E Ink, Sharp Partner for IGZO-Based ePaper Displays with Faster Refresh Rates, Lower Power Draw
To launch in traditional, foldable, and rollable variants, these new ePaper displays can refresh the full screen in as little as 0.35s.
E Ink and Sharp Display Technology have announced the fruits of a two-year partnership for next-generation ePaper display panels, using new backplane chemistry to boost switching speed while reducing power draw in both flat and flexible ePaper displays.
"Joining forces with SDTC [Sharp Display Technology Corporation[ further demonstrates E Ink's commitment to enhance ePaper display performance," claims E Ink chef executive Johnson Lee of the partnership. "SDTC's vision is to develop an oxide TFT technology that can service different types of displays and circuits, and SDTC is committed to continue to invest in the development of oxide TFTs. E Ink looks forward to our partnership with SDTC."
"SDTC is excited that E Ink chose SDTC as an oxide TFT partner to bring the next generation of ePaper displays to market," adds SDTC president Chien-Erh Wang. "SDTC is the market leader and pioneer in oxide TFT research and development and is also the first display company that has mass produced oxide TFTs. E Ink is the market leader in ePaper displays, and the joining of these two companies is a natural progression."
The "oxide TFTs" at the heart of the partnership are thin-film transistors (TFTs) built from an indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) chemistry. Compared to previous-generation backplanes, Sharp's IGZO backplans are claimed to boost refresh rates and reduce power draw — making future E Ink displays more responsive and even more battery friendly than before.
E Ink has confirmed that its partnership initially focused on smaller-scale displays for eReader and eNote product lines, displays for which will launch under the company's Gallery 3 branding, but that the companies are to explore expanding the technology to larger-scale signage displays in the future.
A prototype is set to be shown off at the CEATEC 2022 event in October: an eight-inch color ePaper display with a 300 pixels per inch (PPI) resolution and an image update speed claimed at 0.35 seconds for black-and-white mode and between 0.5 and 1.5 seconds for color — a considerable improvement on the company's current-generation displays. The company has also promised foldable and rollable variants of the displays.
At the time of writing, however, neither company had indicated a timescale for when the new displays will make it to market.
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