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U S T . H K
PROF HOI-SING KWOK
Dr William MW Mong Professor of Nanotechnology,
Director, Partner State Key Laboratory on
Advanced Displays and Optoelectronics
WATCH OUT!
Ferroelectric liquid crystal-
based field sequential color
display using photo-alignment
technology. Applications include
micro-display and mobile display,
with the advantages of power
saving, high contrast ratio, good
shock stability, extremely fast
switching time (~10µs), wide view
angle and large color gamut.
Flexible displays that can be rolled up.
Healthcare electronic wearables. 3D
optically rewritable e-paper available for
re-use thousands of times. The next gener-
ation of screens is about to catch your eye
in numerous innovative ways.
Over the past 20 years HKUST
research in optoelectronic displays has
already brought many advances that have
made an impact on the development of
consumer electronics, ranging from
computer monitors to watch dials and
television screens, making a difference to
what we see and how well we see it.
The Center for Display Research
was founded in 1995, undertaking both
basic research advances on liquid crystal
displays (LCDs) and applied work that
was later transferred to industry. It was a
time when only a handful of universities
around the world had ventured into the
display area due to its multidisciplinary
nature and the need for teamwork, said
Prof Hoi-Sing Kwok, Chair Professor of
Electronic and Computer Engineering. “If
people work on their own, they can only
tackle small problems,” Prof Kwok noted.
“In our entire-system approach, several
faculty members truly work together,
each regarded as important.”
Inventions include liquid crystal on
silicon (LCOS) micro-displays, integrating
LCDs with silicon-wafer integrated circuits
that can be used in high-definition televi-
sions, among other applications; a funda-
mental new LCD alignment method using
light, called photo-alignment, offering top
optical quality and good contrast; and a
revolutionary thin-film transistor techno-
logy that combines the integrated circuit
into the glass display panel, offering slim-
ness, cheaper and better performance,
as well as a sharper image. Solutions to
specific practical problems have encom-
passed a multicolor LCD without color
filter, later licensed to industry, and reflec-
tive displays without a rear polarizer made
in collaboration with a watch company.
In 2013, the Center for Display Research
was awarded the prestigious recognition
of Partner State Key Laboratory (PSKL) on
Advanced Displays and Optoelectronics
Technologies by the Ministry of Science
and Technology of China. The laboratory
was established in partnership with Sun
Yat-sen University in Guangdong, focusing
on core research areas in LCD devices,
third-generation organic LED (OLED) devices,
video signal processing and integrated circuit
design, thin-film transistor array technology
and frontier technologies including green
displays. Prof Hoi-Sing Kwok is the Founding
Director.
Partrner State Key Laboratory:
Focus on Display Excellence
Opening ceremony
for Partner State
Key Laboratory on
Advanced Displays
and Optoelectronics.
Displays are everywhere. Even
small improvements can have
large societal and economic
impact
