Products on Display at Display Week 2014
Some of the products on display at North America’s largest electronic information-display exhibition are previewed.
by The Editorial Staff
THE SID 2014 International Symposium, Seminar, and Exhibition (Display Week 2014) will be held at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California, the week of June 1. For 3 days, June 3–5, leading manufacturers will present the latest displays, display components, and display systems. To present a preview of the show, we invited the exhibitors to highlight their offerings. The following is based on their responses.
Optical Adhesive Film Products
The optical adhesive film product offering from Adhesives Research (AR) now includes adhesive films with thicknesses ranging from 5 mils (125 microns) to 17 mils (425 microns) to address the growing demand for more rugged display applications in the defense, industrial, and aerospace sectors. The first addition is an acrylic adhesive activated through a combination of heat and UV exposure for bonding rigid-to-rigid substrates without an autoclave process. Also available is an optical rubber-based adhesive featuring a high refractive index and low moisture-vapor transmission rate for sensitive display applications. Lastly, AR is introducing thick optical silicone adhesive systems demonstrating a low refractive index and flame resistance.
Transparent Conductive Films
SANTE® Transparent Conductive Films offer excellent conductivity, high transparency, and flexibility, making it the ideal transparent conductor for applications in new and emerging markets. With a total transmittance of >80% at a <10-Ω/sq. surface resistance, SANTE® FS100 is targeted at applications such as transparent EMI shielding, transparent heating, capacitive sensors, and proximity capacitive sensors. SANTE® FS200 has a total transmittance of up to 87% at a <25-Ω/sq. sheet resistance and is specially designed for faster response, large-format multi-touch displays (>21 in.).
Antimicrobial Cover Glass
Antimicrobial Corning® Gorilla® Glass is the world’s first antimicrobial cover glass with EPA registration as a treated article. It combines the renowned benefits of Corning® Gorilla® Glass technology, including durability, scratch resistance, and toughness. Antimicrobial Corning® Gorilla® Glass is an alkali-aluminosilicate thin sheet glass formulated with an antimicrobial agent to help keep the glass surface clean of stain and odor-causing bacteria.
Optical Elastic Resin
Dexerials’ latest optical elastic resin (Hybrid SVR™) HSVR300 is a PSA-transformable resin. It is suitable for small-to-medium–sized flat-panel displays that has transformed adhesion properties after UV curing. While maintaining outstanding optical properties for the conventional optical elastic resin series (SVR® series), which is known for its high visibility as well as abilities to improve contrast and shock resistance, Hybrid SVR™ HSVR300 achieves workability equivalent to that of an optically clear adhesive and reduces color unevenness caused by shrinkage during curing.
Dielectrically Enhanced ITO Coatings
Utilizing the latest in thin-film vacuum deposition technology, Dontech’s CAR-Series™ and VC1-IM-Series™ index-matched ITO coatings on glass filters provide exceptional optical and electrically conductive properties. Dontech’s precision glass optical filters are utilized in demanding military, medical, industrial, and avionic applications. For high-end display programs, CAR-Series™ are index-matched to air and VC1-IM-Series™ are index-matched to lamination to optimize display contrast (e.g., sunlight readability) while providing EMI/RFI shielding and/or transparent heating. CAR-Series™ and VC1-IM-Series™ filters can be fabricated from a variety of glass substrates, such as chemically strengthened (soda lime, Corning® Gorilla®, Asahi Dragontrail™), borosilicate, fused silica and optical glasses (e.g., Schott nBk-7). CAR-Series™ and VC1-IM-Series™ filter customization options include low photopic reflections and tight tolerance resistances. Standard AR coating reflections are as low as 0.1%, the CAR-Series are at ≤0.4%, and VC1-IM Series ITO resistances range from <1 to 300 Ω/□.
Benchtop Robot
Ellsworth Adhesives presents the Fisnar Model F7300N benchtop robot. This internationally accepted robot is RoHS compliant and maintains the compact style and functionality of design, providing a precision multiple axis robot ideal for many bench dispensing projects. Its resolution is 1 µm and interpolation is in all axes. The F7300N has been engineered to accept a tool weight up to 5 kg and a workable load of 10 g, making the system tough enough for a wide range of automated dispensing applications.
Front Lighting Panel
The FLEx Front Light Panel provides illumination for small-to-medium–sized reflective displays using the world’s thinnest film-based light guide. FLEx’s front light incorporates only a single LED coupled to an optically engineered film to provide the most elegant and most efficient front light on the market. The FLEx Front Light Panel can be bonded directly to reflective LCDs (including the SharpTM line of memory LCDs), transflective LCDs, and reflective e-Paper displays.
OLED Design Tool
A new version of the OLED design tool SETFOS has been launched by Fluxim for studying light-scattering enhancement. The software calculates the radiation of oscillating dipoles embedded in OLEDs containing planarization layers, color filters, as well as scattering structures. The user easily assesses how light scattering in the OLED improves the overall out-coupling performance for lighting or display applications and can tune the scattering function. Moreover, Fluxim exhibits the all-in-one OLED measurement platform PAIOS for dynamic characterization, advanced parameter extraction, as well as stress testing. The powerful PAIOS software provides pre-defined experiments such as impedance spectroscopy, transient electroluminescence, and more.
Orthogonal Photolithography
Orthogonal Photolithography is a patented technology, pioneered by Fraunhofer COMEDD group leader Dr. Alex Zakhidov. It takes advantage of the fact that the vast majority of organic materials are either oleophilic or hydrophilic and are hence orthogonal to highly fluorinated chemicals. Therefore, appropriate fluorinated photoresists can be used to pattern organic layers without compromising the performance of organic devices. The availability of such orthogonal photoresists promises to enable the fabrication of complex device structures, expanding the range of possibilities for organic electronics. Fraunhofer COMEDD established Orthogonal Photolithography in its clean room and incorporated it into a 200-mm wafer microdisplay pilot fabrication line.
4K × 2K and HD-SDI Board (FPGA) Solution
FSN’s FSB-800UHD and FSB-720WQX boards provide the best 4K × 2K solutions. The FSB-800UHD supports 3840 × 2160 @ 60-Hz panels, while the FSB-720WQX board drives 3840 × 2160 @ 30-Hz panels. Also, FSB105SDI, FSB-106SDI, FSB-510HD-SDI, and FSB-600SDI along with FSB-800STX are the best solutions for high-quality broadcasting HD LCD monitors. Also, FSB-800STX supports 90° and 180° rotation for the FPGA board.
Flexible Displays
Futaba Corporation of America will feature its portfolio of OLED displays and touch products, highlighting its FLEXIBLE OLED displays. Futaba is responding to today’s demanding display needs with a number of exciting technologies including flexible displays that can be applied to curved surfaces. These shatterproof displays conform to curves with a radius as small as 40 mm and are ultra-thin at less that 0.25 mm. Futaba’s flexible display sizes vary from 3.5 to 1.4 in. and are available from 262k color (shown) to monochrome.
Optically Clear Adhesive
LOCTITE® 5193 is a single component Liquid Optical Clear Adhesive (LOCA) with improved moisture cure through depth. It is specifically designed for gap filling of display devices for improved optical performance and durability. It is a low-viscosity silicone that upon exposure to UV/visible light cures into a clear, transparent silicone rubber. The product contains a secondary moisture cure mechanism which fully cures any remaining material in potential shadowed areas. LOCTITE® 5193 is available in 50-mL syringes, 300-mL cartridges, and 18-kg pails.
Fused Fiber Optics
Incom produces glass and polymer fused fiber-optic faceplates, tapers, and microstructures. Incom is the leading supplier of fused fiber optics to the display industry, enabling displays to have any outer geometry imaginable. Incom’s fiber optics transfers an image from one plane to another, allowing for tactile feedback in programmable digital displays. The optics not only enhances the user interface by blocking high-angle light and simplifying systems of multiple displays/buttons, but it can also create contoured displays. This technology has been used in high-end audio mixing, casino gaming, military tanks, and head-up displays for military aircraft.
4K-UHD Connector
Micro-coaxial cables made with the I-PEX Cabline-CA 0.4-mm-pitch connectors are being used to transfer 4 eDP signal lanes at a data rate of 5.4 Gbps to drive the 4K × 2K UHD panels. This data rate does not stress the capability of the 10+ Gbps connector design. Additional grounding contacts under the header connector provide the short return path required for the best high-data-rate transmissions. Performance results regarding impedance, eye pattern, and S-parameters — Insertion/Return loss, NEXT and FEXT — are available and will be discussed during the Exhibitors Forum on Wednesday, June 4th at 5 pm.
AR/AS Coatings
To address the many varied requirements in display applications (touch-screen displays, automotive instrument panels, etc), Iridian has developed durable and reliable AR/AS coatings with performance tailored to specific customer needs. Custom-izable features include tint and reflectance level, along with new techniques to minimize the appearance of fingerprints in different usage scenarios. Iridian’s AR/AS coatings, available in sizes as large as 20 in. on the diagonal achieve contact angles in excess of 100°, pencil hardness of 6H, and survivability in excess of 8000 steel-wool rubs while maintaining high transmission in excess of 99%.
Iwatani Corp. provides high-performance film and industrial tape products specialized for electronic devices. The Acrylic Foam ISR-ACF series demonstrates a high-shock-absorbing performance suitable for LCD and OLED application. Not only for shock absorbing, but Acrylic Foam is also the best solution for the common display problem of the so-called “Ripple Eeffect” which can be improved by using the line-up of various foam densities. With its innovative technologies and superb analysis, the ISR-ACF series allows for different design concepts for customers. Because of its qualities, the ISR-ACF series is suitable for mobile devices.
12.1-in. 4K × 2K TFT-LCD Module
Japan Display, Inc. (JDI), a global leader in mobile display technologies, will feature a high-resolution (365-ppi) 12.1-in. 4K × 2K (3840 × 2160 pixels) TFT module designed for tablet use. The display allows users to enjoy precise and dynamic images with pixel density similar to that of full high-definition (full-HD) smartphones and provides an approximately 4 times larger screen size. Low-temperature polysilicon technology (LTPS) enables not only high-capacity information content and high resolution, but also low power consumption and a thin module with narrow borders, ideal for mobile-use devices such as tablets. The display also features wide viewing angle and high contrast.
Ultra-Compact Display Module
Kopin Corp.’s ultra-compact Pupil™ WQVGA Display Module (428 × 240 resolution) is aimed at emerging smart eyewear. The Pupil module offers a sharp full-color image with a 10.5° field of view and simple diopter adjustment from –4D to +2D. The super-efficient Pupil module and Kopin’s A230 ASIC together consume less than 100 mW at a display brightness of 2000 nits, sufficient for clear visibility even under bright sunlight. Kopin has implemented the world’s first natural-looking smart eyewear (a concept demo) by embedding the Pupil display module inside the eyewear frame.
Transparent Displays
Transparent displays are ideal for high-end applications, where a subtle look and first-class viewing experience create differentiation. What makes TASEL different from other transparent display technologies is the unparalleled optical quality and clarity. Content can be presented with a TASEL display that complements the user experience. This can be a see-through display on a glass elevator or a transparent gauge on a coffee pot. TASEL displays are customizable. The display glass can be drilled, bent, or cut to shape to fit demanding end-product specifications.
Drive Recorder
Macnica will demonstrate a Drive Recorder consisting of high-quality cameras, a 5-m-long cable, a 3.5-in monitor, and THine Electronics V-by-One®HS transmitter and receiver.
Roll-Based Lithography System
The LithoFlexTM 350 is a precision roll-based lithography system which uses Molecular Imprints’ proprietary Jet and FlashTM Imprint Lithography (J-FILTM) technology. Leveraging success in the semiconductor market, this platform is capable of serving applications requiring nanoscale resolution, pilot-line productivity at an exceptionally low cost of ownership. This platform can be configured to accommodate flexible or rigid substrates for nanoscale (below 50 nm) lithography. Suitable applications include display wire-grid polarizers and plasmonic color filters, light-emitting-diode pattern substrates and emerging life-science devices such as DNA sequence flow cells on biosensors.
Quantum-Dot Enhanced Film
Each sheet of Quantum Dot Enhancement Film (QDEF) contains trillions of tiny quantum dots. The dots produced are tuned to create better color by changing their size during fabrication to emit light at just the right wavelengths. Conventional light-emitting materials such as crystal phosphors have a broad fixed spectrum. Quantum dots can actually convert light to nearly any color in the visible spectrum. For the first time, display designers have the ability to tune and match the spectrum more accurately to color filters. This leads to LCDs with perfectly accurate color and power-sipping energy efficiency.
Optical Multisensing Touch Solutions
Neonode’s zForce® RADIUS is a MultiSensing® offering from Neonode® specifically developed for wearable devices with circular displays. zForce® RADIUS enables OEMs to add differentiated functionality to their wearable devices, such as standard touch, underwater operation (zForce® NEMO), and air gestures (zForce® AIR). Advantages include a true round display, high optical clarity due to no ITO layer, underwater operation, use with gloves, power management, very low BoM cost, and high manufacturing yield.
Gold-Plated Flat Flexible Cable
Nicomatic is now offering gold-plated flat flexible cable (FFC). Similar to tin-plated FFC, gold-plated FFC provides board-to-board interconnectivity. Additionally, it is also capable of mating with standard ZIF/LIF connectors. However, non-gold plating is more susceptible to corrosion from contaminants such as oils, chemicals, and water, whereas gold-plating prevents corrosion. In fact, gold-plated FFC mating to gold connectors will have no galvanic corrosion, even in harsh and demanding environments. Gold plating also prevents problems with whiskering and oxidation. Gold plating allows for a greater life cycle as well. While tin takes only 50 insertions/extractions, gold can do 10 times as many.
Laser Patterning
Laser patterning of metal traces and transparent conductors for markets such as touch-sensor modules, displays, flexible electronics, photovoltaics, and the internet-of-things sensors including medical, automotive, and wearable electronics. Innovating laser patterning, the TFP-500 achieves the lowest-cost patterning results through the use of high-peak-power fiber lasers, very-high-speed scanners with the largest field-of-view available, and proprietary control software to achieve very high accuracy across the entire 500 mm × 500 mm field of view. Metal trace conductor patterning has been qualified to 20-µm line / 20-µm space dimensions.
Advanced Custom Assemblies
Noritake has the ability to design and manufacture advanced custom assemblies using its knowledge gained though over 48 years of vacuum fluorescent display design and manufacturing. Core technologies include ceramics technology, thin-film technology, thick-film technology, mounting technology, vacuum technology, display circuit design, and firmware design.
Chip-on-Flex PCAP Touch Panels
Ocular’s Crystal Touch TRUE Multi-Touch PCAP touch panels are now available with a Chip-on-Flex (COF) assembly. The Crystal Touch standard product portfolio has expanded to include 3.5-, 4.3-, 5.7-, 7.0-, 10.1-, and 10.4-in. Chip-on-Flex designs. Standard COF versions have been added to increase design flexibility and eliminate the separate controller PCB to save space. The new standard COF versions are available with or without a pre-integrated cover glass and utilize an I2C interface.
Ultra-Thin HD TFT-LCD
Orient Display will feature model ODMD12100, an ultra-thin 5.0-in. HD TFT-LCD with an integrated projected-capacitance (P-CAP) touch panel. The IPS TFT-LCD features a resoltion of 720 × 1280 , MIPI-DSI interface, wide viewing angle, normal black mode, and a brightness of 440 nits at the CTP surface. P-CAP features OGS, optical bonding, integrated FT5336 controller, multi-touch, pen and writing function, glove operation, etc. Overall module is only 2.3 mm thick including TFT, backlight, and CTP. The operation temperture range is from –20 to +70°C.
EMI-Shielded Touch Screen
Parker Chomerics’ EMI-shielded touch screens combine today’s state-of-the-art touch-screen technologies with industry-leading EMI shielding expertise. Touch screens are available in a wide range of military and industrial products. They are being specified in more ruggedized applications such as military, homeland security, first response, and medical where EMI shielding is required. A touch screen fully integrated with an EMI shield simplifies the compliance with these tough EMI requirements.
Halogen-Free Wire and Cable
Many industries are on the verge of adopting new “Halogen Free” cable requirements. With various governing environmental and medical bodies beginning to require the use of “Halogen Free” components in products, Quadrangle Products has taken the initiative to implement and inventory “Halogen Free” wire and cable. We now offer “Halogen Free” wire and cable for custom cable assemblies. The halogen-free wire and cable is also available to those customers that fabricate their own assemblies. Quadrangle Products, Inc., is a Certified ISO 9001:2008 custom cable manufacturer. All cable assemblies are manufactured to IPC/WHMA-A-620 standards.
Imaging Photometers
Radiant Zemax will feature the ProMetric® Y, the latest addition to their family of imaging systems. The new Y16 and Y29 Imaging Photometers deliver big performance in a small size, using cooled interline CCD sensors of 16 or 29 megapixel resolution and 12-bit dynamic range. ProMetric® Y is perfect for inspecting flat-panel displays, keyboards, surface defects, cosmetic blemishes, and much more. Optimized for high-volume production, ProMetric® Y offers USB/Ethernet communication, Smart Control™ electronically controlled lenses and Smart Calibration™ automatic flat-field correction. TrueTest™ Automated Visual Inspection Software and PM-KB™ Illuminated Keyboard Test Software provide full data analysis and pass/fail test capabilities.
All-Laser Precision Manufacturing Solutions
The future of display glass has arrived. Pioneering ability to control cut-out shapes, chamfer and interior features, while processing thinner materials and new formulae in one-step, optimizes factory workflows with higher yields and zero post-processing steps. Ready to integrate into manufacturing lines, Raydiance all-laser precision manufacturing solutions combine Raydiance’s ultra-fast femtosecond laser technology with the company’s materials processing expertise and proprietary application-specific software. Game-changing, Raydiance’s non-contact fabrication methods for glass and brittle materials enable rapid prototyping of new product designs and transfer to manufacturing within hours instead of weeks.
Curable Resins
Sartomer’s CN4000 series oleophobic exterior-grade ultraviolet and electron-beam energy curable resins provide excellent protection for polyester, polycarbonate, and acrylic films. Accelerated weathering testing proves the materials can take the abuse of a wide range of climates for top-coating highly transparent films and glass. The low refractive index provides anti-reflective properties for inter-layer coating or adhesive, reducing the loss of light transmission between layers and the top-coated surfaces while maintaining excellent physical and color stability.
Anti-Glare Glass for HD Displays
Sevasa® has expanded its line of anti-glare glass by adding HapticGlas HPT-TEC, an anti-glare non-sparkling micro-etched glass for high-definition displays. It features exceptional tactile feedback, resistance to scratches and stains, very low maintenance, and high durability. A wide range of HPT-TEC is available with several finishes for different solutions and applications. For custom requirements or pre-set specs, HPT-TEC accepts all chemical processing and at sizes up to 2250 × 3210 mm (88 × 26 in.) and a diagonal of 154 in. HapticGlas is ideal for HD applications such as multitouch walls/ tables, HD displays, digital signage, ATMs, point-of-sale displays, and outdoor applications.
Tethered Touch-Screen Stylus
The ST series tethered stylus for “resistive” touch creens is manufactured in a full range of light to “rugged” duty applications. The elastomeric tethers have a 10:1 extension ratio, packaging 40 in. of unencumbered extension back into 4 in. of helical coil; this material has a 5000-psi tensile strength making it virtually unbreakable. Models are offered in slim D-series (0.075) tethers, medium H-series (0.088) and commercial duty R-series (0.103) – also offering plastic jacked wire to meet extreme strength applications. Consider the marketing features of color-matched plastics as well as corporate imprinted logos – all done in-house and made in the USA.
High-Performance PMOLED Driver ICs for Wearables
Wearable technology has become a hot trend, in particular for applications such as smart watches and health and fitness devices. Solomon Systech offers an array of display solutions for wearable applications, including PMOLED driver ICs, LCD drivers ICs, MIPI bridge chips, etc. These PMOLED driver ICs support displays in icon, dot matrix, and character; mono, gray-scale and color mode; and also in curved/bendable screens. The driver ICs operate at a low input voltage level with low power consumption and are highly integratable with excellent display quality. They are available in portrait and landscape orientation to fit different form factors and also support a display brightness high enough for outdoor use.
Resized LCD Assemblies
A liquid-crystal-display (LCD) is mounted on the front surface of a panel where the LCD may cover the instrument mounting screws and access hole. The LCD would normally be an integral part of the instrument and be mounted to the panel as a single instrument assembly. This LCD embodiment is a standalone, separate assembly mounted on the front surface by means of a flange. The resized LCD assembly with LED backlight mounting is low profile and can include the bezel and switches. It is ideally suited for avionics.
LTPS-TFT Display
Tianma will be highlighting one of its hottest products, the new 5.0-in. LTPS TFT display with full HD (1080 × 1920) resolution, IPS panel, LED backlight, narrow bezel, and slim design. This high-quality display is suitable for smartphone application and other similar products.
Durable P-CAP Touch Solutions
UICO’s duraTOUCH® Surface brings a unique intelligent human–machine UX to end users. UICO’s proprietary capacitive sensing circuit wraps and conforms to an array of surfaces. High-resolution controlling and solid-state sensing plus gloveSENSE® and waterSENSE® make it ideal for everything from joysticks to steering wheels to robot “skin.” duraTOUCH® Surface monitors intangible impressions and connects users to information to provide greater control, safety, and improved performance.
OLED Lighting
Universal Display Corporation (UDC) will be showcasing the Moon Window which demonstrates some unique features of OLED lighting. It has the ability to not only create a transparent lighting panel, but to also hide an image within the transparent panel. When off, the Moon Window appears to be nothing other than a normal glass-paned window, but when turned on, a glowing image of the moon appears. We created this prototype as a scale model of an architectural feature.
Automated Display Measurement System
Westar Display Technologies will be demonstrating PanelTest™, an automated test system for fast electro-optical characterization of mobile displays from cell-phone size up to 17 in. The standard PanelTest provides three sensors: a camera, spectrometer, and real-time photodetector to provide measurements of uniformity, color, contrast, luminance, cross-talk, response time, flicker, and more. The system is light-safe and includes a video-test-pattern generator and industrial computer. PanelTest allows the user to easily create custom test scripts. PanelTest options include a viewing-angle imager and custom display fixtures.
Imaging Spectral Colorimeter
Westboro Photonics will feature the WP214 Imaging Spectral Colorimeter which references every measurement to an integrated spot spectroradio-meter. Lens options allow 2-D uniformity as well as viewing-angle measurements of flat-panel displays. At 9 Mpixels, the new WP690 imaging colorimeter is ideal for 2-D characterization and defect detection. For characterization and calibration in production, Westboro Photonics will introduce a 2-Mpixel imaging colorimeter at Display Week. This new instrument measures luminance and chromaticity in under 5 sec.
Enhanced Optical and Retardation Film
ZEON will be highlighting applications of its latest generation ZeonorFilm® optical and retardation films. ZeonorFilm has excellent optical and dimensional stability under heat and humidity, critical criteria for LCD panels. For projected-capacitance touch sensors, ZeonorFilm allows premium optical viewing with and without sunglasses – in both portrait and landscape orientation. New versions optimized for OLED displays will be featured for reducing reflection. •