Lamps slim down to backlight handset keypad

The flexible DFLX electroluminescent lamp is used as the keypad backlight in the new Voq Professional Phone from Sierra Wireless.

The flexible DFLX electroluminescent lamp is used as the keypad backlight in the new Voq Professional Phone from Sierra Wireless.

The Voq product line is a new class of mobile phone designed to provide busy mobile professionals with a compelling solution that combines best-in-class voice and data functionality.

The Voq Professional Phone incorporates the best features of a mobile phone, a messaging device and a PDA.

A key feature of Voq is its backlit and easy-to-use qwerty thumbpad.

"Rogers Durel DFLX lamp was the perfect choice for Voq because of the thin, uniform profile of the lamp", said Andrew Harries, Senior Vice-President, Marketing for Sierra Wireless.

"It enabled us to make the keypad ultrathin while maintaining excellent lighting and tactile feel".

DFLX lamps, Rogers' newest EL technology manufactured by the Durel Division, uses patented membranous technology developed by EL Specialists (now owned by Oryon Technologies) with Rogers' proprietary phosphor technology and EL resin systems.

The lamps have a very thin form factor and supple rubber composition (like a thin coat of latex paint), while maintaining durability.

DFLX lamps have been subjected to over one million actuations in keypad applications with no degradation.

They can be folded, creased and pierced while maintaining complete functionality allowing design concepts previously unachievable.

The uniform lighting characteristics of Rogers Durel DFLX lamps enable designers to achieve best-in-class illumination in the keypad, complementing the latest improvements in LCDs.

DFLX lamps provide the same low-power consumption and bright uniform lighting already available in Rogers' original EL products.

Measuring only one-third the thickness of the original EL, these flexible lamps fit easily between the metal dome array and the keypad in the Voq phone.

Mike Bessette, Vice President of Rogers Durel Division, said: "Sierra Wireless recognised the advantages of our flexible lamps.

We are very pleased to have our first full-scale production run DFLX lamps integrated into its top-of-the-line Voq Professional Phone".

The flexible lamps used in the Voq Professional Phone are powered by a small IC driver that uses very low current and generates virtually no heat.

Rogers offers a broad range of high-power EL drivers as part of its matched system-solution approach.

Rogers also provides comprehensive engineering support for customers requiring assistance in optimising EL backlighting systems for their applications.

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