Sony Shows Off Flexible Color E-Paper Screen At SID 2011

The e-paper screen has some great features that make it ideally suited to the world of eReaders. The tech uses little power allowing the reader to run longer and it is very easy to read outside in direct sunlight. The tech also has some clear limitations too. It's not capable of showing video and most of the screens are black and white only. There are some color offerings in the works from firms like Triton, but the colors are muted compared to an LCD.

Sony has developed a new color e-paper screen that might be perfect for future eReaders that measures 13.3-inches and is flexible. The screen is only 150μm or less in thickness and weighs about 20g or under. The lightweight and thin design is thanks to the ability to use a plastic substrate. The screen has a decent color gamut at 13% based on NTSC standards and has a contrast ratio of over 100,000:1. The reflectance of the screen is 10%.

The screen has RGB pixels along with white subpixels and a pixel count of 800 x 1200. The resolution of the screen is 75ppi. Sony was able to hit the higher color gamut and reflectance rating by attaching the TFT substrate to the E ink front plate with high precision. Sony used a glass substrate to attach the TFT substrate to the front plate and that glass can be made with existing equipment. There is no indication of when the new screen might make it to a consumer product.

[Techon via OLED-Display]