-quality display With a contrast ratio of 10:1, the new technology achieves the same levels of visibility as images printed on ordinary paper.
3. Narrow border and simple interface Forming peripheral drive circuits with LTPS-TFT creates a simple structure with very few external terminals that result in a borderless flexible display, even with the drive circuits included.
4. Low power consumption Data display does not require power - a memory function ensures that information does not disappear even if the power is turned off. Maximum drive voltage even for editing information is just 6 volts, showing that the display itself consumes very little power.
5. Larger screen The expanded screen size, from around 2 inches in existing models to A6 size (7.1 inches on the diagonal), is evidence of potential for even bigger screens in the future.
Size: A6 (7.1 inches on the diagonal), 0.47 mm thick
Resolution: QXGA (1536 x 2048 pixels)
Drive circuit: Low temperature polysilicon thin film transistor (LTPS-TFT)
Maximum drive voltage: 6 V
Display type: Electrophoretic (Using electrophoretic devices produced by E Ink Corporation in the U.S.)