SiPix is a competitor to E Ink in the electronic bistable e-paper display technology. They have been named the screen display that will be used in the new Hanlin A6 and Hanlin A9 eBook readers and many others.

Contents 1 The company 2 Displays 3 The technology 4 How it works 5 Advantages 6 Pet Plastic 7 For more information

[edit] The company

From their web site:

SiPix Imaging, Inc. is a world leader in display innovation. The company offers custom display module manufacturing to enable system designers to rapidly get to the market and achieve a strong return on investment. SiPix was established in 1999 in Silicon Valley, California.

In its Fremont, California facility, the firm develops novel materials and scalable roll-to-roll production technologies for low-power Electrophoretic Display material, cuttable to custom sizes. Based on the patented Microcup® structure, the flexible material is impact and moisture resistant. With SiPix e-Paper, designers may now choose from multiple saturated color combinations.

In Taoyuan, Taiwan, a SiPix production facility provides display module development services and volume manufacturing. This resource enables customers with rapid system development and quick market entry. The have a connection to AUO.

This technology is expect to be released to production in August 2010.

[edit] Displays

• Sipix Display (AUO), 9 inches (5.4" × 7.2"), 768×1024 Resolution 142 ppi, 16 Grayscale
• Sipix display (AUO), 6 inches (4.8" x 3.6"), 600×800 Resolution 167ppi, 16 Grayscale
• Touch Screen: Capacitive Touch Screen, Multi-Touch

[edit] The technology

SiPix has developed EPD similar to E-Ink but in their case, white particles are suspended in black ink that is contained in small microcups. When the white particles are at the viewing surface, the display is white and when they are at the back surface, the display is black. E-Ink has both white and black particles in a clear liquid. Like E-Ink, the particles can be partially switched to achieve gray scale and the display is bistable.

The SiPix Microcup® is a microscale container which holds minute quantities of materials such as fluid and particles. Large arrays of Microcups® are fabricated through roll-to-roll© manufacturing processes which enable economy and scale. The material is flexible, is easily cut to size, and enables many custom applications by electronic paper.

Construction of the SiPix Microcup® is done using a high-speed roll-to-roll© embossing process. A continuous sheet of plastic, coated with a transparent conductor such as ITO, is fed through a coater which evenly distributes a proprietary resin across the surface. A micro-embosser then molds the three-dimensional structure of the Microcup® onto the resin. At this point, the Microcups® are filled with the desired materials and hermetically capped with a sealing layer. A removable layer then is applied to protect the Microcup® film until it may be attached to the backplane.

[edit] How it works

Under the influence of an applied electric field, the charged particles migrate through the dielectric fluid. If the white particles are at the visible surface, that area of the display reflects a white color to the viewer. Otherwise, the display will reflect the alternate color, which presently is either black, red, green blue, or gold. Grayscale may be produced by modulating the electric field across the Microcup® film.

[edit] Advantages

• Eye-Catching Readability: High contrast & reflectivity
• Wide viewing angle: ~180°
• Multiple monochromatic choices: Black, red, green, blue, gold
• Ultra-low Power: Bistable, Low switching power
• Large Form factor: Custom sizes from 11"-wide e-paper Roll
• Flexible e-Paper: < 2 cm bending radius
• Durable: No glass, endures > 1290 PSI (The current AUO manufactured touch screen devices have a glass backing)
• Lightweight: 22.5 mg/cm^2 (film only)

[edit] Pet Plastic

PET stands for polyethylene terephthalate, a plastic resin and a form of polyester. Polyethylene terephthalate is a polymer that is formed by combining two monomers: modified ethylene glycol and purified terephthalic acid. PET is a popular package for food and non-food products. Manufacturers use PET plastic because of its strength, thermo-stability and transparency.

[edit] For more information

• http://www.sipix.com/technology/index.html The Sipix e-paper technology description.
• http://www.sipix.com/index.html The company web site.
• AUO - AU Optronics
• The release of this product has been delayed until the third quarter of 2010. For more details see: Comutex.biz headline news