High Efficiency Colour Displays; Fundamentals, Fabrication and Resident Elephants (Printed Electronics Europe 2014)

Robust, sunlight readable, low power colour displays have been an unattained goal for display developers for many years. We explore who wants these displays, and what applications would be enabled by their successful development. The challenges of fabrication of highly optically efficient, functional plastic substrates are discussed, and a new means of handling flexible substrates through the manufacturing process will be introduced.

John studied Engineering at Durham University, and Optics at Reading University. After working as a product design engineer he joined Hewlett Packard and helped found their UK based displays research group. In 2013 he and Steve Kitson set up Folium Optics to further the commercialisation of colourful, low power plastic displays.

Folium Optics is a new venture, founded in late 2013 by Steve Kitson and John Rudin, formerly at Hewlett Packard Laboratories Bristol. Folium Optics aims to commercialise low power, highly readable, full colour, reflective plastic displays. We believe that there is a huge market for sunlight readable signage, low power wearables, and robust products based on a significant improvement in the optical efficiency of colour display modes, and the adoption of plastic processing, leading to novel form factors and product design.

Folium Optics offers prototype development and fabrication from their cleanroom facilities in the UK, with links to European and worldwide manufacturing for volume.