How Electronic Ink Works

Electronic ink is used for e-books and electronic newspapers. It is a liquid containing numerous microcapsules. Each microcapsule unit is made up of white particles suspended in a vegetable oil like liquid which act as a carrier medium.

When an electric current is applied the particles appear on the surface of the microcapsule and thus the screen appears white. When an electric impulse is applied to the top of microcapsule then white particles appear on the surface and the part of the surface appears white. When an opposite current is applied then the particles float to the bottom of the surface and the screen appear dark. Thus by alternating the current, the surface can be made to appear dark or white.

The electronic ink display is formed by coating a plastic sheet with a film of ink. This is then laminated on a circuitry layer. This layer is controlled by the display driver. The charge pattern applied to the surface controlled, by the display driver; display the text on the surface of the screen.

E- Ink Corporation will manufacture electronic display for digital watches, cell phones, PDA and pagers. The electronic ink has several advantages over the computer display that are in use. Firstly if you read the electronic ink text, it appears more like the print text in newspapers and magazines. It is more comfortable to the eyes than the traditional display on the computer screen.

The electronic ink can be used any where. You can use it on the signboards, on your walls and billboard. The ink also uses less power when compared to liquid crystal display. The power use is about fifty times less when compared to liquid crystal display.

Xerox and E-ink Corporation are into the business of electronic display. Xerox came up with the electronic paper in 1970s. This electronic paper was a form of electronic ink. This is with the technology of microscopic balls. These balls are white on one side and dark on the other side. When the electric current is applied to these balls, they rotate in the electric field and produce the pattern of dark and white depending on the charge applied.

Xerox has developed a rubber sheet with embedded microscopic balls, which work on the same principle. This rubber sheet is used to produce the pages of digital books.

E-ink is extending the technology to create Radio paper, light weight in nature and it will allow you to download of the news and novel stuff just on a click.