As applications for flat panel display devices expand from laptop computer screens to home, commercial and industrial applications, manufacturers of Field Emission Displays (FED), Plasma Display Panels (PDP) and Liquid Crystal Displays (LCD) are investigating new manufacturing techniques. In order to reduce manufacturing costs and improve production efficiencies, manufacturers are evaluating leading edge technologies and chemistries. The combination of these technologies eliminates the costly photolithographic or screen printing techniques currently employed to create key display structures. These new technologies are able to provide an opportunity to manufacture a significant proportion of the display device, including the barriers, walls, spacers, black matrix and color materials, resulting in an improved yield and greater flexibility for on-demand manufacturing. Such devices are also able to manufacture to a variety of product specifications, addressing the growing need for wider product selection.
Flat panel display production is just one area of the electronics industry where traditional printing technologies are being utilised and where modern digital printing technologies can revolutionise the industry. Screen technologies are utilised in the fabrication of electronic printed wiring boards, circuits, micro-devices and micro-fabrication.
RLA advanced liquid toner science and novel imaging technologies are being developed to produce the black matrix mask, barrier rib structures and color filter arrays found in leading flat panel display products. RLA's experience in these disciplines provided the capability to "print' the materials used in the fabrication of display technologies. The black mask is deposited on the inside of the front glass substrate creating a black square or rectangular grid pattern. The open areas within the grid are subsequently filled with red, green or blue phosphors in liquid ink form. When the energy from within the display is activated for a particular pixel, the contrast of the black matrix mask and the color phosphors produce the vivid colors on the display screen. RLA's work in small particle size toners provides black matrix masks that have excellent edge acuity and high opacity.
Innovative non-contact chemical delivery systems are under development for flat panel production requirements. These technologies are designed to digitally deliver precise amounts of a wide variety of chemistries to a range of substrates. These technologies are perfectly suited for patterning the barrier ribs and phosphor strips in PDPs offering alternatives to the slow and expensive silk screening techniques currently employed. Because of their digital nature they can be constructed to manufacture a variety of screen sizes, yet printed with the one device.
Advanced color liquid toners and imaging techniques are also being employed to deposit the red, green and blue color filters used in LCD devices. The selective deposition of the filters eliminates the photolithographic process and the substantial waste stream associated with spin coating techniques.
RLA can bring these technologies to the flat panel display production industry with the following advantages and benefits:
 | Particulate materials can be ejected and delivered to a substrate |
| Pigments, resins, and dyes can be used to provide the range of physical properties required for flat panel display structure design |
| 3 dimensional structures can be built |
| The particulate are controllable in ejection rate and quantity giving high resolution |
| The technology offers a simple, non contact, reliable delivery method which is suitable for wide array designs |
RLA novel digital imaging technologies have the potential to develop applications for:
| Flat panel display fabrication: LCD, PDP and FED |
| Printing inks and phosphors for the digital display industry |
| Micro-fabrication of structures: walls, barriers and pillars |
| Ejection of conductive materials for electronic circuits |
| Ejection of functional materials for sensory devices |
| Circuit board marking |
RLA’s digital printing technologies offer a unique opportunity to improve manufacturing, reduce costs and create new markets and applications.