Thin film power harvesting system for displays

Long battery life is a critical requirement for mobile devices. Energy harvesting from ambient sources or recycling is a possible means of extending the battery life. Flat panel displays are ideal for this due to their relatively high power consumption, large external surface area and the use of transparent substrates such as glass and eventually plastic. This paper presents design considerations for successful integration of a thin-film power harvesting system for displays. An energy harvesting system, using amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) photo-voltaic (PV) array, a-Si:H thin film transistor (TFT) charging circuit and thin film supercapacitor, is demonstrated as one possible example of a thin film power harvesting system. The ultimate goal is to seamlessly integrate the power harvesting system with the display panels on rigid or flexible substrates.