Lehigh University to evaluate new materials for flexible display backplanes

BETHLEHEM, Pa., 27 July 2008. Scientists at the Lehigh University Display Research Laboratory in Bethlehem, Pa., will investigate several different metal foils for their suitability in manufacturing flexible display backplanes under terms of a $270,000 contract from the FlexTech Alliance (formerly known as the U.S. Display Consortium, or USDC) in San Jose, Calif.

Lehigh's work will be the first-ever systematic study of metal foils to find alternative substrates to today's commonly used stainless steel, FlexTech Alliance officials say.

Lehigh experts will work together with Hamilton Precision Metals (HPM) in Lancaster, Pa., to identify promising material for metal backplanes for flexible displays. Factors include good thermal coefficient matching and smooth substrate surfaces.

Lehigh also will assess the costs of foil in high-volume manufacturing. Samples of the most promising materials will go to the U.S. Army-sponsored Flexible Display Center (FDC) at Arizona State University in Phoenix for further tests. For more information contact the FlexTech Alliance online at www.flextech.org.