探花直播 of Cambridge - displays /taxonomy/subjects/displays en Spinning, twisted light could power next-generation electronics /research/news/spinning-twisted-light-could-power-next-generation-electronics <div class="field field-name-field-news-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img class="cam-scale-with-grid" src="/sites/default/files/styles/content-580x288/public/news/research/news/microscopy-confocal-2.jpg?itok=pmBlsyIM" alt="Confocal microscopy image of a chiral semiconductor" title="Confocal microscopy image of a chiral semiconductor, Credit: Samarpita Sen, Rituparno Chowdhury" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p> 探花直播researchers, led by the 探花直播 of Cambridge and the Eindhoven 探花直播 of Technology, have created an organic semiconductor that forces electrons to move in a spiral pattern, which could improve the efficiency of OLED displays in television and smartphone screens, or power next-generation computing technologies such as spintronics and quantum computing.</p> <p> 探花直播semiconductor they developed emits circularly polarised light鈥攎eaning the light carries information about the 鈥榟andedness鈥 of electrons. 探花直播internal structure of most inorganic semiconductors, like silicon, is symmetrical, meaning electrons move through them without any preferred direction.</p> <p>However, in nature, molecules often have a chiral (left- or right-handed) structure: like human hands, chiral molecules are mirror images of one another. Chirality plays an important role in biological processes like DNA formation, but it is a difficult phenomenon to harness and control in electronics.</p> <p>But by using molecular design tricks inspired by nature, the researchers created a chiral semiconductor by nudging stacks of semiconducting molecules to form ordered right-handed or left-handed spiral columns. Their <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adt3011">results</a> are reported in the journal <em>Science</em>.</p> <p>One promising application for chiral semiconductors is in display technology. Current displays often waste a significant amount of energy due to the way screens filter light. 探花直播chiral semiconductor developed by the researchers naturally emits light in a way that could reduce these losses, making screens brighter and more energy-efficient.</p> <p>鈥淲hen I started working with organic semiconductors, many people doubted their potential, but now they dominate display technology,鈥 said Professor Sir Richard Friend from Cambridge鈥檚 Cavendish Laboratory, who co-led the research. 鈥淯nlike rigid inorganic semiconductors, molecular materials offer incredible flexibility鈥攁llowing us to design entirely new structures, like chiral LEDs. It鈥檚 like working with a Lego set with every kind of shape you can imagine, rather than just rectangular bricks.鈥</p> <p> 探花直播semiconductor is based on a material called triazatruxene (TAT) that self-assembles into a helical stack, allowing electrons to spiral along its structure, like the thread of a screw.</p> <p>鈥淲hen excited by blue or ultraviolet light, self-assembled TAT emits bright green light with strong circular polarisation鈥攁n effect that has been difficult to achieve in semiconductors until now,鈥 said co-first author Marco Preuss, from the Eindhoven 探花直播 of Technology. 鈥 探花直播structure of TAT allows electrons to move efficiently while affecting how light is emitted.鈥</p> <p>By modifying OLED fabrication techniques, the researchers successfully incorporated TAT into working circularly polarised OLEDs (CP-OLEDs). These devices showed record-breaking efficiency, brightness, and polarisation levels, making them the best of their kind.</p> <p>鈥淲e鈥檝e essentially reworked the standard recipe for making OLEDs like we have in our smartphones, allowing us to trap a chiral structure within a stable, non-crystallising matrix,鈥 said co-first author Rituparno Chowdhury, from Cambridge鈥檚 Cavendish Laboratory. 鈥淭his provides a practical way to create circularly polarised LEDs, something that has long eluded the field.鈥</p> <p> 探花直播work is part of a decades-long collaboration between Friend鈥檚 research group and the group of Professor Bert Meijer from the Eindhoven 探花直播 of Technology. 鈥淭his is a real breakthrough in making a chiral semiconductor,鈥 said Meijer. 鈥淏y carefully designing the molecular structure, we鈥檝e coupled the chirality of the structure to the motion of the electrons and that鈥檚 never been done at this level before.鈥</p> <p> 探花直播chiral semiconductors represent a step forward in the world of organic semiconductors, which now support an industry worth over $60 billion (about 拢45 billion). Beyond displays, this development also has implications for quantum computing and spintronics鈥攁 field of research that uses the spin, or inherent angular momentum, of electrons to store and process information, potentially leading to faster and more secure computing systems.</p> <p> 探花直播research was supported in part by the European Union鈥檚 Marie Curie Training Network and the European Research Council. Richard Friend is a Fellow of St John鈥檚 College, Cambridge. Rituparno Chowdhury is a member of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge.</p> <h2>Reference</h2> <p><em>Rituparno Chowdhury, Marco D聽Preuss et al. 鈥<a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adt3011">Circularly polarized electroluminescence from chiral supramolecular semiconductor thin films</a>.鈥 Science (2025). DOI:10.1126/science.adt3011</em></p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-content-summary field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p><p>Researchers have advanced a decades-old challenge in the field of organic semiconductors, opening new possibilities for the future of electronics.</p> </p></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-content-quote field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">It鈥檚 like working with a Lego set with every kind of shape you can imagine, rather than just rectangular bricks</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-content-quote-name field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Richard Friend</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-image-credit field-type-link-field field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="https://friend.oe.phy.cam.ac.uk/" target="_blank">Samarpita Sen, Rituparno Chowdhury</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-image-desctiprion field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Confocal microscopy image of a chiral semiconductor</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-cc-attribute-text field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p><a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/" rel="license"><img alt="Creative Commons License." src="/sites/www.cam.ac.uk/files/inner-images/cc-by-nc-sa-4-license.png" style="border-width: 0px; width: 88px; height: 31px;" /></a><br /> 探花直播text in this work is licensed under a <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License</a>. Images, including our videos, are Copyright 漏 探花直播 of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways 鈥 on our <a href="/">main website</a> under its <a href="/about-this-site/terms-and-conditions">Terms and conditions</a>, and on a <a href="/about-this-site/connect-with-us">range of channels including social media</a> that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.</p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-show-cc-text field-type-list-boolean field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Yes</div></div></div> Thu, 13 Mar 2025 18:09:28 +0000 sc604 248765 at Cheaper method for making woven displays and smart fabrics 鈥 of any size or shape /stories/smart-textiles <div class="field field-name-field-content-summary field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p><p>Researchers have developed next-generation smart textiles 鈥 incorporating LEDs, sensors, energy harvesting, and storage 鈥 that can be produced inexpensively, in any shape or size, using the same machines used to make the clothing we wear every day.</p> </p></div></div></div> Fri, 21 Apr 2023 17:37:37 +0000 sc604 238571 at Stackable 鈥榟olobricks鈥 can make giant 3D images /research/news/stackable-holobricks-can-make-giant-3d-images <div class="field field-name-field-news-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img class="cam-scale-with-grid" src="/sites/default/files/styles/content-580x288/public/news/research/news/toytrain1.jpg?itok=547VD_Lw" alt="Reconstructed holographic images of a toy train with holobricks and original image captured by a camera" title="Reconstructed holographic images of a toy train (top) with holobricks and original image captured by a camera (bottom), Credit: CAPE" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p> 探花直播researchers, from the 探花直播 of Cambridge and Disney Research, developed a holobrick proof-of-concept, which can tile holograms together to form a large seamless 3D image. This is the first time this technology has been demonstrated and opens the door for scalable holographic 3D displays. 探花直播<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41377-022-00742-7">results</a> are reported in the journal <em>Light: Science &amp; Applications</em>.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>As technology develops, people want high-quality visual experiences, from 2D high-resolution TV to 3D holographic augmented or virtual reality, and large true 3D displays. These displays need to support a significant amount of data flow: for a 2D full HD display, the information data rate is about three gigabits per second (Gb/s), but a 3D display of the same resolution would require a rate of three terabits per second, which is not yet available.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Holographic displays can reconstruct high-quality images for a real 3D visual perception. They are considered the ultimate display technology to connect the real and virtual worlds for immersive experiences.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>鈥淒elivering an adequate 3D experience using the current technology is a huge challenge,鈥 said Professor Daping Chu from Cambridge鈥檚 Department of Engineering, who led the research. 鈥淥ver the past ten years, we鈥檝e been working with our industrial partners to develop holographic displays which allow the simultaneous realisation of large size and large field-of-view, which needs to be matched with a hologram with a large optical information content.鈥</p>&#13; &#13; <p>However, the information content of current holograms information is much greater than the display capabilities of current light engines, known as spatial light modulators, due to their limited space bandwidth product.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>For 2D displays, it鈥檚 standard practice to tile small size displays together to form one large display. 探花直播approach being explored here is similar, but for 3D displays, which has not been done before. 鈥淛oining pieces of 3D images together is not trivial, because the final image must be seen as seamless from all angles and all depths,鈥 said Chu, who is also Director of the Centre for Advanced Photonics and Electronics (CAPE). 鈥淒irectly tiling 3D images in real space is just not possible.鈥</p>&#13; &#13; <p>To address this challenge, the researchers developed the holobrick unit, based on coarse integrated holographic displays for angularly tiled 3D images, a concept developed at CAPE with Disney Research about seven years ago.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Each of the holobricks uses a high-information bandwidth spatial light modulator for information delivery in conjunction with coarse integrated optics, to form the angularly tiled 3D holograms with large viewing areas and fields of view.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Careful optical design makes sure the holographic fringe pattern fills the entire face of the holobrick, so that multiple holobricks can be seamlessly stacked to form a scalable spatially tiled holographic image 3D display, capable of both wide field-of-view angle and large size.</p>&#13; &#13; <p> 探花直播proof-of-concept developed by the researchers is made of two seamlessly tiled holobricks. Each full-colour brick is 1024脳768 pixels, with a 40掳 field of view and 24 frames per second, to display tiled holograms for full 3D images.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>鈥淭here are still many challenges ahead to make ultra-large 3D displays with wide viewing angles, such as a holographic 3D wall,鈥 said Chu. 鈥淲e hope that this work can provide a promising way to tackle this issue based on the currently limited display capability of spatial light modulators.鈥</p>&#13; &#13; <p><em><strong>Reference:</strong><br />&#13; Jin Li; Quinn Smithwick; Daping Chu. 鈥<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41377-022-00742-7">Holobricks: Modular Coarse Integral Holographic Displays.</a>鈥 Light: Science &amp; Applications (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41377-022-00752-7</em></p>&#13; </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-content-summary field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p><p>Researchers have developed a new method to display highly realistic holographic images using 鈥榟olobricks鈥 that can be stacked together to generate large-scale holograms.</p>&#13; </p></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-image-credit field-type-link-field field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/" target="_blank">CAPE</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-image-desctiprion field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Reconstructed holographic images of a toy train (top) with holobricks and original image captured by a camera (bottom)</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-cc-attribute-text field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="license"><img alt="Creative Commons License" src="https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by/4.0/88x31.png" style="border-width:0" /></a><br />&#13; 探花直播text in this work is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License</a>. Images, including our videos, are Copyright 漏 探花直播 of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified.聽 All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways 鈥 as here, on our <a href="/">main website</a> under its <a href="/about-this-site/terms-and-conditions">Terms and conditions</a>, and on a <a href="/about-this-site/connect-with-us">range of channels including social media</a> that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.</p>&#13; </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-show-cc-text field-type-list-boolean field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Yes</div></div></div> Wed, 16 Mar 2022 00:53:32 +0000 sc604 230551 at Scientists develop fully woven, smart display /research/news/scientists-develop-fully-woven-smart-display <div class="field field-name-field-news-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img class="cam-scale-with-grid" src="/sites/default/files/styles/content-580x288/public/news/research/news/flexdisplays.jpg?itok=Ucb5aM0h" alt="" title="Credit: None" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>An international team of scientists have produced a fully woven smart textile display that integrates active electronic, sensing, energy and photonic functions. 探花直播functions are embedded directly into the fibres and yarns, which are manufactured using textile-based industrial processes.</p> <p> 探花直播researchers, led by the 探花直播 of Cambridge, say their approach could lead to applications that sound like sci-fi: curtains that are also TVs, energy-harvesting carpets, and interactive, self-powered clothing and fabrics.</p> <p>This is the first time that a scalable large-area complex system has been integrated into textiles using an entirely fibre-based manufacturing approach. Their <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-28459-6">results</a> are reported in the journal <em>Nature Communications</em>.</p> <p>Despite recent progress in the development of smart textiles, their functionality, dimensions and shapes are limited by current manufacturing processes.</p> <p>Integrating specialised fibres into textiles through conventional weaving or knitting processes means they could be incorporated into everyday objects, which opens up a huge range of potential applications. However, to date, the manufacturing of these fibres has been size limited, or the technology has not been compatible with textiles and the weaving process.</p> <p>To make the technology compatible with weaving, the researchers coated each fibre component with materials that can withstand enough stretching so they can be used on textile manufacturing equipment. 探花直播team also braided some of the fibre-based components to improve their reliability and durability. Finally, they connected multiple fibre components together using conductive adhesives and laser welding techniques.</p> <p>Using these techniques together, they were able to incorporate multiple functionalities into a large piece of woven fabric with standard, scalable textile manufacturing processes.</p> <p> 探花直播resulting fabric can operate as a display, monitor various inputs, or store energy for later use. 探花直播fabric can detect radiofrequency signals, touch, light and temperature. It can also be rolled up, and because it鈥檚 made using commercial textile manufacturing techniques, large rolls of functional fabric could be made this way.</p> <p> 探花直播researchers say their prototype display paves the way to next-generation e-textile applications in sectors such as smart and energy-efficient buildings that can generate and store their own energy, Internet of Things (IoT), distributed sensor networks and interactive displays that are flexible and wearable when integrated with fabrics.</p> <p>鈥淥ur approach is built on the convergence of micro and nanotechnology, advanced displays, sensors, energy and technical textile manufacturing,鈥 said Professor Jong min Kim, from Cambridge鈥檚 Department of Engineering, who co-led the research with Dr Luigi Occhipinti and Professor Manish Chhowalla. 鈥淭his is a step towards the full exploitation of sustainable, convenient e-fibres and e-textiles in daily applications. And it鈥檚 only the beginning.鈥</p> <p>鈥淏y integrating fibre-based electronics, photonic, sensing and energy functionalities, we can achieve a whole new class of smart devices and systems,鈥 said Occhipinti, also from Cambridge鈥檚 Department of Engineering. 鈥淏y unleashing the full potential of textile manufacturing, we could soon see smart and energy-autonomous Internet of Things devices that are seamlessly integrated into everyday objects and many other sector applications.鈥</p> <p> 探花直播researchers are working with European collaborators to make the technology sustainable and useable for everyday objects. They are also working to integrate sustainable materials as fibre components, providing a new class of energy textile systems. Their flexible and functional smart fabric could eventually be made into batteries, supercapacitors, solar panels and other devices.</p> <p> 探花直播research was funded in part by the European Commission and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).</p> <p><em><strong>Reference:</strong><br /> HW聽Choi et al. <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-28459-6">鈥楽mart textile lighting/display system with multifunctional fibre devices for large scale smart home and IoT applications</a>.鈥 Nature Communications (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-28459-6</em></p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-content-summary field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p><p>Researchers have developed a 46-inch (116cm) woven display with smart sensors, energy harvesting and storage integrated directly into the fabric.</p> </p></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-content-quote field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">By integrating fibre-based electronics, photonic, sensing and energy functionalities, we can achieve a whole new class of smart devices and systems</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-content-quote-name field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Luigi Occhipinti</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-cc-attribute-text field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="license"><img alt="Creative Commons License" src="https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by/4.0/88x31.png" style="border-width:0" /></a><br /> 探花直播text in this work is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License</a>. Images, including our videos, are Copyright 漏 探花直播 of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified.聽 All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways 鈥 as here, on our <a href="/">main website</a> under its <a href="/about-this-site/terms-and-conditions">Terms and conditions</a>, and on a <a href="/about-this-site/connect-with-us">range of channels including social media</a> that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.</p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-show-cc-text field-type-list-boolean field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Yes</div></div></div> Thu, 10 Feb 2022 13:17:14 +0000 sc604 229821 at Cambridge researchers and Jaguar Land Rover develop immersive 3D head-up display for in-car use /research/news/cambridge-researchers-and-jaguar-land-rover-develop-immersive-3d-head-up-display-for-in-car-use <div class="field field-name-field-news-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img class="cam-scale-with-grid" src="/sites/default/files/styles/content-580x288/public/news/research/news/jaguarimage3.gif?itok=XUw8CCbl" alt="" title="Artist&amp;#039;s impression of head-up display in Jaguar, Credit: None" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>Engineers are working on a powerful new 3D head-up display to project safety alerts, such as lane departure, hazard detection, sat nav directions, and to reduce the effect of poor visibility in poor weather or light conditions. Augmented reality would add the perception of depth to the image by mapping the messages directly onto the road ahead.</p> <p><a href="https://elib.uni-stuttgart.de/handle/11682/8868">Studies conducted in Germany</a>聽show that the use of stereoscopic 3D displays in an automotive setting can improve聽reaction times on 鈥榩opping-out鈥 instructions and increase聽depth judgments while driving.</p> <p>In the future, the innovative technology could be used by passengers to watch 3D movies. Head- and eye-tracking technology would follow the user鈥檚 position to ensure they can see 3D pictures without the need for individual screens or shutter glasses worn at the cinema.</p> <p>In a fully autonomous future, the 3D displays would offer users a personalised experience and allow ride-sharers to independently select their own content. Several passengers sharing a journey would be able to enjoy their own choice of media 鈥 including journey details, points of interest or movies 鈥 optimised for where they are sitting. 聽</p> <p> 探花直播research 鈥 undertaken in partnership with the Centre for Advanced Photonics and Electronics (CAPE) at 探花直播 of Cambridge 鈥 is focused on developing an immersive head-up display, which will closely match real-life experience allowing drivers to react more naturally to hazards and prompts.</p> <p>Valerian Meijering, Human Machine Interface &amp; Head-Up Display Researcher for Jaguar Land Rover, said: 鈥淒evelopment in virtual and augmented reality is moving really quickly. This consortium takes some of the best technology available and helps us to develop applications suited to the automotive sector.鈥</p> <p>Professor Daping Chu, Director of Centre for Photonic Devices and Sensors and Director of the Centre for Advanced Photonics and Electronics, said: 鈥淭his programme is at the forefront of development in the virtual reality space 鈥 we鈥檙e looking at concepts and components which will set the scene for the connected, shared and autonomous cars of the future. CAPE Partners are world-leading players strategically positioned in the value chain network. Their engagement provides a unique opportunity to make a greater impact on society and further enhance the business value of our enterprises.鈥</p> <p> 探花直播next-generation head-up display research forms part of the development into Jaguar Land Rover鈥檚 鈥楽mart Cabin鈥 vision: applying technologies which combine to create a personalised space inside the vehicle for driver and passengers with enhanced safety, entertainment and convenience features as part of an autonomous, shared future.</p> <p><em>Adapted from a press release by Jaguar Land Rover</em></p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-content-summary field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p><p>Researchers from the 探花直播 of Cambridge are working with Jaguar Land Rover to develop next-generation head-up display technology that could beam real-time safety information in front of the driver, and allow passengers to stream 3D movies directly聽from their seats as part of a shared, autonomous future.</p> </p></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-content-quote field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">This programme is at the forefront of development in the virtual reality space 鈥 we鈥檙e looking at concepts and components which will set the scene for the connected, shared and autonomous cars of the future</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-content-quote-name field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Daping Chu</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-image-desctiprion field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Artist&#039;s impression of head-up display in Jaguar</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-cc-attribute-text field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="license"><img alt="Creative Commons License" src="https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by/4.0/88x31.png" style="border-width:0" /></a><br /> 探花直播text in this work is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License</a>. Images, including our videos, are Copyright 漏 探花直播 of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified.聽 All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways 鈥 as here, on our <a href="/">main website</a> under its <a href="/about-this-site/terms-and-conditions">Terms and conditions</a>, and on a <a href="/about-this-site/connect-with-us">range of channels including social media</a> that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.</p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-show-cc-text field-type-list-boolean field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Yes</div></div></div> Tue, 20 Aug 2019 06:33:04 +0000 Anonymous 207032 at Opinion: Why are flexible computer screens taking so long to develop? /research/discussion/opinion-why-are-flexible-computer-screens-taking-so-long-to-develop <div class="field field-name-field-news-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img class="cam-scale-with-grid" src="/sites/default/files/styles/content-580x288/public/news/research/discussion/160118flexiblescreen.jpg?itok=y8NOeI-u" alt="Circuits patterned on a plastic substrate" title="Circuits patterned on a plastic substrate, Credit: Stuart Higgins" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>It鈥檚 common to first see exciting new technologies in science fiction, but less so in stories about wizards and dragons. Yet one of the most interesting bits of kit on display at this year鈥檚 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas was reminiscent of the magical <a href="https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Daily_Prophet">Daily Prophet</a> newspaper in the Harry Potter series.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Thin, flexible screens such as the one <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-35230043">showcased by LG</a> could allow the creation of newspapers that change daily, display video like a tablet computer, but that can still be rolled up and put in your pocket. These plastic electronic displays could also provide smartphones with shatterproof displays (good news for anyone who鈥檚 inadvertently tried drop-testing their phone onto the pavement) and lead to the next generation of flexible wearable technology.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>But LG鈥檚 announcement is <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/blog/2013/jan/11/ces-2013-samsung-bendy-screen">not the first time</a> that flexible displays has been demonstrated at CES. We鈥檝e seen similar technologies every year for some time now, and LG itself unveiled another prototype in a <a href="https://www.lgdisplay.com:443/eng/prcenter/newsView?articleMgtNo=4874">press release</a> 18 months ago. Yet only a handful of products have come to market that feature flexible displays, and those have the <a href="https://www.engadget.com/2014-09-03-samsung-galaxy-note-edge-hands-on.html">displays mounted</a> in a <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/sony-promises-an-end-to-the-a4-notepad-with-flexible-digital-paper-9227913.html">rigid holder</a>, rather than free for the user to bend. So why is this technology taking so long to reach our homes?</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>How displays work</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>聽</p>&#13; &#13; <figure class="align-left zoomable"><a href="https://62e528761d0685343e1c-f3d1b99a743ffa4142d9d7f1978d9686.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/files/108079/area14mp/image-20160113-10417-sqrkbq.jpg"><img alt="" src="https://62e528761d0685343e1c-f3d1b99a743ffa4142d9d7f1978d9686.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/files/108079/width237/image-20160113-10417-sqrkbq.jpg" style="width: 100%;" /></a>&#13; &#13; <figcaption><span class="caption">Magnified LCD screen.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Akpch/Wikimedia Commons</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>聽</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Take a look at your computer screen through a magnifying glass and you鈥檒l see the individual pixels, each made up of three subpixels 鈥 red, green, and blue light sources. Each of these subpixels is connected via a grid of wires that criss-cross the back of the display to another circuit called a display driver. This translates incoming video data into signals that turn each subpixel on and off.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>How each pixel generates light varies depending on the technology used. Two of the <a href="https://www.cnet.com/uk/news/led-lcd-vs-oled/">most common seen today</a> are liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs). LCDs use a white light at the back of the display that passes through red, green and blue colour filters. Each subpixel uses a combination of liquid crystals and polarising filters that act like tiny shutters, either letting light through or blocking it.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>OLEDs, on the other hand, are mini light sources that directly generate light when turned on. This removes the need for the white light behind the display, reducing its overall thickness, and is one of the driving factors behind the growing uptake of OLED technology.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>聽</p>&#13; &#13; <figure><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AxbHpXE4VM0?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="440"></iframe></figure><p>聽</p>&#13; &#13; <h2> 探花直播challenges</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Whatever technology is used, there are many individual components crammed into a relatively small space. Many smartphone displays contain more than three million subpixels, for example. Bending these components <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1369702106714468">introduces strain</a>, which can tear electrical connections and peel apart layers. Current displays use a rigid piece of glass, to keep the display safe from the mechanical strains of the outside world. Something that, by design, is not an option in flexible displays.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Organic semiconductors 鈥 the chemicals that directly produce light in OLED displays 鈥 have the additional problem of being highly sensitive to both water vapour and oxygen, gases that can pass relatively easily through thin plastic films. This can result in faded and dead pixels, leaving a <a href="https://olednet.com/oled-life-time-encapsulation/">less than desirable-looking result</a>.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>There鈥檚 also the challenge of the large-scale manufacturing of these circuits. Plastics can be tricky materials to work with. They often swell and shrink in response to water and heat, and it can be difficult to persuade materials to bond to it. In a manufacturing environment, where precise alignment and high temperature processing are critical, this can cause major issues.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Finally, it鈥檚 not just flexible displays that need to be developed. 探花直播components needed to power and operate the display also need to be incorporated into any overall design, placing constraints on the kinds of shape and size currently achievable.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>What next?</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>聽</p>&#13; &#13; <figure class="align-right zoomable"><a href="https://62e528761d0685343e1c-f3d1b99a743ffa4142d9d7f1978d9686.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/files/108078/area14mp/image-20160113-10419-ox462b.jpg"><img alt="" src="https://62e528761d0685343e1c-f3d1b99a743ffa4142d9d7f1978d9686.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/files/108078/width237/image-20160113-10419-ox462b.jpg" style="width: 100%;" /></a>&#13; &#13; <figcaption><span class="caption">Circuits patterned on a plastic substrate.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Stuart Higgins</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>聽</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Scientists in Japan <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nmat2896">have demonstrated</a> how to make electrical circuits on plastic thinner than the width of human hair in an attempt to reduce the impact of bending on circuit performance. And research into <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-32204707">flexible batteries</a> has started to become more prevalent, too.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Developing solutions to these problems is part of a broader area of active research, as the science and technology underlying flexible displays is also applicable to many other fields, such as <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/what-is-nano/nanotechnology-so-good-you-can-eat-it">biomedical devices</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/10/solar-energy-cells-you-can-print-out-catching-commercial-eye-says-csiro">solar energy</a>. While the challenges remain, the technology edges closer to the point where devices such as flexible displays will become ubiquitous in our everyday lives.</p>&#13; &#13; <p><img alt=" 探花直播Conversation" height="1" src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/53143/count.gif" width="1" /></p>&#13; &#13; <p><strong><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/stuart-higgins-185645">Stuart Higgins</a>, Postdoctoral Research Associate in Optoelectronics, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-cambridge-1283"> 探花直播 of Cambridge</a></em></span></strong></p>&#13; &#13; <p><strong>This article was originally published on <a href="https://theconversation.com/"> 探花直播Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-are-flexible-computer-screens-taking-so-long-to-develop-53143">original article</a>.</strong></p>&#13; &#13; <p><em> 探花直播opinions expressed in this article are those of the individual author(s) and do not represent the views of the 探花直播 of Cambridge.</em></p>&#13; </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-content-summary field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p><p>Stuart Higgins (Cavendish Laboratory) discusses the technology being developed to create flexible displays.</p>&#13; </p></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-image-credit field-type-link-field field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/" target="_blank">Stuart Higgins</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-image-desctiprion field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Circuits patterned on a plastic substrate</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-cc-attribute-text field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="license"><img alt="Creative Commons License" src="https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by/4.0/88x31.png" style="border-width:0" /></a><br />&#13; 探花直播text in this work is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="license">Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License</a>. For image use please see separate credits above.</p>&#13; </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-show-cc-text field-type-list-boolean field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Yes</div></div></div> Mon, 18 Jan 2016 12:14:32 +0000 Anonymous 165472 at Real-time holographic displays one step closer to reality /research/news/real-time-holographic-displays-one-step-closer-to-reality <div class="field field-name-field-news-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img class="cam-scale-with-grid" src="/sites/default/files/styles/content-580x288/public/news/research/news/150316-holographic-pixels.jpg?itok=3tbhXo9_" alt="Rendered schematic of holographic pixels in operation showing switching states" title="Rendered schematic of holographic pixels in operation showing switching states, Credit: Calum Williams" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>Real-time dynamic holographic displays, long the realm of science fiction, could be one step closer to reality, after researchers from the 探花直播 of Cambridge developed a new type of pixel element that enables far greater control over displays at the level of individual pixels. 探花直播<a href="http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/pssr.201409524">results</a> are published in the journal <em>Physica Status Solidi</em>.</p> <p>As opposed to a photograph, a hologram is created when light bounces off a sheet of material with grooves in just the right places to project an image away from the surface. When looking at a hologram from within this artificially-generated light field, the viewer gets the same visual impression as if the object was directly in front of them.</p> <p>Currently, the development of holographic displays is limited by technology that can allow control of all the properties of light at the level of individual pixels. A hologram encodes a large amount of optical information, and a dynamic representation of a holographic image requires vast amounts of information to be modulated on a display device.</p> <p>A relatively large area exists in which additional functionality can be added through the patterning of nanostructures (optical antennas) to increase the capacity of pixels in order to make them suitable for holographic displays.</p> <p>鈥淚n a typical liquid crystal on silicon display, the pixels鈥 electronics, or backplane, provides little optical functionality other than reflecting light,鈥 said Calum Williams, a PhD student at Cambridge鈥檚 Department of Engineering and the paper鈥檚 lead author. 鈥淭his means that a large amount of surface area is being underutilised, which could be used to store information.鈥</p> <p>Williams and his colleagues have achieved a much greater level of control over holograms through plasmonics: the study of how light interacts with metals on the nanoscale, which allows the researchers to go beyond the capability of conventional optical technologies.</p> <p>Normally, devices which use plasmonic optical antennas are passive, meaning that their optical properties cannot be switched post-fabrication, which is essential for real-world applications.<br /> Through integration with liquid crystals, in the form of typical pixel architecture, the researchers were able to actively switch which hologram is excited and there which output image is selected.</p> <p>鈥淥ptical nanoantenas produce a strong interaction with light according to their geometry. Furthermore, it is possible to modulate this interaction with the aid of liquid crystals,鈥 said co-author Yunuen Montelongo, a PhD student at the Department of Engineering, who, along with Williams, is a member of the <a href="http://www-g.eng.cam.ac.uk/CMMPE/index.html">CMMPE</a> group.</p> <p> 探花直播work highlights the opportunity for utilising the plasmonic properties of optical antennas to enable multi-functional pixel elements for next generation holographic display technologies.</p> <p>Scaling up these pixels would mean a display would have the ability to encode switchable amplitude, wavelength and polarisation information, a stark contrast to conventional pixel technology.</p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-content-summary field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p><p>Researchers from the 探花直播 of Cambridge have designed a new type of pixel element and demonstrated its unique switching capability, which could make three-dimensional holographic displays possible.</p> </p></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-content-quote field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">A large amount of surface area is being underutilised, which could be used to store information</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-content-quote-name field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Calum Williams</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-image-credit field-type-link-field field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/" target="_blank">Calum Williams</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-image-desctiprion field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Rendered schematic of holographic pixels in operation showing switching states</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-cc-attribute-text field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p> 探花直播text in this work is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/">Creative Commons Licence</a>. If you use this content on your site please link back to this page. For image rights, please see the credits associated with each individual image.</p> <p><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/"><img alt="" src="/sites/www.cam.ac.uk/files/80x15.png" style="width: 80px; height: 15px;" /></a></p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-show-cc-text field-type-list-boolean field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Yes</div></div></div> Mon, 16 Mar 2015 14:00:00 +0000 sc604 148072 at First graphene-based flexible display produced /research/news/first-graphene-based-flexible-display-produced <div class="field field-name-field-news-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img class="cam-scale-with-grid" src="/sites/default/files/styles/content-580x288/public/news/news/140905-graphene-plastic-logic.gif?itok=3QJMN-a7" alt="Active matrix electrophoretic display incorporating graphene" title="Active matrix electrophoretic display incorporating graphene, Credit: Plastic Logic" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p> 探花直播partnership between the two organisations combines the graphene expertise of the Cambridge Graphene Centre (CGC), with the transistor and display processing steps that <a href="https://www.e-pi.com/">Plastic Logic</a> has already developed for flexible electronics. This prototype is a first example of how the partnership will accelerate the commercial development of graphene, and is a first step towards the wider implementation of graphene and graphene-like materials into flexible electronics.</p>&#13; <p>Graphene is a two-dimensional material made up of sheets of carbon atoms. It is among the strongest, most lightweight and flexible materials known, and has the potential to revolutionise industries from healthcare to electronics.</p>&#13; <p> 探花直播new prototype is an active matrix electrophoretic display, similar to the screens used in today鈥檚 e-readers, except it is made of flexible plastic instead of glass. In contrast to conventional displays, the pixel electronics, or backplane, of this display includes a solution-processed graphene electrode, which replaces the sputtered metal electrode layer within Plastic Logic鈥檚 conventional devices, bringing product and process benefits.</p>&#13; <p>Graphene is more flexible than conventional ceramic alternatives like indium-tin oxide (ITO) and more transparent than metal films. 探花直播ultra-flexible graphene layer may enable a wide range of products, including foldable electronics. Graphene can also be processed from solution bringing inherent benefits of using more efficient printed and roll-to-roll manufacturing approaches.</p>&#13; <p> 探花直播new 150 pixel per inch (150 ppi) backplane was made at low temperatures (less than 100掳C) using Plastic Logic鈥檚 Organic Thin Film Transistor (OTFT) technology. 探花直播graphene electrode was deposited from solution and subsequently patterned with micron-scale features to complete the backplane.</p>&#13; <p>For this prototype, the backplane was combined with an electrophoretic imaging film to create an ultra-low power and durable display. Future demonstrations may incorporate liquid crystal (LCD) and organic light emitting diodes (OLED) technology to achieve full colour and video functionality. Lightweight flexible active-matrix backplanes may also be used for sensors, with novel digital medical imaging and gesture recognition applications already in development.</p>&#13; <p>鈥淲e are happy to see our collaboration with Plastic Logic resulting in the first graphene-based electrophoretic display exploiting graphene in its pixels鈥 electronics,鈥 said Professor Andrea Ferrari, Director of the Cambridge Graphene Centre. 鈥淭his is a significant step forward to enable fully wearable and flexible devices. This cements the Cambridge graphene-technology cluster and shows how an effective academic-industrial partnership is key to help move graphene from the lab to the factory floor.鈥</p>&#13; <p>鈥 探花直播potential of graphene is well-known, but industrial process engineering is now required to transition graphene from laboratories to industry,鈥 said Indro Mukerjee, CEO of Plastic Logic. 鈥淭his demonstration puts Plastic Logic at the forefront of this development, which will soon enable a new generation of ultra-flexible and even foldable electronics鈥</p>&#13; <p>This joint effort between Plastic Logic and the CGC was also recently boosted by a grant from the UK Technology Strategy Board, within the 鈥榬ealising the graphene revolution鈥 initiative. This will target the realisation of an advanced, full colour, OELD based display within the next 12 months.</p>&#13; <p> 探花直播project is funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the EU鈥檚 Graphene Flagship.</p>&#13; </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-content-summary field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p><p>A flexible display incorporating graphene in its pixels鈥 electronics has been successfully demonstrated by the Cambridge Graphene Centre and Plastic Logic, the first time graphene has been used in a transistor-based flexible device.</p>&#13; </p></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-content-quote field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">This is a significant step forward to enable fully wearable and flexible devices</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-content-quote-name field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Andrea Ferrari</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-media field-type-file field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><div id="file-62812" class="file file-video file-video-youtube"> <h2 class="element-invisible"><a href="/file/62812">Cambridge Graphene Centre and Plastic Logic</a></h2> <div class="content"> <div class="cam-video-container media-youtube-video media-youtube-1 "> <iframe class="media-youtube-player" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/sn-0_RfYc_8?wmode=opaque&controls=1&rel=0&autohide=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> </div> </div> </div> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-image-credit field-type-link-field field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/" target="_blank">Plastic Logic</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-image-desctiprion field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Active matrix electrophoretic display incorporating graphene</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-cc-attribute-text field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p> 探花直播text in this work is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/">Creative Commons Licence</a>. If you use this content on your site please link back to this page. For image rights, please see the credits associated with each individual image.</p>&#13; <p><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/"><img alt="" src="/sites/www.cam.ac.uk/files/80x15.png" style="width: 80px; height: 15px;" /></a></p>&#13; </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-show-cc-text field-type-list-boolean field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Yes</div></div></div> Fri, 05 Sep 2014 08:33:28 +0000 sc604 134562 at