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To: StanX Long who wrote (13172)	1/30/2004 3:25:53 AM
From: StanX Long	Respond to of 95865

The Next Must Have,;0) Sci-Tech: Researchers on a Roll with Flexible Computers Thu Jan 29, 4:02 PM ET Add Technology - NewsFactor to My Yahoo! Mike Martin , science.newsfactor.com Thriller writers take note: "James Bond carefully opened his laptop and entered the secret code," may become "Jane Bond carefully slipped her laptop from under her sleeve, unrolled it, entered the secret code, and rolled it back up." Engineers at the University of Toronto have a flexible organic light emitting device (FOLED) up their sleeves that could lay the groundwork for bendable televisions and monitors that roll instead of fold. A Rolling Screen Gathers No Dust FOLED technology "opens a whole new range of possibilities for the future," said University of Toronto materials science professor Zheng-Hong Lu. "Imagine a room with electronic wallpaper programmed to display a series of Van Gogh paintings, or a reusable electronic newspaper that could download and display the day's news and be rolled up after use." Working with post-doctoral fellow Sijin Han and engineering science student Brian Fung, Lu developed FOLEDs using a variety of lightweight, flexible materials, such as transparent plastic films and reflective metal foils. "FOLED technology could be manufactured using a low-cost, high-efficiency mass production method," Lu told NewsFactor, adding that a marketable device could be ready within two to three years. A Giant Weighs In Print electronics giant Xerox (NYSE: XRX - news) also is pursuing flexible technology. "Obviously, this subject is very close to some of the key research we are doing in printed organic electronics and electronic paper," Xerox spokesperson Bill McKee told NewsFactor. "Xerox has announced a number of recent advances in printed organic electronics that will enable large-scale flexible display screens." FOLED technology is not new, but challenges remain in commercializing it, added Beng Ong, manager of the Printed Organic Electronics Group at Xerox Research Centre Canada. "To make a commercial large-screen FOLED display is still a very challenging undertaking, particularly at low cost," Ong told NewsFactor. "Improvements in FOLED technology are still needed." Tech on a Roll In pursuit of lower costs and greater flexibility, Lucent (NYSE: LU - news), DuPont and Xerox are chasing flexible technology with prototype screens and printable circuits. "In October, researchers at Xerox's Palo Alto Research Center announced the first plastic semiconductor transistor array entirely patterned using jet printing," McKee explained. "Jet printing will lower costs by replacing vacuum deposition and photolithography in current manufacturing." Future generations of wily Bonds most likely will have an array of new flexible tech gear at their disposal to give them that extra edge. And ordinary people may get into the act too. "The technology is expected to open new markets for wall-sized TV's, unbreakable cell phone displays, rollable displays and electronic paper," McKee said.