Untitled Document

The traditional flat panel displays have been fabricated on glass substrates because of
intrinsic structural and processing constraints, which preclude the use of non-rigid substrates?
However, with the advance of plastic substrate technology, optical plastic films are in high demand for
non-rigid substrates with high performance characteristics and lower costs. Recent findings from
pioneering works by major LCD manufacturers demonstrated the superiority of plastic substrate's
functionality and durability over the conventional glass substrates in the following areas:

ADVANTAGES

Flexibility

Plastic films can conform, bend or roll into any shape.
In other words, plastics displays may be laminated
onto non-flat surfaces such as helmet face shields, military
uniform shirtsleeves, and aircraft cockpit instrument panels.

Ultra-lightweight, thin form

The use of plastic substrates will significantly reduce the weight (less than 1/3 of glass substrate)
and thickness (less than 50% of glass substrate) of flat panel displays in cellular phones, portable
computers, and wall-mount televisions.

Durability

Plastic displays are more resilient (10 times more than glass substrate), with higher impact resistance
and durability compared to glass counterparts.

Cost-effective processing
		Plastic displays are expected to achieve cost advantages at full production level over most glass-based counterparts by reducing roll-to-roll processing costs. While continuous processing requires further development, this process provides the basis for extremely low-cost mass production.