Electronic
Paper
(e-Paper)
Introduction
E-paper also known as electronic paper or electronic ink display.
Unlike conventional backlit flat panel displays which emit light:
E-paper displays reflect light like ordinary paper
Theoretically making it more comfortable to read
And giving the surface a wider viewing angle compared to conventional
displays.
Extremely light and flexible.
Construction of E-paper
• It has two different parts.
• Front plane.
• Back plane.
• The front plane consist of E-ink.
• The back plane consist of electronic circuits.
• Back plane is made up of organic thin film transistor arrays which provide
voltage needed by the E-Paper.
• To form an E-ink electronic display the ink is printed onto a plastic film that is
laminated to a layer of circuitry.
Front plane
• The front plane consist of E-ink.
• E-ink is made up of millions of tiny microcapsules.
• Microcapsules have diameter of the order of 100 microns.
• Each microcapsule contains positively charged white particles and negatively
charged black particles suspended in a clear fluid .
When a positive or negative electric field is applied, corresponding particles move to the
top of the microcapsule where they become visible to the viewer. This makes the surface
appear white or black at that spot.
Back Plane Layout
Technologies proposed so far
Gyricon
• It was the first electronic paper and was developed in 1970’s.
• Consists of polyethylene spheres having diameter between 75-106
micrometers.
• Each sphere is a janus particle composed of negatively charged black plastic
on one side and positively charged white plastic on the other (each bead is
thus a dipole).
• These spheres are embedded in transparent silicone made sheet, with each
sphere suspended in a bubble of oil so that they can rotate freely.
• The polarity of the voltage applied to each pair of electrodes then
determines whether the white or black side is face-up, thus giving the pixel a
white or black appearance.
The spheres of the Gyricon display are trapped in the oil- Gyricon E-Paper by Xerox
filled cavities of an elastomer. Positioning them with a
positive or negative voltage puts them into the reflecting
[left] or light-absorbing [right] black state. Prototypes
have been fabricated at Xerox' PARC.
Electrophoretic Display
• The electronic ink display from E Ink is
based on encapsulated
electrophoretics
--microcapsules containing many tiny white
pigment chips, or particles, that are
suspended in a blue-black liquid dye.
• Applying an electric field moves the
particles about; the microcapsules can
be switched into the reflecting [left] or
absorbing [right] state by applying a
positive or negative voltage across the
indium-tin oxide (ITO) electrodes.
Electrophoretic Display
• Any kind of electrophoretic display relies on electrostatic migration of light-
scattering particles in a dyed colloidal suspension.
• When a positive voltage is applied, the particles migrate electrostatically toward the
electrode on the viewer side.
• If white light-scattering particles are used, a near-Lambertian reflection can be
obtained.
• When a negative voltage is applied, the particles move to the electrode on the side
away from the viewer and become hidden behind the dye; the viewer sees the color
of the dye.
• Once migration occurs under either polarity and the voltage is removed, the white
particles stay in place, creating a bistable memory device.
Electrowetting Display
Based on the phenomenon of
Electrowetting effect- controlling the shape
of a confined water/oil interface by an
applied voltage.
With no voltage applied, the (coloured) oil
forms a flat film between the water and a
hydrophobic (water-repellent) insulating
coating of an electrode, resulting in a
coloured pixel.
When a voltage is applied between the
electrode and the water, the interfacial
tension between the water and the coating
changes. As a result the stacked state is no
longer stable, causing the water to move the
oil aside.
This results in a partly transparent pixel, or, if
a reflective white surface is used under the
switchable element, a white pixel.
Electrofluidic Displays
• Electrofluidic displays are a variation of an electrowetting display.
• Electrofluidic displays place an aqueous pigment dispersion inside a tiny
reservoir.
• The reservoir comprises <5-10% of the viewable pixel area and therefore
the pigment is substantially hidden from view.
• Voltage is used to electromechanically pull the pigment out of the reservoir
and spread it as a film directly behind the viewing substrate.
• As a result, the display takes on color and brightness similar to that of
conventional pigments printed on paper.
Electrofluidic Display
Interferometric modulator (Mirasol)
• Technology used in electronic visual displays that can create various
colors via interference of reflected light.
• The color is selected with an electrically switched light modulator
comprising a microscopic cavity that is switched on and off using
driver integrated circuits similar to those used to address liquid crystal
displays (LCD).
Mirasol Display
Comparison Of E-paper & LCD
Electronic Ink Display Liquid Crystal Display
Wide viewing angle Best image only from one position
Readable in sunlight Can be difficult to see in sunlight
Holds image without power drain Required power to hold images
Plastic or glass Glass only
Light Weight Power supply and glass make LCDs
relatively heavy
Thin (~1 mm) Thick (~7 mm)
Power consumption
This analysis done for E ink triton.
Mechanical / Dimensional for 6" Display:
Electrical specifications:
Supply Voltage: 2.7—3.3 V DC
Active update peak: 1800 mW
Power Consumption: Active update typical: 750 mW
Standby typical: 1 mW
Merits of E-paper
Paper-like readability
Persistent without power, drawing current only when they change, which means low power
consumption
Batteries can be smaller and last longer.
• Display module is thinner, lighter weight, and more robust than conventional LCD's.
• Highly flexible and it is able to be twisted or bended into different curvatures.
• The electronic paper can be applied to different shapes of products, without being limited to being
bonded to flat display panels.
• They are completely reflective requiring no backlight.
• They are inherently bi-stable for extended periods of time.
Demerits of E-paper
Electronic paper technologies have a very low refresh rate compared
to other low-power display technologies, such as LCD.
An example of this limit is that a document cannot be smoothly
zoomed without either extreme blurring during the transition or
a very slow zoom.
A shadow of an image may be visible after refreshing parts of the
screen. Such shadows are termed "ghost images", and the effect is
termed "ghosting“.
Because of ghosting the entire screen white and black when
loading a new image.
An e-ink screen showing the "ghost" of a prior image An e-paper display on a
watch refreshes to remove
ghosts.
Applications
• Wristwatches
• e-Book reader
• eg: Amazon kindle.
• Electronic Shelf Label
• In a large department store or supermarket, e-paper can be
used for labelling the shelves and price tagging.
Smart Card Display
Some credit cards contain a smart card to store information such
as accumulated credit and money expenses etc.
Mobile phones
E-Newspaper
Time Table at Stations
• Electronic Billboards
• Status displays
• Digital Photo Frames
Conclusion
Electronic ink is not intended to diminish or do away with traditional displays.
Instead electronic ink will initially co-exist with traditional paper and other
display technologies.
In the long run, electronic ink may have a multibillion-dollar impact on the
publishing industry.
Ultimately electronic ink will permit almost any surface to become a display,
bringing information out of the confines of traditional devices and into the
world around us.
References
Flexible and Roll-able Displays/Electronic Paper A Brief Technology Overview Rong-Chang (R.C.) Liang
Paper Electronics and Electronic Paper
by Magnus Berggren*'**, Thomas Kugler*'**, Tommi Remonen*, David Nilsson**,Miaoxiang Chen**,
Petronella Norberg"*The Research Institute ACRE0 AB, Bredgatan 34, SE-602 21 Norrkoping, Sweden **Organic
Electronics Group, Campus Norrkoping, SE-601 74, Sweden
E-paper: Clarifying future R&D needs by a fundamental understanding of the maximum performance of current technologies
Author(s): Heikenfeld, J.
Novel Devices Lab., Univ. of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_paper
http://spectrum.ieee.org/consumer-electronics/portable-devices/lighter-brighter-displays
Image taken from: http://www.eink.com/technology.html
http://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B007RF5F0Q/ref=famstripe_kp3
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