DuPont, Ritek work on displays

During a technology forum held in Taipei yesterday, a DuPont executive said his company is working with a Taiwanese firm on a new display technology aimed for use on computer monitors, mobile phones and other electronic products.

The companies hope the new technology, called plastic light-emitting diode (PLED), will replace the liquid-crystal display (LCD) screens currently used on portable computers and cellphones.

The plastic displays are purported to be more durable and flexible than LCDs. Up to now, light-emitting-diode (LED) type screens have not been widely used in displays because they use more power than LCD screens.

"We are quite optimistic even though we are still in the early stages of development," said Thomas Connelly, chief science and technology officer at DuPont. He said a glass-based version of the product would hit the market next year, while the plastic displays need two or three more years of development.

DuPont will be working with local display maker Ritdisplay Corp (錸寶科技), a member of the Ritek Group (錸德).

The Taiwan-based company will begin selling the glass-based LED displays by the middle of next year, according to Ritdisplay President and CEO Wang Ding-chang (王鼎章).

Wang said the plastic display technology would be available initially for mobile phone screens. Later, the technology will be expanded to all products, including computer monitors, digital TVs and any other screened gadgets.

According to both Connelly and Wang, the substance is far more durable than current screen technology. It will be lighter, a boon to PDA, mobile phone and notebook computer users, and it will be more flexible. Wang said the plastic screens would be bendable.

The government has been encouraging local companies to form more partnerships like the DuPont-Ritdisplay tie-up, whereby the local firm takes care of manufacturing the product while gaining technology transfer. The companies declined to comment further on the details of their agreement.

DuPont has been doing business in Taiwan for the past 30 years, investing over US$1 billion in seven ventures, three fully owned by DuPont and four joint ventures with local firms, according to Lin Yi-fu (林義夫), Vice Minister of Economic Affairs and a speaker at the technology session held by DuPont yesterday.

The company will celebrate its 200th birthday next year, and has prepared a number of events to commemorate their founding and let others in on the secrets of their longevity.