Electronic ink is a material that is processed into a film for integration into electronic displays. Although revolutionary in concept, electronic ink is a straightforward fusion of chemistry, physics and electronics to create this new material. The principal components of electronic ink are millions of tiny microcapsules, about the diameter of a human hair. In one incarnation, each microcapsule contains positively charged white particles and negatively charged black particles suspended in a clear fluid.
When a negative electric field is applied, the white particles move to the top of the microcapsule where they become visible to the user. This makes the surface appear white at that spot. At the same time, an opposite electric field pulls the black particles to the bottom of the microcapsules where they are hidden. By reversing this process, the black particles appear at the top of the capsule, which now makes the surface appear dark at that spot.
To form an E Ink electronic display, the ink is printed onto a sheet of plastic film that is laminated to a layer of circuitry. The circuitry forms a pattern of pixels that can then be controlled by a display driver. These microcapsules are suspended in a liquid “carrier medium” allowing them to be printed using existing screen printing processes onto virtually any surface, including glass, plastic, fabric and even paper.
Ultimately electronic ink will permit most any surface to become a display, bringing information out of the confines of traditional devices and into the world around us. High resolution products which use E Ink Imaging Film can be seen easily in direct sun can be read at virtually any angle and are capable of very long battery life. E Ink’s display cells offer sharp edged, white display characters with virtually no visible segment lines. Rollover the above tabs to see different segmented display type examples.
Founded in 1997 based on research started at the MIT Media Lab, E Ink Corporation is the leading supplier of electronic paper display (EPD) technologies. Products made with E Ink’s revolutionary electronic ink possess a paper-like high contrast appearance, ultra-low power consumption and a thin, light form. E Ink’s technology is ideal for many consumer and industrial applications spanning handheld devices, watches, clocks and public information and promotional signs. Future technology developments will enable many new applications through ultra-thin, lightweight, rugged, flexible, full color displays.
Most recently, Sony, Lexar, Motorola and others have all won prestigious awards for their use of E Ink’s technology in their devices. Customers value E Ink’s technology for its brightness, high contrast, and low power – attributes that are similar to that of paper. E Ink is currently mass manufacturing high-resolution displays for several electronic books, including the Amazon Kindle & Sony Reader, as well as for signage, watches and other portable devices.
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