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Qualcomm MEMS Technologies' energy efficient displays

by Leslie Field, Ph.D. and Shalini Venkatesh, Ph.D. 
SmallTech Consulting, LLC

At a recent seminar sponsored by the IEEE SFBA Nanotechnology Council (March 16th, 2010), Rashmi Rao, a Senior R&D Engineer at Qualcomm MEMS Technologies, gave a well-received talk titled, “From Butterfly Wings to Energy Efficient Displays”. The industry's first mobile display based on interferometric modulation (or IMOD: a reflective display technology that uses MEMS structures), Qualcomms’s displays offer low power consumption and superb viewing quality in a variety of ambient lighting conditions (including even in bright sunlight).  These displays have been hailed as a game changer that is poised to revolutionize mobile devices and e-readers. 

Active OLEDs close in on mobile phone market

by Olivier Nowak, Wicht Technologie Consulting

After years spent playing catch up with LCDs, organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays seem to be finally closing the distance. The first mobile phone sporting an OLED main display - the BenQSiemens S88 - was introduced earlier this year. It includes a 2.2-inch, 176 × 220 full-colour active matrix OLED (AMOLED) screen from AU Optronics and several major display manufacturers (Samsung SDI, CMEL, and TPO Displays) have now signalled their intentions to offer AMOLED displays by the end of the year, targeting the mobile phone market, and marking a turning point for OLEDS.

Philips launches Liquavista to commercialize MEMS displays

Liquavista, a start up with electrowetting MEMS technology from Philips, announced this past April that it has received its first venture capital round from New Venture Partners (NVP).  The company is going after the lucrative mobile device display market.

As with Qualcomm's  MEMS display technology, Liquavista's approach also promises to yield brighter and less power hungry displays which can maintain high contrast indoors as well as outdoors.  Although their technological approaches are somewhat different, both Qualcomm and Liquavista are targeting this multi-billion dollar market opportunity.  We recently spoke with Liquavista's CEO Mark Gostick.

MEMS and Cell Phones

We spoke with Greg Heinzinger, senior vice president and general manager of QUALCOMM MEMS Technologies about the business unit’s MEMS-based display technology.