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(First Publish: 2025)E Ink & Realtek Unveil "SoP+COG" to Redefine ePaper Product Design

Company:Realtek Date: Views:495

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Acquaintance: A Corridor Encounter in the Science Park
In early 2023, E Ink was searching for the next-gen "wireless brain" for ePaper, while Realtek was testing a Bluetooth LE SoC (System-on-Chip) supporting BLE/15.4 ultra-low power. That spring, during a break at the Touch Taiwan "Wireless Display Technology Forum," an E Ink engineer posed a question to Realtek's BLE product director: "How about embedding RFIC directly into glass?"

"Integrating RF functionality into glass panels could let 'Panle ePaper shelf labels' break free from rigid boards, shrink in size, simplify assembly, and cut costs—interested?" This question kicked off their collaboration. Two years later, in spring 2025 at Touch Taiwan, the first technical flower of their "Blue Ink Duet" bloomed, heralding a vibrant future for ePaper product design.

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Alchemy: The Deep Dance of ePaper and RF Technology
The challenge wasn't just "attaching" the SoC to glass but overcoming mechanical and antenna constraints. Starting from packaging design, they used E Ink's thin-film technology as part of the antenna matching network, 重构从焊线到内层微带结构 (rebuilding from wire bonding to inner microstrip structures) to achieve deep integration of RF and display.
  • Thermal Stress: Circuit packaging temperature difference controlled within ±5°C.

  • RF Noise: Solved 2.4GHz band noise spikes from ePaper's high-voltage driving scans.

  • Thickness Threshold: Total stacking thickness <220 microns to pass 100,000 bend cycles.

Forging: Birth of System-on-Panel (SoP) Technology
In March 2025, the duo unveiled the "2nd-Gen SoP ePaper Tag," grabbing industry attention. With wireless signals and pixels merged into a single carrier, every display becomes a communicative smart ePaper terminal. This collaboration—rooted in technical complementarity, geographic proximity, and shared market vision—isn't just a product upgrade but a cross-disciplinary innovation model:
  • 30% reduction in TFT area, 50% smaller FPC; world’s first RFIC directly embedded in glass.

  • 2.66-inch ESL (Electronic Shelf Label) standby current <1.56 microamps.

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Spark: Accelerating Market Adoption
ePaper shelf labels have already replaced traditional paper labels for efficiency and low power, but E Ink-Realtek collaboration pushes further:
  • Technical Leap: SoP on ePaper panels optimizes circuit layout and transmission lines, matching traditional labels' signal range for commercial use. FPC stacking on the panel back reduces size and material consumption, aligning with ESG sustainability.

  • Industrial Value: As an ePaper leader, E Ink aims for net-zero carbon by 2040. Realtek’s redistribution layer technology integrates RF chips into 2.66-inch ePaper glass substrates, replacing traditional wire bonding to enable deep semiconductor-display integration for next-gen retail products.

  • Ecosystem Expansion: As a global Bluetooth platform leader, Realtek offers low-power, high-integration, multi-protocol wireless solutions with a complete development ecosystem, upgrading Bluetooth from a connection tech to a scenario gateway. The partnership extends "wireless neural networks" to shelves, wearables, smart homes, etc.

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Green: Revolutionizing Carbon Footprint
ePaper shelf labels deliver remarkable carbon savings:
  • A 3-inch ePaper label: With ~600 million installed globally over 7 years, daily 4x price updates see paper labels emit 32,000x more CO₂ than ePaper.

  • 30 million 10-inch ePaper ad screens used for 5 years: LCDs emit 12,000x more carbon, and printed materials 60,000x more than ePaper.

  • SoP+COG technology reduces plastic use by 18g per label by integrating glass, IC, and FPC, eliminating extra plastic frames and connectors.

Color: 2026, the Critical Year for SoP Technology
  • Mass Production Ready: Realtek and E Ink released the 2nd-Gen SoP-ESL reference design in March 2025, cutting TFT area by 30% and FPC by 50% to lower costs.

  • Carbon Neutrality Drive: European and American retailers have set 2026-2028 as ESG transition key years, with SoP’s integrated structure aligning with market demand for carbon reduction.

  • Scenario Expansion: From shelves to smart logistics (COG modules on reusable pallets for real-time temperature/humidity reporting), and from stores to hotel conferences (ultra-thin, wireless, OTA-upgradable custom signages).

  • Market Implementation: Leading retailers are finalizing label replacement plans. The Realtek × E Ink SoP+COG technology has moved from tech demonstration to market-driven adoption, with 2026 set as the first global mass production year.

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Coding on glass, enabling display panels to transmit data autonomously—this is the new narrative crafted through two years of collaboration, and the real beginning of "making every display a smart terminal." When ePaper meets RF technology, an industrial revolution of "green, intelligent, connected" is quietly transforming our lives.