Under certain conditions light can be emitted. Unlike metallic semiconductors, which need to be created in ultra-clean conditions, you can mix up a batch of LEP in a flask. The material is flexible and easy to work and can be made in a vast range of colours and sizes. The major disadvantage is a short lifetime. Around 10,000 hours is the upper limit before the display degrades as dark spots of contamination spread.
Improved encapsulation is thought to be the key here.
While prototype dot matrix displays have been demonstrated at Cambridge University, the first market will be for backlighting on portable electronic devices, such as telephones and PDAs. Here the technology's cheapness, thinness and ease of working makes it a potential winner. When this market is established, the move towards more exotic devices, such as colour displays, will accelerate. The mirror chip is at heart a standard static memory design. Memory bits are stored in silicon as electrical charge in cells.