PLEXTRONICS AWARDED R&D CONTRACT TO
FURTHER OLED DEVELOPMENT
San Jose, CA and Pittsburgh, PA, November 29, 2005 -- The U.S. Display Consortium (USDC), a public/private partnership chartered with developing the flat panel display industry infrastructure, and PlextronicsSM, a world leader in developing critical technology that enables broad market commercialization of organic electronic devices, announce the signing of a two phase $1.8 million R&D contract. This contract supports the continued development of Plexcore™ technology to increase the performance of organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays. USDC and Plextronics will cost share $675,000 to accomplish Phase 1 which is expected to support the advancement of Plexcore HIL, a hole injection layer (HIL) technology. Upon its successful completion Phase II will commence.
Current HIL technology has been identified as a leading cause of degradation of polymer-based OLED devices. This layer functions as a gatekeeper that balances the flow of electricity into the OLED, generating light and smoothing out any rough electrodes that would otherwise cause rapid device failure. Plextronics has developed a non-acidic, solvent-based conductive polymer layer that, when tuned, will drive device performance to new levels of efficiency and lifetime, and enable the low cost printing of displays. Success with this contract will remove one of the last barriers to mass commercialization of OLED devices.
“Our project teams are anxious to test the polymers synthesized during this project,” noted Dr. M. Robert Pinnel, chief technology officer for USDC. “Plextronics brings a complete package of molecular design, formulation, device fabrication and testing to the OLED materials technology industry. They have a proven track record of successfully using new approaches to polymer chemistry to address the emerging world of organic microelectronics. USDC is pleased to be able to facilitate the introduction of that expertise to the OLED display field.”
“ The rapid growth of OLEDs will occur when display efficiency, brightness, lifetime, and operating voltage are optimized. Plextronics looks forward to furthering the commercial reality of OLEDs by creating a high performance, cost effective HIL based on Plexcore technology,” stated Andrew Hannah, chief executive officer of Plextronics. “It is through the work of the USDC and its member companies that this industry has made significant progress in making OLEDs a viable display technology. We are proud to be working with this prestigious group.”
The USDC program is a collaborative effort of private industry and the U.S. Army Research Laboratory, located in Adelphi, MD. “I am pleased to see this corporate member of the Commonwealth successfully leading development of state-of-the-art display technology that will so positively impact our military forces,” stated Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) . “This contract will further enhance the innovative steps taken by USDC and our nation’s advanced technology development centers to provide the highest grade of OLED technology.”
Contact:
Heidi Hoffman
USDC
408.993.8111
heidi@usdc.org
Jennifer Honig
Plextronics
PH: 412.977.7703
Email: jhonig@plextronics.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
About Plextronics
Plextronics SM, Inc.’s mission is to drive the world’s organic electronic devices to broad market commercialization. Such devices include plastic chips, polymer solar cells and organic lights and sensors. Our device physics experts have an intimate understanding of the relationship between structure-property relationships and device performance. This knowledge is applied in the creation of Plexcore™ technology. It includes four key elements: polymer design, formulation, morphological control and processing. The ability to control these variables enables application specific technical solutions that maximize device efficiency and power, cost effectively. For additional information, please visit www.plextronics.com. |
