3M Demonstrates Optical Films for Tablet Applications at SID Display Week 2011

3M’s Optical Systems Division announced that it will debut its new optical film solutions for tablet applications during SID Display Week 2011, taking place in Los Angeles, CA May 16-20, 2011.

Specifically, the company’s Display Week tablet demonstration will leverage four key optical films: APF-V3, an extremely thin, 26 micron, high brightness reflective polarizer; LBR-160, a high efficiency back reflector; as well as BEF4-GMv2 and BEF4-GT, thin, high brightness, Brightness Enhancement Films (BEF). By combining the films, tablet battery life can be extended without sacrificing display quality or brightness. This one-of-a-kind film combination can also be used to increase display brightness by more than 50%, enhancing the outdoor viewing experience, in addition to reducing the overall thickness of backlight films by 30%.

According to DisplaySearch, the global Tablet PC market is forecast to grow 154% Y/Y to 52.4 million units in 2011 and to reach 140 million units by 2013—providing significant growth opportunities for the flat panel display and tablet PC supply chain.

“With this accelerating segment poised for strong growth, 3M continues to develop unique solutions that meet the technical demands and drive the creation of future innovative designs for tablets,” noted Jim Bauman, vice president of 3M’s Optical Systems Division. “The key challenges in the current supply chain are to extend battery life and enable more thinner and lightweight devices. 3M’s advanced optical films meet these requirements and deliver superior performance to meet our customers’ needs.”