TDK's see through screen for mobile devices

  TDK’s ‘UEL476’ see-through screen, now in mass production, was designed specifically for use in mobile devices

japanese electronics company TDK has just begun mass production of the world’s first near-transparent, passive matrix organic electroluminescent (EL) display.

organic EL displays use organic materials that emit light in response to an electric current, offering the benefits of a wide viewing angle and high brightness with a see-through screen. the ‘UEL476’ screen being produced is a 2.4-inch QVGA (320 x 240) display designed for mobile devices, and thus constructed to obscure light transfer through the device, preventing content from being visible from the opposite side. operable in temperatures ranging  from -20 to 85 degrees celsius (-4 to 185 degrees fahrenheit), it features 40% transmittance and no colour shifting  over the course of its life.

the development opens up numerous design possibilities for mobile devices, especially in the field of augmented reality.

detail view of screen

while transparent from the front (left), content is obscured from the back (right), as shown in engadget’s hands-on coverage during the CEATAC 2010 electronics show image courtesy of engadget

via akihabara