Warning: file_put_contents(/opt/frankenphp/design.onmedianet.com/storage/proxy/cache/72c099be1c085652abe45c70b2742c62.html): Failed to open stream: No space left on device in /opt/frankenphp/design.onmedianet.com/app/src/Arsae/CacheManager.php on line 36

Warning: http_response_code(): Cannot set response code - headers already sent (output started at /opt/frankenphp/design.onmedianet.com/app/src/Arsae/CacheManager.php:36) in /opt/frankenphp/design.onmedianet.com/app/src/Models/Response.php on line 17

Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /opt/frankenphp/design.onmedianet.com/app/src/Arsae/CacheManager.php:36) in /opt/frankenphp/design.onmedianet.com/app/src/Models/Response.php on line 20
Plastic transistors in active-matrix displays | Nature
Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Brief Communication
  • Published:

Plastic transistors in active-matrix displays

Nature volume 414, page 599 (2001)Cite this article

The handling of grey levels by these large displays paves the way for electronic paper.

Abstract

The main advantages of using soluble semiconductive polymers in microelectronic devices are ease of processing1,2,3 and mechanical flexibility4. Here we describe an active-matrix display with 64 × 64 pixels, each driven by a thin-film transistor with a solution-processed polymer semiconductor. In a significant step towards low-cost flexible displays, this polymer-dispersed liquid-crystal arrangement gives a reflective, low-power display with paper-like contrast, which can handle 256 grey levels while being refreshed at video speed.

Access through your institution
Buy or subscribe

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Access through your institution

Buy this article

  • Purchase on SpringerLink
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Layout of one pixel (540 × 540 mm2) of an active-matrix display driven by transistors with a polymer semiconductor.
Figure 2: An image on the multipixel display driven by 4,096 thin-film transistors, with a solution-processed polythienylenevinylene semiconductor.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Gelinck, G. H., Geuns, T. C. T. & de Leeuw, D. M. Appl. Phys. Lett. 77, 1487–1489 (2000).

    Article  CAS  ADS  Google Scholar 

  2. Sirringhaus, H., Tessler, N. & Friend, R. H. Science 280, 1741–1744 (1998).

    Article  CAS  ADS  Google Scholar 

  3. Levi, B. G. Phys. Today 20–22 (February 2001).

  4. Voss, D. Nature 407, 442–444 (2000).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Tokito, S., Momii, T., Murata, H., Tsutsui, T. & Saito, S. Polymer 31, 1137–1141 (1990).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Vaz, N. A., Smith, G. W. & Montgomery, G. P. Jr Liquid Cryst. 146, 1–15 (1987).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Cornelissen, H. J., Neijzen, J. H. M., Paulissen, F. A. M. A. & Schlangen, L. J. M. J. Soc. Inform. Display 7, 37–41 (1999).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Kane, M. G. et al. IEEE Electr. Dev. Lett. 21, 534–536 (2000).

    Article  CAS  ADS  Google Scholar 

  9. Rogers, J. A. et al. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 98, 4835–4840 (2001).

    Article  CAS  ADS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Philips Research, Professor Holstlaan 4, Eindhoven, 5656 AA, The Netherlands

    H. E. A. Huitema, G. H. Gelinck, J. B. P. H. van der Putten, K. E. Kuijk, C. M. Hart, E. Cantatore & D. M. de Leeuw

  2. Materials Technology Division, Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research, Institute of Industrial Technology, PO Box 6235, Eindhoven, 5600 HE, The Netherlands

    P. T. Herwig & A. J. J. M. van Breemen

Authors
  1. H. E. A. Huitema
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  2. G. H. Gelinck
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  3. J. B. P. H. van der Putten
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  4. K. E. Kuijk
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  5. C. M. Hart
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  6. E. Cantatore
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  7. P. T. Herwig
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  8. A. J. J. M. van Breemen
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  9. D. M. de Leeuw
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to H. E. A. Huitema.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Huitema, H., Gelinck, G., van der Putten, J. et al. Plastic transistors in active-matrix displays. Nature 414, 599 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/414599a

Download citation

  • Issue date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/414599a

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing