Communications of the ACM
'nano-Pixels' Promise Thin, Flexible High-Res Displays
Still images drawn with the technology: at around 70 micrometers across, each image is smaller than the width of a human hair.
Credit: University of Oxford
A team led by Oxford University researchers say they have developed a phase change material composed of germanium-antimony-tellurium (GST) that could eventually lead to low-energy, thin, flexible displays.
The researchers sandwiched a 7-nanometer-thick layer of GST between two layers of a transparent electrode, and used a tiny current to "draw" images within the sandwich stack. The researchers were able to demonstrate that multiple tiny stacks could be turned into prototype pixel-like devices, or nano-pixels measuring just 300 by 300 nanometers that could be electrically switched on and off to create colored dots.
The findings suggest flexible paper-thin displays based on the technology could have the capacity to switch between a power-saving color e-reader mode and a backlit display capable of showing video. Such displays could be made with inexpensive materials yet be reliable and easy to manufacture because they would be solid-state.
Potential applications for the nano-pixels include smart glasses, where an image would be projected at a larger size, as well as synthetic retinas and foldable screens, says Oxford professor Harish Bhaskaran.
From University of Oxford
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