Progress in Advanced Properties of Electrowetting Displays
Yi Lu,
Biao Tang,
Guisong Yang,
Yuanyuan Guo,
Linwei Liu,
Alex Henzen
Affiliations
Yi Lu
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Optical Information Materials and Technology & Institute of Electronic Paper Displays, South China Academy of Advanced Optoelectronics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China
Biao Tang
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Optical Information Materials and Technology & Institute of Electronic Paper Displays, South China Academy of Advanced Optoelectronics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China
Guisong Yang
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Optical Information Materials and Technology & Institute of Electronic Paper Displays, South China Academy of Advanced Optoelectronics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China
Yuanyuan Guo
Academy of Shenzhen Guohua Optoelectronics, Shenzhen 518110, China
Linwei Liu
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Optical Information Materials and Technology & Institute of Electronic Paper Displays, South China Academy of Advanced Optoelectronics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China
Alex Henzen
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Optical Information Materials and Technology & Institute of Electronic Paper Displays, South China Academy of Advanced Optoelectronics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China
Electrowetting display (EWD) has promising prospects in the electronic paper industry due to it having superior characteristics, such as the ability to provide a comfortable reading experience and quick response. However, in real applications, there are also problems related to dielectric deterioration, excess power consumption, optical instability and narrow color gamut etc. This paper reviewed the existing challenges and recent progress made in terms of improving the optical performance and reliability of EWD. First, the principle of electrowetting applied in small and confined configurations is introduced and the cause of the failure of the dielectric layer is analyzed. Then, the function of the pixel structures is described to avoid display defects. Next, electric signal modulations are compared in terms of achieving good image quality and optical stability. Lastly, the methods are presented for color panel realization. It was concluded that multi-layer dielectrics, three-dimensional pixel structures, proper electric frequency-and-amplitude modulation and an RGB color panel are expected to resolve the current limitations and contribute to designing advanced reflective displays.
