SBIR Phase II: Bistable Electrofluidic Device for High-Brightness Electronic Paper

这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第二阶段项目将使用一种新的电子纸技术来制造电子纸显示器，该技术承诺显著改善黑白对比度、明亮的彩色图像、多媒体/互联网更新速度和零功率图像保持。这项技术是一种电流体像素，它使用电压来移动流体中的有色颜料，能够实现现有电子纸解决方案的两倍反射率。反射率的这种改进实现了印刷介质中的颜色饱和度。在第一阶段计划中演示的多稳定像素设计使灰度级的零功率图像成为可能。第二阶段研究项目将开发完整的电子纸显示器技术，采用这种新的像素技术，坚固耐用，可制造，并实现创纪录的反射率(~70%)。设计和创造的第一批原型将是带有简单电气驱动的简单信息内容显示器，例如电子货架标签。后期的原型将是带有有源矩阵背板的电子阅读器显示器。该项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是广泛地用电子纸取代纸介质，为当前新兴的市场提供优越的低功耗产品。特别是，该项目中展示的改进使饱和颜色和多媒体“视频”速率与零功率图像保持，从而克服了阻碍低功率彩色电子书进入市场的性能障碍。例如，这项技术可以用一台轻便的彩色多媒体平板电脑取代一叠教科书。市场机会很容易超过100亿美元，并将在为美国带来可持续经济利益的商业模式下支持大量新的美国工作岗位。多稳定的电流体技术也非常适合小型和大型电子标牌应用。

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.