ENERGY CONVERSION DEVICES WILL PROTOTYPE
STAINLESS STEEL SUBSTRATES UNDER USDC R&D CONTRACT

SAN JOSE, Calif., November 24, 2004 - The U.S. Display Consortium (USDC), a public/private partnership chartered with developing the supply chain for next-generation flat panel displays (FPDs), today announced that it has awarded a research and development contract to Energy Conversion Devices (ECD) of Rochester Hills, Michigan. The $575,000 phase one development will focus on establishing the requirements for thin stainless steel to serve as the substrate upon which to manufacture electronic backplanes and organic light emitting diode displays (OLEDs).

Thin stainless steel is a highly flexible and conformable material and, in contrast to the commonly used glass material, provides a substrate that enables shaping of the finished display. Identifying suitable substrate materials for manufacturing will be the critical step in moving away from planar (or flat) displays to curved imaging products. Stainless steel also will provide a more rugged display substrate, more suitable for the military and other harsh environment applications than current alternatives.

The specific purpose of this contract is to establish target substrate requirements and to identify and/or develop optimized materials and processes. ECD will then fabricate prototype substrates that will be tested by USDC members to determine suitability for display manufacturing of newer display technologies such as OLEDs and electrophoretic inks and their thin film transistor backplanes. Among the characteristics needed in a conformable substrate are smoothness, flexibility, adhesion strength with deposited films, thermal resistance, chemical resistance and electrical isolation.

"I am very pleased that ECD has received a contract from USDC that combines technology development with military application requirements,” stated Rep. Joe Knollenberg (R-MI). “Rugged communication products will be needed by our forces in next generation body armor and in vehicle platforms. This R&D project is an important step in that direction,” he added.

The results of the ECD project will be shared with USDC member companies and with military display integrators. The USDC R&D program is a collaborative effort of private industry and the U.S. Army Research Laboratory, located in Adelphi, MD.

Contact:

Heidi Hoffman
USDC
408.993.8111
heidi@usdc.org

About the U.S. Display Consortium
The U.S. Display Consortium is an industry-led public/private partnership providing a common platform for flat panel display and flexible microelectronics manufacturers and developers, FPD users, and the supplier base. Headquartered in San Jose, Calif., the consortium’s primary mission is to fund supply-chain projects and share the results with USDC member companies. The USDC also provides a communication channel among industry, government and the financial communities for display issues; sponsors workshops to broaden the impact of technological developments; and educates consumers on the importance of displays in providing access to information technology. More information about the USDC can be found at www.usdc.org

About ECD Ovonics
ECD Ovonics is the leader in the synthesis of new materials and the development of advanced production technology and innovative products. It has invented, pioneered and developed its proprietary, enabling technologies in the fields of energy and information leading to new products and production processes based on amorphous, disordered and related materials. ECD Ovonics designs and builds manufacturing machinery that incorporates its proprietary production processes, maintains ongoing research and development programs to continually improve its products and develops new applications for its technologies. ECD More information on ECD Ovonics is available on www.ovonic.com.