ISP - July/August 2013 - 22

the effects of water and oxygen—both of which tend to damage the display
materials. Consequently, scientists have been working for more than a decade
to create effective barriers that can block the threats posed by water/oxygen
on the plastic substrate. Stainless steel has been used as an alternative to
plastic substrates, but it can only be used with certain emissive technologies
due to its opacity.
Recently, Corning (Figure 4) and other glass manufacturers have demonstrated flexible, glass solutions that can be processed in a roll-to-roll manufacturing line and that solve the barrier problems. Although glass is certainly
more apt to break than plastic, it may well be the substrate of choice for the
next generation of flexible displays.
Flexible glass may not be rugged enough for mobile-phone applications,
but it may well enable other devices to emerge. For example, LG recently
showcased a curved TV that is based on flexible glass (Figure 5). While
the LG TV is not designed to be flexed multiple times, because it does curve,
the solution does fall into the category of flexible display and gives rise to
renewed speculation about the mainstream adoption of devices that use
flexible displays.
conclusIon
Predicting the future is always a tricky business, especially in terms of getting
the timing right. Increasingly, however, the technical obstacles that have heretofore made it difficult to create a flexible display are now beginning to diminish, such that it is highly predictable that we will soon see many technology
announcements about flexible displays.

mark fIhn, ph.d.

Veritas et Vinus

Figure 4 Corning Willow glass is a flexible glass alternative
to plastic.

Mark Fihn, Ph.D., currently heads a publishing company called Veritas et Visus, where
he supports the flat-panel-display industry. Fihn was educated at St. Olaf College, the
American Graduate School of International Management, St. Edward’s University, and
in the University of Texas at Austin’s doctoral program in International Business.

Figure 5 LG is the first to market with a curved OLED TV.
22 | IndustrIal + specIalt y prIntIng www.industrial-printing.net

ISP - July/August 2013

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