Electronic paper and books from Lucent, E Ink

Lucent Technologies and E Ink Corporation have announced a joint development agreement to develop electronic paper and books.

The two companies plan to develop 'electronic paper,' which would be the first flexible, plastic electronic display entirely made with a process similar to ink-on-paper printing, rather than the more costly silicon-chip manufacturing process.

Current electronic books rely on glass with silicon transistors and an LCD. The new technology would use the less expensive transistors and lightweight flexible plastic film surface, even light and slim enough to be rolled up and put in the pocket. The limitations of current technology have been a dampener in the development of electronic books.

This new technology, also may lead to ultra-thin, lightweight displays which will be used in next-generation consumer electronics, such as cellular phones and personal digital assistants.The technology is now in its embryonic stages and if successful it could be a possible replacement for LCDs. Eventually, the technology could advance to include portable
electronic books.Incidentally U.S. retailer Barnes & Noble has announced its plans to sell the NuvoMedia's Rocket ebook

The key elements of electronic paper would be plastic transistors, developed at Lucent's Bell Labs, which have the same properties as conventional silicon chips but are flexible and can be printed, and E Ink's electronic ink. Electronic ink is comprised of millions of tiny microcapsules filled with a dark dye and light pigment. When charged by the electric field created by the plastic transistors, the microcapsules will change color and create images.

The objective of the Lucent/E Ink collaboration is to print the plastic transistors onto a flexible plastic film coated with electronic ink. "Our goal is to make a paper-like film that is as flexible and easy to read as ink on paper," says Bell Labs researcher Pierre Wiltzius.

Bell Labs researchers printed the world's first plastic transistor two years ago on transparency-like film with a silk-screening technique, similar to printing designs on T-shirts.

Earlier this year, E Ink conducted the first public viewing of an electronic ink display. The company's large area Immedia signs are currently being tested in several retail settings. Immedia displays, which are more readable and less expensive than LED or LCD displays,will be available for purchase early next year.

Commercial implementation in usable small objects would be available in a two- to three-year time frame.

Lucent Technologies, headquartered in Murray Hill, New Jersey USA, designs, builds and delivers a wide range of public and private networks, communications systems and software, data networking systems, business telephone systems and microelectronics components. Bell Laboratories is the research and development arm for the company.

E Ink Corporation, headquartered in Cambridge, Mass., was founded in 1997 to commercialize unique electronic displays. The company has developed a proprietary 'electronic ink' that provides significant advantages over traditional flat panel technologies. Electronic ink displays possess unique properties such as flexibility, ultra-thinness and larger sizes when compared to traditional displays. When exposed to an electronic signal, the electronic ink changes color to provide revolutionary display capabilities. The company's Immedia display products can be updated remotely and offer a contrast equivalent to printed media.