A research team from Nottingham Trent University in the UK, the Australian National University and the University of New South Wales Canberra has developed a proof-of-concept display technology that could replace the LCD panels common to many of today's large-screen TVS.
Although some modern high-end TVS may feature quantum-dot displays or OLED panels, many of the cheaper models available will use LCD (liquid crystal display) technology, polarization filters and LED backlighting. The researchers say the technology has reached its limits.
Dragomir Neshev, professor of physics at the Australian National University, said: "The capabilities of traditional displays have reached their peak and are unlikely to improve significantly in the future due to multiple constraints. Today, people are seeking all-solid-state flat display technologies with high resolution and fast refresh rates. We have designed and developed meta surface pixels that can be ideal for next-generation displays. Unlike liquid crystals, our pixels don't need polarized light to operate, which would halve the energy consumption of the screen.
In order to control individual pixels at high modulation rates, the proof-of-concept platform employs transparent conductive oxides as electrically driven heaters that can rapidly alter the optical properties of cells on the surface of silicon cells, which are said to be 100 times thinner than liquid crystal cells and 200 times thinner than human hair. The technology's response time is less than a millisecond - 10 times faster than the detection limit of the human eye.
PhD scholar Khosro Zangeneh Kamali of the Australian National University with the team's electrically-programmable silicon surface Proof-of-concept Khosro Zangeneh Kamali, Australian National University
Andrey Miroshnichenko, Professor at the University of New South Wales Canberra, notes: "Our pixels are made of silicon and have a long life compared to the organic materials required for other existing alternatives. In addition, silicon is widely available, compatible with mature technologies in CMOS, and cheap to produce."
The technology could also be used for dynamic VR holography and LiDAR technology, and could be used to produce thinner tablets with a resolution 100 times higher than current LCD-based screens, while cutting power consumption in half.
In addition, because metasurface arrays can effectively replace the liquid crystal layers in today's displays, the researchers estimate that manufacturers will not need to invest in entirely new production lines to manufacture panels.
The project will now look at scaling up the technology for large-screen TVS, as well as using artificial intelligence and machine learning to further improve the performance of metasurface.
Lead researcher Mohsen Rahmani, professor of engineering at Nottingham Trent University's School of Science and Technology, said: "We have paved the way for breaking down the technological barrier by replacing the liquid crystal layer in current displays with a meta-surface, allowing us to make affordable tablets liquid crystal free. The most important metrics for flat-panel displays are pixel size and resolution, weight and power consumption. We've solved each of these problems with our meta-display concept."
"On top of that, our new technology can lead to huge reductions in energy consumption - which is fantastic news given the number of monitors and television sets used in homes and businesses every day. We believe the time has come for LCD and LED displays to become obsolete, just as they were for cathode ray tube (CRT) TVS in the past 10 to 20 years.
Gestant Display Technology Co.,Ltd. could provide a series of LCD and OLED products, such as AMOLED Screen, PMOLED Screen, Round Display Screen, Flexible Display Screen, TFT LCD, Mono-LCD and Bar Display Screen. Customize PCBA/LCD/OLED/FPC/Backlight/Coverlens/TP solutions.
Gestant Display Technology Co.,LTD was founded in 2012 in Shenzhen China. Even, the founder of the company, has more than 15 years of rich experience in LCD display industry. He has been engaging in the basic research of LCD display technology in Japan since his graduate school and has been working in the flat panel display industry after graduation.
Proficient in the manufacturing process and technology development of LCD / OLED / polarizer, Even was also one of the members of China liquid crystal Association who has a senior industry background and supply chain resources. In the past three years, he assisted his shareholders in building factories, purchasing equipment，establishing production lines, and successfully obtaining ISO9001 and ISO14001 system certificates.
He has established good business relations with major panel manufacturers in China (BOE /Tianma / IVO /EDO / Visionox), and the glass supply is stable and sufficient.
Gestant Display's products are widely used in Smart wear，Smart home，Outdoor photography，IP phones, Medical care, Industrial control equipment, Automotive and Vehicle displays, Instrumentation, and other Information terminal applications which could offer long-term after-sale services(such as 2 years quality warranty, long-term supply) .