2012-08-24　人氣：3697【Patent Filing in Taiwan, TJIP Firm】E Ink to Acquire SiPix shares to expand its portfolio of ePaper products

Scott Liu, Chairman of E Ink Holdings, the global leader in electronic paper and LCD technologies, announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to buy the whole shares of SiPix Technology, Inc. (STI), a subsidiary of AU Optronics Corp. (AUO).  The purchase is valued less-than NT $1.5B (US $50.1M).  The final closing is likely to be done by Q4 of 2012 after approved by the government.

”In the recent years, E Ink leads in the market for the application of eReader of electronic paper,” said Felix Ho, the company’s Vice Chairman, “Now E Ink’s products are finding homes in a number of new applications which can be better served with the inclusion of SiPix’s products for e-tags, smart cards and special displays.”  Ho noted that the combination of both sides of the technology is expected to play a complementary benefit.

E Ink said as both companies own many electronic paper display (EPD) patents, it will be not need to worry anymore the possibility of patent infringement after the collaboration for E Ink.  Based on both sides' production strengths, E Ink also expects the combined company will make a quick progress in developing innovative technology and churning out new products.

Electrophoretic Ink (E Ink) paper is a developing technology createded by the E Ink Corporation.  E Ink technology that mimics the appearance of ink on paper by making use of tiny capsules called microcapsules, which contain a clear fluid with tinier black particle and white particle.  While an electric field is applied to a microcapsule, the negatively charged black particles go one way, and the positively charged white particles go the other.  Once the particles are in place, they lay suspended even when the electric field is removed.  When the electric field is reversed, the particles exchange places.  To form a smart ink display, the ink is coated onto a sheet of plastic film that is laminated to a layer of circuitry.  The circuitry forms a pattern of pixels that can then be controlled by a display driver.  The microcapsules are suspended in a liquid "carrier medium" to allow them to be coated using existing coating processes.  The final laminate can be applied onto virtually any surface, including glass, plastic, fabric and even paper.

Microcup is a technology developed by the SiPix.  SiPix e-paper is created by inserting electrically-charged white particles and dielectric fluid within the Microcup during  roll-to-roll manufacture.  At any time the e-paper is laminated to a patterned conductor with adhesive, the e-paper display may be driven.  Under the influence of an applied electric field, the charged particles migrate through the dielectric fluid.  While the white particles are at the visible surface, that area of the display reflects a white color to the viewer.

Colored E Ink paper and colored Microcup e-paper, as long as the respective above a layer of color filters, they can turn white light into the RGB color model being an additive color model in which red, green, and blue light added together in various ways to reproduce a broad array of colors.                                                    (by David, Lee)                                  

Source:

1.     http://www.unlisted.com.tw/stocknewsdetail-16339.html

2.     http://www.displaysearchblog.com/2012/08/and-then-there-was-one-e-ink-to-acquire-sipix-2/

3.     http://focustaiwan.tw/ShowNews/WebNews_Detail.aspx?Type=aECO&ID=201208040020

4.     http://www.laserfocusworld.com/articles/2012/08/e-ink-buys-sipix-majority.html

5.     http://www.techopedia.com/definition/25201/electrophoretic-ink-eink

6.     http://www.electroiq.com/articles/sst/2012/08/e-ink-plans-sipix-acquistion-to-bolster-electronic-paper-displays-offering.html

7.     http://cens.com/cens/html/en/news/news_inner_40934.html

8.     http://www.display-central.com/e-ink-last-epaper-tiger-devours-sipix/

9.     http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz/archives/2012/08/04/2003539372

10. http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz/archives/2012/08/08/2003539703

11. http://www.eink.com/press_releases/e_ink_sipix_080312.html

12. http://www.sipix.com/technology/epaper.html