Taiwan Close To Mass Production Of Flexible Screens

Flexible screens as thin as a sturdy plastic carrier bag could be in production in Taiwan early next year.

A joint project between the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) and LCD screen-maker AU Optronics has resulted in the development of a manufacturing process to produce ultra-thin, flexible screens. According to John Chen, ITRI’s general director of the Display Technology Centre, AU Optronics is currently converting an existing factory to start mass producing the screens.

First application will be e-book readers

The initial target is to produce monochrome e-reader screens that have the advantages of being lighter and flexible, so they will not break as easily as current screens. The target market would be schools and colleges where the ruggedness would be an advantage. By establishing a base market, it will allow further development to produce new applications.

The promise is that flexible screens would allow smartphones to have roll-out screens up to six inches in size and the current limitation to monochrome would be removed through colour screens based on Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode (AMOLED) screens such as ITRI’s FlexUPD technology.

One of the problems of the screens is that they are so flexible that they would curl up during the manufacturing process. This was solved by fixing them to a temporary glass holder but heat produced in the manufacturing process caused the screens to stick to the glass. When the screens were peeled off the glass, the adhesion was so great that the screens tended to rip.

This has now been solved by applying a sticky material between the screen and the plate which holds it in place but allows the two to be separated more easily at the end of the process.

Commercialisation of flexible screens

ITRI not only envisages rollable mobile phone screens and e-books but also e-maps and medical sensors that can be worn or wrapped around the body. The screens are light, malleable and virtually unbreakable, ITRI claimed.

The new manufacturing process is a key development in the commercialisation of flexible screens. Chen said that the advantage is that today’s manufacturing processes can be easily adapted so there will be no need to spend billions on new factories and plant equipment.

Although a limited manufacturing line is expected to be up and running soon, Chen would not say when he thought it would reach full production.

ITRI is currently working on how to incorporate touch-screen capabilities into the FlexUPD screens.