news archive
UK's DTI
Gives CDT Grant To Do POLEDs Backwards
CAMBRIDGE,
UK, July 24 - Cambridge Display Technology has been awarded
a grant from the U.K. Government's Department of Trade and
Industry (DTI) for plastic solar cell research and
development. The grant will be used toward the development
of efficient, commercially viable solar cells and light
detectors based on CDT's proprietary plastic semiconductor
technology.
"Polymer-based
solar cells [could] be used in applications where solar
power has previously been too expensive or technically
unfeasible, such as on disposable packaging, clothing, and
in non-planar products," said Karl Heeks, responsible
for strategic technology assets at CDT.
CDT's developmental polymer
solar cells, which have a structure similar to the company's
OLED displays, are shown powering digital clocks.
(Photo courtesy of CDT)
Polymer solar
cells have a very similar device architecture to CDT's light
emitting polymer (LEP) displays. Whereas LEP displays emit
light when an electrical charge is applied, CDT researchers
have been able to reverse the process and generate
electricity when light shines on a polymer-based cell. Of
strong commercial interest is the potential to develop
inexpensive, flexible plastic solar cells that could be
manufactured using low-cost roll-to-roll production.
Currently, most solar panels are silicon based, which makes
them expensive to manufacture and limits their scalability
to large area panels.
Plastic solar
cell applications could ultimately range from rechargeable
handheld electronic devices, wearable electronics
technology, and large outdoor displays to secondary power
sources for homes and factories. CDT has recently
demonstrated polymer-based solar cells that power digital
clocks.
Information: www.cdtltd.co.uk
HP Dumps
Dell
July 24 -
Yesterday, Hewlett Packard informed Dell Computer that HP
would terminate the agreement under which HP directly
supplies Dell with HP printers, cameras, and scanners. The
terms of the cancellation are confidential, HP spokesperson
Diane Roncal told Information Display today.
HP's action
was motivated by recurring reports that Dell plans to
develop a Dell-branded line of printers. Dell's plans have
reportedly not been finalized, but Dell-branded printers may
be available before the end of the year.
It was
reported that Steven Milunovich, an analyst with Merrill
Lynch, estimated Dell's annual sales of HP printers at about
$300 million, or three percent the $9 billion worth of
imaging hardware HP sells annually. That's an
"insignificant" part of HP's printer and imaging
busininess, said Roncal.
Following its
acquisition of Compaq, HP is now the world's largest seller
of personal computers, in addition to the largest seller of
printers. Dell is the second-largest PC vendor.
Dow
Expands pLED Materials Manufacturing
Midland,
Michigan, July 23 - The Dow Chemical Company's Advanced
Electronic Materials (AEM) business recently broke ground at
its Michigan Operations site here to expand its
manufacturing facility for light-emitting polymers (LEPs).
The materials are essential to the production of polymeric
light-emitting diode (pLED) displays.
The
multi-million dollar, two-phase expansion will position Dow
AEM to meet global demand for LEPs for the next decade. The
first phase is scheduled to be completed during the fourth
quarter of 2002, and Dow will begin manufacturing LEPs there
by the end of the year. Dow expects to start construction on
the final phase of the expansion late this year and bring it
online by the third quarter of 2003.
"This
expansion represents another major milestone along the
commercialization path of this exciting technology,"
said Dave Kyle, senior marketing manager for the AEM Display
Technologies group. "Our development partners can now
continue developing pLED technologies with the assurance
that Dow can provide a secure source of the best-performing
LEP materials."
At the
expanded facility, Dow AEM will continue to produce fluorene-based
polymers that emit light in the red, green, and blue regions
of the visible spectrum. The first commercial grades of red
and green DOW LEPs are now available. The division expects
to commercialize a blue material by the end of 2002.
It is
anticipated that polymer-based OLEDs will have low
manufacturing costs and greater processing flexibility
compared to other OLED materials. The advantage of pLED
materials is that they can be deposited by convenient
solution-processing techniques such as spin coating and
ink-jet printing for easier and less expensive display
fabrication.
Information: www.dow.com.
Three-Five
to Market LCoS Light Engines for RP TVs
TEMPE, ARIZ,
July 16 - Three-Five Systems today announced the completion
of a licensing and development agreement with Advanced
Digital Optics (ADO), a company that specializes in the
design and development of light engines for large-screen
projection display applications. ADO will work with
Three-Five to develop a compact, low-cost light engine,
which is the core of a microdisplay projection product.
Prior to this
agreement, Three-Five focused on selling only the
microdisplay components on which the light engine is based.
Under this agreement, Three-Five will now also market the
complete light engine to television and monitor
manufacturers, facilitating further development of
rear-projection (RP) display applications. In addition to
marketing engines directly, Three-Five will offer the light
engine as a reference design, enabling OEMs to customize it
to their specific applications.
A light
engine consists of a lamp, power supply, microdisplays and
their associated drive electronics, a color-management
system, and a projection lens. These devices, when assembled
into an engine, replace all of the image-related components
in traditional CRT television products.
President and
CEO of Three-Five Systems Jack Saltich, said, "This is
the next logical, strategic step for Three-Five. By offering
a light engine as well as our microdisplays and drive
electronics, we can help accelerate that design process, and
enable our customers to get their products to market more
quickly and cost-effectively."
The light
engine is being designed with ADO specifically for
Three-Five's Brillian™ Microdisplays, which offer close to
one million individual pixels on a 0.5-inch. The small size
of the display allows for smaller related components,
decreasing the engine's overall size, weight and cost. This
light engine is intended for use in RP televisions and
monitors with screen sizes up to 50-inches in a 4:3
screen-shape formats. The engine will be designed so that it
can be easily modified to address other screen-shape formats
such as 16:9.
Three-Five
plans to design a prototype TV based on the new engine and
demonstrate that prototype to potential customers in the
fourth quarter.
Information: display@threefive.com,
www.threefive.com.
GDS
Acquires Taiwan-based Fair Electronics
Bradford, UK,
July 12 - Industrial display company GDS, formed last year
through the merger of Emco Electronics Ltd (UK and USA) and
CA &G Industrie SpA (Italy), announced the acquisition
of Taiwan-based Fair Electronics today. With the £1-million
acquisition of Fair Electronics, which becomes GDS Taiwan
from July 2002, GDS takes on a low-cost supplier with the
intention of raising the caliber of Fair's offerings.
Previously a general manufacturer of commercial monitor and
electronics equipment, GDS Taiwan, will become more focused
under the direction of its new owners.
Fair
Electronics, based in Taipei, was established 20 years ago
and manufactures LCD and CRT display monitors. Ian Hudson,
recently promoted to Group Sales and Marketing Director,
explains "This is a strategic acquisition for us. Both
in manufacturing and in sales and after-sales support, this
Taiwanese presence immediately gives GDS a local base for
the Far East, as well as extending our global capabilities
across the world markets."
Fair's
current manufacturing facility in Taipei has the capacity to
produce Half a million units per year. All staff employed at
Fair Electronics, whose turnover was in the region of £12
million, will be transferred to the new GDS Taiwan
organization. The operation will be run by Ocean Tseng,
General Manager.
Information: www.gds.com.
