CLEARink

CLEARink Displays is a US based venture capital backed startup, with R&D in US and Canada.

Company

CLEARink Displays develops reflective display modules that are low power, full-color, outdoor-readable, video capable, and all that at a cost comparable to LCD. CLEARink’s display modules will revolutionize the use cases for wearables, smartphones/tablets, eSchoolbooks, electronic shelf labels and outdoor signage, all of which are growing rapidly.

The company currently holds dozens of patents with several more pending. The development is being supported by co-development partners and potential customers in Asia, Europe and North America.

They are located at 4020 Clipper Court, Fremont, CA 94538

Technology

(From their web site) CLEARink display technology is based on the use of charged particles in a fluid to modulate the total internal reflected light from the optical structures incorporated into its novel reflector film. Their tech uses a color filter over an electrophoretic display. (This display uses tech that is similar to E Ink's screens, but still different.)

CLEARink is a breakthrough reflective technology that offers all the pros of current screens — LCDs, LEDs, E-paper — with none of their downsides. Unfortunately, current reflective technologies do not deliver on video or cost-efficiency.

• Low power - not bi-stable but lower than other technologies.
• Low cost
• Rich color
• High brightness – outdoor readable
• Fast redraw time – video capable

CLEARink’s technology is based on varying the brightness of a specially designed reflector film by modulating the total internal reflection of ambient light from the film, using a single electrically charged particle suspended in a liquid.

The inherent simplicity of CLEARink’s technology means that manufacturing costs will be lower than for any other reflective display technology, at comparable volumes. The technology progress to date has been beyond expectations:

• Demonstrated displays with a brightness that exceeds those in commercial e-readers
• A much brighter display leading to a market leading color reflective display
• Demonstrated displays with high frame rates, enabling Internet surfing capability
• Power usage well below that of other display technologies such as LCD or OLED, and only slightly above traditional monochrome reflective displays.

The technology is similar to E Ink’s low power sunlight readable displays, but ClearInk is capable of displaying full color and playing videos at 30 frames per second.

It uses a monochrome display with a color filter over the top to produce colors. It has no frontlight or backlight, and the screens can be made to be flexible and shatterproof. A frontlight is planned.

Demonstrated performance

The prototypes have shown 106 ppi, 30 fps, and 8 colors. They have recently achieved 200 ppi with better contrast. Its 9.7" panel has achieved 16:1 contrast for color and 20:1 for monochrome. Color gamut has been pushed to 19% of NTSC. The drive and hold voltages had been reduced to 3V to drive and 1V to hold. This reduces power consumption. Planned released Q2 2019.

For more information

• https://www.clearinkdisplays.com/
• Digital-reader article
• ePaper 2.0 by electro iq - 2.0 is short for electrophoretic Total Internal Reflection (eTIR).