Display Tech Development &n
Staff -- Semiconductor International, 6/1/1999
The
Defence Evaluation Research Agency (DERA, Malvern, England) developed a liquid
crystal display that requires extremely small amounts of energy to switch and
to hold the displayed image. This zenithal bistable display employs a new type
of alignment mechanism that will hold an image on the display even if the power
supply has been switched off. These so-called "Zebedee" displays, therefore,
are ideal for mobile and for safety-critical applications, such as those required
for use by the fire, ambulance, police, life boat and other emergency services.
DERA developed the Zebedee displays on glass substrates, but is working on
developing similar displays on a plastic alternative substrate. In due course,
DERA hopes to incorporate such flexible displays, based on a plastic substrate,
into credit cards and various types of smart card to enable these card users
to display the total amount spent. Whenever a future credit card of this type
is passed through a cash machine to make a payment transfer, the amount spent
and the amount available for further spending are updated in a semiconductor
or magnetic strip memory and shown by the display. 
