I have grown up watching science fiction movies fantasizing about having a watch whose display goes around my wrist, a 13-inch laptop that can be folded down to the size of a diary, a smartphone which is also a tablet, and most of all a television screen which can roll to hide. But today, these aren’t imaginations anymore. Flexible display is the hero behind the transition of this technology from being a part of science fiction to reality.

我已经长大了看科幻小说电影，幻想着拥有一块手表，它的显示器绕在我的手腕上，可以折叠成日记大小的13英寸笔记本电脑，也是平板电脑的智能手机，而最重要的是可以滚动隐藏的电视屏幕。 但是今天，这些不再是想象力了。 柔性显示是该技术从科幻小说到现实的转变背后的英雄。

Are flexible screens the future of smartphones, smartwatches, smart televisions & gaming industry?

柔性屏幕是否会成为智能手机，智能手表，智能电视和游戏行业的未来？

Well, they are the future, but they have also been part of our past. Yes, the idea of flexible screens started way back in the 1960s, and research was done by Xerox PARC (Palo Alto Research Company). The first flexible display was made in 1974 by Nicholas K. Sheridon, a PARC employee, who then called it e-paper (electronic paper) display. Later, many others continued the research, and in 1992 the first flexible LED display was made by Santa Barbara Unix Corporation. These displays weren’t very bright and ineffective, but they laid the foundation for new age flexible displays that we are experiencing now. In 2014, Royole Corporation made the world’s thinnest OLED (Organic light-emitting diode) display with 0.01mm thickness and stated, “Foldable screens are the future.”

好吧，它们是未来，但它们也已成为我们过去的一部分。 是的，柔性屏幕的想法可以追溯到1960年代，并且由Xerox PARC(帕洛阿尔托研究公司)进行了研究 。 PARC的员工Nicholas K. Sheridon于1974年制造了第一台柔性显示器，然后将其称为电子纸(电子纸)显示器。 后来，许多其他人继续进行研究，并在1992年由Santa Barbara Unix Corporation制造了第一个柔性LED显示器。 这些显示器不是很明亮且效果不佳，但它们为我们现在正在体验的新时代柔性显示器奠定了基础。 2014年， Royole Corporation制造了世界上最薄的0.01mm厚度的OLED(有机发光二极管)显示器，并表示：“ 可折叠屏幕是未来 。”

What held back the development of foldable devices for 5 years?

是什么阻碍了可折叠设备发展了5年？

Before answering that, let’s go back into history again. Tech giants like Nokia, Sony, Samsung, LG, Xiaomi, etc. started their research and came up with conceptual models at the end of the 2000s. In 2013, Samsung came up with Galaxy Round, the first rounded, flexible AMOLED (Active Matrix Organic Light-emitting Diode) display mobile. Later, Samsung continued and pioneered the field of flexible AMOLED display. They came up with a curved edge display, which was a massive success in the market. This was done by attaching the flexible display to the curved base and gluing it to a curved glass layer.

在回答之前，让我们再次回到历史。 诺基亚，索尼，三星，LG，小米等技术巨头开始研究，并在2000年代末提出了概念模型。 2013年，三星推出了首款圆形，灵活的AMOLED(有源矩阵有机发光二极管)显示屏手机Galaxy Round。 后来，三星继续并在柔性AMOLED显示器领域开创了先河。 他们提出了一种弯曲的边缘显示器，这在市场上取得了巨大的成功。 这是通过将柔性显示器连接到弯曲的底座并将其粘贴到弯曲的玻璃层上来完成的。

Now, let us talk about what OLED displays are. Previously most of the screens were LCDs (Liquid Crystal Displays), though they were a huge step up from cathode-ray displays; they had some setbacks compared to OLED displays.

现在，让我们谈谈OLED显示器是什么。 以前，大多数屏幕是LCD(液晶显示器)，尽管它们比阴极射线显示器大了很多。 与OLED显示器相比，它们有一些挫折。

OLED displays are comparatively thinner, have high contrast, better colors, and have faster refresh rates. Each pixel produces light individually, eliminating the need for a backlight and thus making it potentially thinner. This is one of the biggest reasons for its bendability. The color of the light emitted by an LED depends upon the semiconductor and metal compounds inside it. In OLED screens, the semiconductor materials (like Si, Ge & Ga) are replaced by some special conductive organic compounds like Bis[2(diphenylphosphino)phenyl] ether oxide and Tris-(8-hydroxyquinolinato) aluminum. These are electroluminescent dyes.

OLED显示器相对较薄，具有高对比度，更好的色彩和更快的刷新率。 每个像素单独产生光，从而消除了对背光的需求，因此可能会变得更薄。 这是其可弯曲性的最大原因之一。 LED发出的光的颜色取决于其内部的半导体和金属化合物。 在OLED屏幕中，半导体材料(如Si，Ge和Ga)被某些特殊的导电有机化合物(如Bis [2(二苯基膦基)苯基]醚氧化物和Tris-(8-羟基喹啉基)铝所代替。 这些是电致发光染料。

The OLED is basically sandwiched between layers that transport electrons between an anode and a cathode. The anode is on the top surface and needs to be transparent as the light from OLED can pass through it. ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) is the most widely used anode. The OLEDs are built on a glass substrate with super-thin layers of the chemicals mentioned above deposited on it.

OLED基本上被夹在在阳极和阴极之间传输电子的层之间。 阳极在顶表面上，并且必须透明，因为来自OLED的光可以穿过它。 ITO(氧化铟锡)是使用最广泛的阳极。 OLED建立在玻璃基板上，上面沉积有上述化学物质的超薄层。

The substrate also incorporates a grid of thin-film transistors which make up the active matrix in Samsung’s AMOLED displays. And this whole thing is encapsulated in a thin layer of glass or metal because the compounds in an OLED breakdown in contact with air and are quickly degraded by water. As these require high temperatures like 1800 F, it starts damaging the glass layer when big screens are made. So, scientists found out new methods (Low-Temperature Poly Silicon) where this process can be done at 800F. And now, these temperatures are suitable to build the OLED on plastic. The Samsung Fold, the first foldable smartphone, is built on a plastic called polyimide, which is super heat resistant and can bear more than 2,85,000 folds. They use colorless polyimides for the front screen and orangish polyimides for the backplate. To be folded, the screen needs to be flexible, but ITO, the common anode used in OLEDs, is brittle and can break after a few folds.

该基板还集成了一层薄膜晶体管网格，这些薄膜晶体管构成了三星AMOLED显示器中的有源矩阵。 而且，由于OLED中的化合物与空气接触会分解，并Swift被水降解，因此整个产品被封装在玻璃或金属的薄层中。 由于这些设备需要1800 F之类的高温，因此在制作大屏幕时会开始损坏玻璃层。 因此，科学家们发现了可以在800°F完成此过程的新方法(低温多晶硅)。 现在，这些温度适合在塑料上构建OLED。 三星折叠手机是第一款可折叠的智能手机，它是基于一种名为聚酰亚胺的塑料制成的，该塑料具有超强的耐热性，可以承受超过2.85,000倍的折叠。 他们将无色聚酰亚胺用于前屏，将橙色聚酰亚胺用于背板。 要折叠，屏幕需要具有柔性，但是ITO(用于OLED的普通阳极)很脆，折叠几下会破裂。

PEDOT: PSS (Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrene sulfonate)) is a super-thin transparent conducting material. However, it is hydrophilic (water-loving), it absorbs water when moisture is above 50%. It should be appropriately sealed to avoid damage. For this, Samsung SDI has developed optically clear adhesives for foldable smartphones, and these are responsible for holding everything tight.

PEDOT：PSS(聚(3,4-乙撑二氧噻吩)-聚苯乙烯磺酸盐)是一种超薄透明导电材料。 但是，它是亲水的(爱水的)，当水分超过50％时会吸收水。 应适当密封以免损坏。 为此， Samsung SDI开发了可折叠智能手机的光学透明胶粘剂 ，这些胶粘剂负责将所有东西牢牢固定。

Apart from innovation and necessity, the tech market is also concerned about portability, accessibility, and durability. The companies have given their best in innovating, solving portability issues, but there are still questions regarding availability and durability. Samsung unveiled its new phone Galaxy Z Flip, with bendable glass resolving the issue of sustainability.

除了创新和必要性之外，技术市场还关注便携性，可访问性和耐用性。 两家公司在创新，解决可移植性问题上已尽了最大的努力，但是对于可用性和耐用性仍然存在疑问。 三星推出了新手机Galaxy Z Flip，其可弯曲玻璃解决了可持续性问题。

I hope someday we’ll have flexible OLED skins, using which we can be a ShapeShifter or use it to blend into surroundings and have HARRY POTTER’S INVISIBLE CLOAK or one day become an actual HOLLOW MAN.

我希望有一天我们会拥有柔性的OLED蒙皮 ，通过它我们可以成为ShapeShifter或使用它来融入周围环境并拥有HARRY POTTER的隐形外套或 有一天成为一个真正的空心人。

使用OLED外观后： (After using the OLED skin:)

As said, Imagination has no boundaries and neither does technology.

如前所述，Imagination无国界，技术也无国界。

Make yourselves ready to unfold the Foldable World.

准备好展开可折叠世界。