E-PAPER DISPLAYS
An in-depth introduction to a promising technology, curated by one of its pioneering inventors
Electronic paper (e-paper) has one of the most promising futures in technology. E-paper's potential is unlimited, as the displays require extremely low power and imitate the aesthetic of ink on the page. This allows e-paper devices to have a wider range of viewing angles than traditional LED products and are capable of being viewed in direct sunlight--and without any additional power. As a result, e-paper displays create less eye strain, have a greater flexibility in their use, and have the potential to be used in place of paper for billboard advertising, educational applications, and transport signage, and more.
In E-Paper Displays, editor Bo-Ru Yang and his team of experts present a detailed view into the important technologies involved in e-paper displays, with a particlular emphasis on how this technology's unique properties make possible a wide range of personal and professional electronic products. As climate change makes efficient energy use more important than ever, e-paper can become an essential tool for future products on a large scale. As we rely more and more on technology, having lightweight devices with long battery life will become critical. This book provides engineers and innovators with an introduction to this important technology and shows new pathways for development.
E-Paper Displays readers will also find:
* The editor is one of the leading pioneers in this technology
* Contributions from an international team of experts in e-paper technology
* Descriptions of many advanced display types that rely on different principles than the widely used LCD and OLED types
* Another innovative title from Wiley-SID (Society for Information Displays) series
As we enter a new stage in our industrial development, E-Paper Displays is an essential reference for computer engineers and developers, as well as innovators and scientists, and their students.

Bo-Ru Yang, PhD, is a Professor at Sun Yat-Sen University. He is one of the pioneering inventors of full-color e-paper, holding close to 40 patents for materials, devices, driving schemes, and fabrication. He also serves as the Society for Information Display e-paper and flexible display committee chair.

List of Contributors xi

Series Editor's Foreword xiii

Editor's Preface xv

1 The Rise, and Fall, and Rise of Electronic Paper 1
Paul S. Drzaic, Bo-Ru Yang, and Anne Chiang

1.1 Introduction 1

1.2 Why Electronic Paper? 2

1.3 Brightness, Color, and Resolution 2

1.4 Reflectivity and Viewing Angle 4

1.5 Translating Print-on-Paper into Electronic Paper 5

1.6 The Allure of Electronic Paper vs. the Practicality of LCDs 10

1.7 The Evolution of Electrophoretic Display-Based Electronic Paper 11

1.8 Initial Wave of Electrophoretic Display Development 12

1.9 The Revival of EPDs 17

1.10 Developing a Commercial Display 18

1.11 Enhancing Brightness and Contrast 19

1.12 Microencapsulation Breakthrough 20

1.13 Image Retention 21

1.14 Active-Matrix Compatibility 23

1.15 Electronic Book Products, and E Ink Merger 25

1.16 Summary 26

2 Fundamental Mechanisms of Electrophoretic Displays 31
Bo-Ru Yang and Kristiaan Neyts

2.1 General View of Electronic Ink Operation 31

2.2 Charging Mechanism with Inverse Micelle Dynamics 33

2.3 Drift and Diffusion of Charged Inverse Micelles 35

2.4 Motion of Charged Inverse Micelles Under External Field Driving 38

2.5 Stern Layer Formation 41

2.6 Charging Mechanism with Particles and Additives 44

2.7 Observations on a Single Particle 44

2.8 Rheological Effects During Driving 47

2.9 Bistability After Removing External Fields 48

2.10 Full Color E-Paper 49

2.11 Conclusion 50

3 Driving Waveforms and Image Processing for Electrophoretic Displays 53
Zong Qin and Bo-Ru Yang

3.1 Driving Waveforms of EPDs 53

3.2 Image Processing 61

3.3 Advanced Driving Methods for Future E-Papers 69

4 Fast-Switching Mode with CLEARInk Structure 75
Robert J. Fleming

4.1 Introduction 75

4.2 CLEARink Display Optics 78

4.3 CLEARink Reflective Color Displays 85

4.4 Electrophoretic Displays with CLEARink Structure 89

4.5 CLEARink Device Architecture 93

4.6 Manufacturing and Supply Chain 96

4.6.1 Status of Technology and Future Projections 96

Acknowledgments 97

5 Bistable Cholesteric Liquid Crystal Displays -- Review and Writing Tablets 99
Clinton Braganza and Mauricio Echeverri

5.1 Introduction 99

5.2 Materials and Optical Properties 99

5.3 Image Creation Using Cholesteric Liquid Crystals 104

5.4 Applications 108

5.5 Writing Tablets 109

5.6 Conclusions 126

6 The Zenithal Bistable Display: A Grating Aligned Bistable Nematic Liquid Crystal Device 131
Guy P. Bryan-Brown and J. Cliff Jones

6.1 Introduction 131

6.2 Operating Principles and Geometries 132

6.3 Grating Fabrication and Supply Chain 138

6.4 ZBD LCD Manufacturing Processes 141

6.5 Electrical Addressing 144

6.6 Optical Configurations 145

6.7 Novel Arrangements 149

6.8 Conclusions 150

7 Reflective LCD with Memory in Pixel Structure 153
Yoko Fukunaga

7.1 Introduction 153

7.2 Memory in Pixel Technology and Its Super Low Power Operation 154

7.3 Sub-Pixel Pattern to Show Gray Scale 157

7.4 Reflective LCD Optical Design 158

7.5 How to Show a Natural Image 163

7.6 Design Characteristics of Current Market-Available Products and Their Super Low Power Operations 164

7.7 Summary of Power Consumption 167

7.8 Applications 168

7.9 Future Expectations 168

8 Optically Rewritable Liquid Crystal Display 171
Wanlong Zhang, Abhishek Srivastava, Vladimir Chigrinov, and Hoi-Sing Kwok

8.1 Introduction 171

8.2 Photoalignment Technology 172

8.3 Flexible Optically Rewritable LCD 186

8.4 Dye-Doped Optically Rewritable LCD 188

8.5 Conclusion 190

9 Electrowetting Displays 197
Doeke J. Oostra

9.1 Overviews 197

9.2 Introduction 197

9.3 The Promise of Electrowetting Displays 200

9.4 History of Electrowetting Display Development 204

9.5 Electrowetting Cells 205

9.6 Capabilities for Black and White 206

9.7 Capabilities for Video and Color 209

9.8 Driving 215

9.9 Architectures 216

9.10 Manufacturing 217

9.11 Reliability 220

9.12 Failure Mechanisms 220

9.13 In Conclusion: Electrowetting Displays Have Reached Maturity 221

10 Electrochromic Display 225
Norihisa Kobayashi

10.1 Introduction 225

10.2 Structure of Electrochromic Display 226

10.3 EC Materials 228

10.4 Summary 239

11 Phase Change Material Displays 243
Ben Broughton and Peiman Hosseini

11.1 Introduction 243

11.2 Phase Change Materials and Devices 243

11.3 Strong Interference in Ultra-Thin Absorbing Films 244

11.4 Potential for High Brightness, Low Power Color Reflective Displays 245

11.5 Solid-State Reflective Displays (SRD®) 248

11.6 SRD Prototype -- Progress and Performance 259

11.7 Other Approaches 263

11.8 Conclusions 265

12 Optical Measurements for E-Paper Displays 271
Karlheinz Blankenbach

12.1 Introduction 271

12.2 Fundamentals of Reflection 272

12.3 Reflection Measurements Set-Ups 273

12.4 Display Image Quality Parameters 276

12.5 Temporal Parameters 281

12.6 Further Topics 283

12.7 Summary 283

Glossary incl. Abbreviations 284

References 284

Index 287