US/Taiwan-based Light Polymers has developed a lyotropic liquid crystal material (CR006) that can be coated on substrates, or directly onto OLED panel glass, to improve the contrast and readability of OLED displays.
The reflective transistors driving OLED displays can cause lower contrast in bright environments. Traditionally, a linear polariser and quarter-wave plate are added on top of the display, which compensates for the brightness but also introduced a colour shift in off-angle viewing. A reverse dispersion quarter-wave plate film can be used to circumvent this issue, providing more uniform blacks and a less noticeable colour shift.
Light Polymers’ new CR006 material acts in a similar way to the reverse dispersion plate film, but at a lower cost. It can also be coated directly onto the glass and acts as an anti-reflective layer.
Initially, CR006 is available for use on cyclic olefin polymer (COP) substrates. Light Polymers plans to expand this by the end of 2015 to also include TAC, polycarbonate, acrylic and glass substrates.
The material is a water-based solution, and is the first in a family of products that Light Polymers plans to offer across the range of light management points in displays.
Light Polymers is currently qualifying coating equipment manufacturers for implementing its lyotropic liquid crystal materials in production. Slot die and microgravure coating methods are used for coatings on substrates, and slit coating for coatings on glass. CR006 does not require a secondary alignment process such as rubbing or photoalignment.
