USDC AND NATIONAL STARCH & CHEMICAL CONTRACT YIELDS COMMERCIALLY VIABLE OLED SEALING ADHESIVES

UV sealant will enable improved lifetimes and reliability for OLED devices 

San Jose, Calif., June 28, 2006 - The U.S. Display Consortium (USDC) and National Starch and Chemical Co. (NSC, Bridgewater, N.J.) today announced that their joint R&D project on packaging technology for organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays has yielded commercially viable sealants and packaging adhesives. NSC has commercialized several of these products under the Eccoseal™ brand name within its Emerson & Cuming division, and will continue to launch products derived from the program in 2006-2007. Begun in October 2002 under a grant from the U.S. Army Research Laboratory, the contract was completed last month, with a total R&D investment of $2.21 million, cost-shared between USDC and NSC.

The contract outlined a program for developing a radiation-curable perimeter sealant for both plastic and glass OLED packages. “We are very pleased with the results of this joint effort,” said Don Herr, senior business scientist, of NSC. “One of the key challenges surrounding volume production and widespread adoption of OLED technology is that the introduction of moisture into the display will damage or destroy the organic materials. Improved sealing materials and processes are thus essential to optimizing OLED reliability and lifetimes—w e believe these new products will prove highly valuable to the future of the display industry.”

“Simplifying the packaging process and packaging design is a longstanding objective of the OLED industry in order to improve performance and reduce manufacturing costs. Both of these features, supported by the NSC sealant, will allow OLED displays to compete more effectively in the booming flat-panel display marketplace,” stated Michael Ciesinski, USDC’s chief executive officer.

The objective of the National Starch-USDC project was to develop sealants that have sufficient moisture-permeation resistance to enable the elimination of a discrete desiccant packet/material in OLED display devices. The radiation-curable barrier sealants that resulted exhibit the following enabling properties:

- Industry-leading moisture barrier properties;

- Excellent stability under accelerated aging conditions;

- No need for thermal annealing after ultraviolet (UV) cure;

- Low outgassing during and after UV cure; and

- Excellent adhesive strength

National Starch is continuing to pursue further improvements in barrier properties, desiccant-filled adhesives, transparent adhesives and flexible adhesives—both to progress further toward a desiccant-free package and to address developing package/substrate designs. In addition, the company was recently awarded a second USDC contract aimed at development of a temporary laminating adhesive that will advance flexible displays fabricated on glass or silicon-carrier plates.

Contacts:

Heidi Hoffman
US Display Consortium
(408) 993-8111
heidi@usdc.org

Don Herr
National Starch and Chemical Company
(908) 685-5246

About the U.S. Display Consortium
The USDC is an industry-led public/private partnership providing a common platform for flat panel display 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 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 National Starch and Chemical Company
National Starch, a worldwide manufacturer of adhesives, specialty polymers, electronic materials and natural polymers, is headquartered in Bridgewater, N.J. and is a member of the ICI Group.  More information is available at www.nationalstarch.com.