This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will create electronic paper displays from a new e-paper technology that promises substantially improved black and white contrast, bright color images, multimedia/internet update speeds, and zero power image hold. The technology, an electrofluidic pixel that uses voltage to move a colored pigment in a fluid, is capable of achieving twice the reflectivity of existing e-paper solutions. This improvement in reflectivity enables the color saturation found in printed media. The multi-stable pixel designs demonstrated in the Phase I program make possible zero power images with grayscales. The Phase II research project will develop the technology for complete electronic paper displays incorporating this new pixel technology that are robust and manufacturable, and that achieve record reflectance (~ 70%). The first prototypes to be designed and created will be simple information content displays with simple electrical drive, such as electronic shelf labels. The later stage prototypes will be e-Reader displays with active matrix backplanes.
The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is the widespread replacement of paper-media with electronic paper, providing superior low power products to the current burgeoning market. In particular, the improvements demonstrated in this project enable saturated colors and multimedia "video" rates with a zero-power image hold, thereby overcoming performance barriers that have blocked low power color electronic books from entering the market. For example, this technology could replace a stack of textbooks with a single lightweight color multimedia tablet. The market opportunity is easily in excess of $10B, and will support numerous new U.S. jobs under a business model providing a sustainable economic benefit to the U.S.A. Multi-stable electrofluidic technology is also well suited for both small and large electronic signage applications.
Gamma Dynamics has developed multi-stable (zero power) reflective display modules that provide up to a 400% reflective brightness improvement over incumbent reflective portable display technologies. This brightness improvement produces compelling full-color reflective eReaders and other portable electronic displays, as well as electronic shelf labels and digital signage. The displays are also designed to perform brilliantly in direct sunlight. Gamma Dynamics invented and demonstrated a new display technology, termed an ‘electrofluidic display’, that uses new physics to transport colored fluids through a 3-D structure. The unique display structure includes a proprietary surface with tunable optical gain that enhances the reflective brightness an additional 50% to 400% while still appearing white. The result is a display platform that produces color images (at zero power) similar to printed magazines. The heart of the display is a highly engineered yet inexpensive imaging film which is combined with specialized pigmented fluids and common components used in LCD displays. The displays can be produced at low cost by utilizing existing display factories. This work should have commercial impact in markets where low power, high-readability, high-quality monochrome and color displays are required, such as electronic shelf labels, electronic signage, eReaders and other portable electronic devices. Multi-stable electrofluidic displays will provide the viewing comfort and environmental benefits that have long been promised for e-books, but with the bright full-color operation the consumer ultimately demands. In addition to the commercial potential of the technology, this work resulted in additional intangible outcomes including several patent filings and the development of new tools for realizing 3D microfluidic devices.
