U.S. Display Consortium Funds Advanced OLED Development
With Contract Awards to National Starch & Chemical and Vitex
Systems
SAN JOSE, California - October 21, 2002 - The U.S. Display Consortium (USDC), a public/private partnership chartered with developing the flat panel display industry infrastructure, today announced contract awards to National Starch and Chemical Company (a member of the ICI Group) of Bridgewater, NJ and to Vitex Systems of San Jose, CA. The total cost of the projects is $4.8 million and will be shared 50/50 between the companies and
the USDC.
The projects focus on improving the material systems surrounding organic light emitting diode (OLEDs) displays. The contract with National Starch delineates a program for developing radiation curable perimeter sealant and monolithic encapsulant formulations for both plastic and glass OLED packages. The program will assist OLED manufacturers in defining target specifications and then match them with National Starch’s wide range of resins and filler technology. During phase 1 of the work, evaluation, and subsequent manufacturing process development, will be performed at both
National Starch and at USDC member sites. Phase 2 of the project will include creating advanced generations of materials based on feedback from manufacturers and the continued development of related items in the material systems.
Vitex, meanwhile, will be delivering on a two-phase project for
encapsulating OLEDs on plastic displays and a separate project for
demonstrating a high temperature plastic barrier substrate with a conductive layer. Phase I of the encapsulation project will focus on developing a reliable thin film barrier process for protection of OLEDs on glass, and then transferring the process to OLEDs on plastic. Phase II of that project will include the encapsulation of three types of passive matrix OLED displays on plastic for participating USDC project members. The project to develop a high temperature plastic substrate is divided into separate tasks,
including characterizing key properties of the base polymer film,
demonstrating a uniform barrier coating on that film; characterizing the composite substrate for suitability for display applications; and finally, delivery of sample quantities of barrier substrate and a cost model.
“These contracts are critical to the continued evolution of OLED displays,” stated M. Robert Pinnel, Ph.D., USDC’s chief technology officer. “Having these, and several other recently announced projects commencing simultaneously gives USDC the opportunity to make a greater impact on OLED development in a shorter time frame. Our project teams of OLED experts guide the projects and frequently integrate the results into their own processes before the project is completely finished.”
The USDC program is a collaborative effort of private industry and the U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL), located in Adelphi, MD. Referring to National Starch and Chemical Company, Senator Jon Corzine (D - NJ) said, "As display technology continues to advance, I am very pleased to see that a New Jersey company and its employees will be playing a key role on the cutting edge of development."
For more information, please contact:
US Display Consortium
Heidi Hoffman
84 W. Santa Clara Street, Ste. 790
San Jose, CA 95113
(408) 993-8111
heidi@usdc.org
National Starch
Don Herr
PH: 908-685-5246
FAX: 908-685-7400
EMAIL: don.herr@nstarch.com
Vitex Systems
Nicole Rutherford
PH: 408.519.4391
FAX: 408.519.4470
EMAIL: rutherford@vitexsys.com
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
National Starch and Chemical Company is a worldwide manufacturer of adhesives, specialty synthetic polymers, electronic and engineering materials, natural polymers and advanced ingredients with headquarters in Bridgewater, NJ and 2001 sales of $2.6 billion. The Electronics and Engineering Materials Division of National Starch serves the electronics, optoelectronics, automotive and other industries requiring specialty, high performance adhesives, coatings and encapsulates. The company is a member of the ICI Group. For more information on National Starch and Chemical Company, visit their website at http:// www.ici.com.
Vitex Systems Inc., headquartered in San Jose, California, is
commercializing transparent ultra-barrier films for use in flat panel
displays. The company was incubated at Battelle Memorial Institute, the world’s largest independent private non-profit research foundation, and was spun off as an independent company in 1999. For more information on Vitex Systems visit www.vitexsys.com.
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