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This project is about exploiting the recent breakthrough in the development of high mobility amorphous semiconducting polymers with good uniformity in high performance transistor backplanes to drive full colour and flexible display frontplanes. Many current state-of-the-art organic semiconductors are based on polycrystalline, small molecules, which yield high mobility, but may exhibit poor uniformity and yield. Amorphous polymer materials that combine a high mobility with the uniform processing charateristics required for high volume manufacturing would be of immense value to the plastic electronics industry, opening up a wide range of display and non-display applications. The main objective is to produce a high-resolution display demonstrator based on this novel class of high performance amorphous semiconductor polymers.

Awaiting Public Project Summary

The development of graphene technology that can be commercialized in the near and medium term is at the core of UK and world-wide investments. Demonstrators and proof of concept devices based on graphene technology have already shown the potential of graphene in flexible electronics. However, its practical application in end-user products such as foldable displays still needs to be proven. Graphene's processability on a large scale and integration in a functional active matrix is yet to be addressed. This project will evaluate the feasibility of using graphene dispersions as flexible conductive electrodes for plastic electronics, securing a new manufacturing route for foldable displays in end-user applications like smart phones and tablets. The end result of the project will be a flexible active matrix array using graphene as a flexible conductive electrode that can be used to drive electrophoretic (EPD) and organic light emitting diodes (OLED) displays.

The current OTFT technology suitable for high volume manufacturing does not possess the performance uniformity or stability required for a commercially viable OLED product. This project is focused on understanding and overcoming the technical challenges of using organic thin film transistors (OTFTs) to drive OLED displays which are the “holy grail” of the $100 Billion global displays industry. This innovation will enable key solutions to facilitate the integration of OTFTs with OLED frontplanes. This project is highly innovative and will open doors to a wide range of applications such as tablets, smartphones, game consoles, smart displays and notebook PCs.