organic semiconductor
analyst direct
Vol 3, Issue 39 Monday, 24 October 2005

CDT combines long lifetime with high efficiency using dendrimer OLED technology

Using dendrimer-polymer hybrids, Cambridge Display Technology (CDT) reports solution-processed red devices with 250,000 hours lifetime from an initial luminance of 100 cd/m2. The previously announced lifetime for such a material was 150,000 hours in May 2005, and just 15,000 hours in 2004.

Efficiencies for these phosphorescent devices were measured at 5.6 cd/A, another significant improvement on previous performance, and an important factor in the production of displays with low power consumption.

Lifetimes for devices made using the new red materials
Luminance Estimated lifetime
100 cd/m2250,000 hours
400 cd/m215,600 hours
800 cd/m23,900 hours
1000 cd/m22,500 hours

Dr David Fyfe, CEO, said "The work on phosphorescent emission from dendrimers opens up new possibilities for the application of OLEDs to practical applications, and this work complements our work on fluorescent polymer OLEDs, especially as the technologies can potentially be combined in one device without any increase in complexity of the P-OLED structure."

Note: CDT's work with dendrimers began with the acquisition of UK-based Opsys in 2002, and progress has been rapid since that time based on the ideas and expertise of Sumitomo Chemical with conjugated polymers.

www.cdtltd.co.uk    


Plastic Logic may float within two years

According to a local news article in the Business Weekly, Stuart Evans, CEO of Plastic Logic, said that the company may consider raising additional funds through an initial public offering (IPO) within the next two years. While NASDAQ is considered a first option for the flotation, the London Alternative Investment Market (AIM) would be a viable alternative.

The article also reported that Plastic Logic is currently finalising its funding round for 2005, which is expected to total in excess of £13 million. Earlier this year Plastic Logic raised £4 million at the first closing of this funding round. To date Plastic Logic has received investment of approximately £15 million. Investors include Dow Chemical and Amadeus Capital Partners.

www.plasticlogic.com     www.businessweekly.co.uk    


New Sumation joint venture for polymer OLED material supply

Cambridge Display Technology (CDT) and Sumitomo Chemical have named their proposed joint venture operation Sumation KK. Sumation™ will develop and supply advanced polymer OLED (P-OLED) materials and formulated inks for use in commercial P-OLED display and lighting applications.

The intention to form Sumation was announced in May this year, and completion is expected around the end of October.

Sumation will be based in Tokyo, with R & D in Japan and the UK, and materials will be produced on behalf of Sumation by Sumitomo Chemical at its plant in Osaka.

Dr Susumu Miyazaki is President of the new company, which is staffed by personnel from both CDT and Sumitomo. Dr Scott Brown, formerly CDT's VP of R & D, has relocated to Japan as Executive Vice President to ensure a strong interaction between the R & D groups based in the UK and Japan, and coordination between CDT and Sumitomo.

Prior to the announcement of the joint venture, Sumitomo Chemical purchased the Lumation™ business from Dow Chemical, and Sumation has access to what is believed to be the largest portfolio of P-OLED material development expertise and IP in the industry. This includes both the current best-performing full colour P-OLED materials based on polyfluorene chemistry, and high-efficiency materials based on dendrimer chemistry, the technology which CDT gained through the acquisition of Opsys in 2002.

www.cdtltd.co.uk     www.sumitomo-chem.co.jp    


E Ink and LG.Philips build 10.1-inch flexible EPD with production equipment

E Ink and LG.Philips have built a 10.1-inch flexible electronic paper display (EPD) with production equipment. They used a steel foil material supplied by Sumitomo Corporation and developed by Nippon Steel Corporation. The flexible foil is a super-thin, extremely flat, high-performance steel that can easily withstand the high temperatures of a TFT production process.

LG.Philips LCD combined both materials to manufacture the display panel at an existing pilot TFT line in Korea. LG.Philips and E Ink jointly designed the display electronics and produced the final prototype to achieve the world's largest high-resolution flexible electronic paper display.

The display has the following specification:

Russ Wilcox, CEO of E Ink, said, "We all need flexible displays. They are 80% thinner and lighter than glass displays, and they do not break like glass displays. You can roll them up and put them in your pocket. You can curve them around the outside of a cellphone. Or you can throw them in your briefcase like a newspaper. As Galileo famously told us, the world is not flat."

www.eink.com     www.lgphilips-lcd.com     www.sumitomocorp.co.jp     www.nsc.co.jp    


E Ink and Toppan Printing develop full-colour EPD

E Ink prototype of colour EPDE Ink and Toppan Printing have built a full-colour electronic paper display suitable for mass production.

The specification of the electronic paper colour prototype is as follows:

The colour filter design has a high-brightness layout (RGBW) that preserves the paper-like whiteness of the background page while enabling deep blacks for text and a range of colours and tones for images. A smart algorithm uses colour sub-pixels to smooth black and white text, for enhanced legibility equivalent to a printer.

Russ Wilcox, CEO at E Ink, said, "No one has ever shown a low-power colour display that looks this good and can be mass manufactured in a practical way. The gates are finally open for product designers to use colour electronic paper in mobile devices."

Ryosuke Kuwada, VP of Sales and Marketing at E Ink, said, "Supporting a graphical user interface is critical for mobile devices. Unlike printed paper, our display can be updated in a fraction of a second, enabling menus, scroll bars and animation. The screen can easily switch between black and white text or colour windows and icons."

Mass production of colour electronic paper displays is expected to start at the end of 2006, with future plans for flexible versions.

www.eink.com     www.toppan.co.jp    


Sipix Imaging announces strategic alliance with Toppan Forms

SiPix clockSiPix Imaging has formed a strategic alliance with Toppan Forms of Japan. Under this alliance SiPix will license technology to Toppan Forms to produce electronic paper modules using SiPix film and will grant exclusive production rights of e-paper modules in Japan.

Toppan Forms expects that within the next few months the company will introduce to the Japanese marketplace a variety of new e-paper products including ePOP displays and electronic posters.

CS Ho, CEO of SiPix Imaging, said, "Toppan Forms is the leading company in Japan for print on demand services and RFID manufacturing. Coupled with their excellent application development expertise along with their superb sales and service infrastructure, Toppan Forms will generate in Japan a strong market presence in new e-paper applications and innovations using SiPix e-paper."

Masanori Akiyama of Toppan Forms said, "I believe this partnership will achieve new product applications combining IC and RF techniques already possessed by TF. SiPix has established production techniques for electronic paper based upon the world-leading Microcup®."

www.sipix.com     www.toppan-f.co.jp    


CMO makes push into OLED production

According to a report in DigiTimes, Chi Mei Electroluminescence (CMEL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Chi Mei Optoelectronics (CMO), exhibited a 0.95-inch passive-matrix OLED (PM-OLED) panel and a 1.02-inch PM-OLED panel at the recently held FPD International 2005.

CMEL claims it is setting up the world's largest OLED vapour deposition process production line with the substrates sized at 620mmx375mm, 1.3 times larger than current substrates (470mmx370mm). The facility is scheduled to enter volume production in Q2 2006, according to CMEL general manager, Chen Zhe Nian.

CMEL plans to produce 2.2-inch OLED panels with a resolution of 176x220 pixels. The production line will use technology developed in cooperation by CMEL, CMO and the Electronics Research & Service Organisation of Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI).

www.cmo.com.tw     www.digitimes.com    


Plextronics receives 2005 technology innovation award for Plexcore™

Frost & Sullivan has awarded Plextronics the 2005 Technology Innovation of the Year Award in the field of printed electronics. The award recognises the company's significant contributions toward the development of conductive polymer technology, trademarked Plexcore™, which will help enable broad market commercialisation of a wide variety of organic electronic devices.

Andrew Hannah, CEO Plextronics, said "We are thrilled to be honoured with such an important award. Printed electronics will change the landscape of so many industries - OLEDs, solar cells, solid state white lighting, field effect transistors, etc. The economics, commercial viability and manufacturing capability are a reality today. Commercial products are just around the corner."

www.plextronics.com     www.frost.com    


eMagin to raise $9.1 million in private placement

eMagin Corporation has reached agreements with investors for the purchase of approximately $9.14 million of common stock and warrants. The net proceeds from the financing will be used to provide working capital.

Under the agreements, investors agreed to purchase 16,623,636 shares of common stock at a price of $0.55 per share and warrants to purchase up to 6,649,455 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $1.00 per share exercisable after seven months and expiring on 20 October 2010.

The investors will also receive warrants to purchase up to 3,324,727 shares at an exercise price of $1.00 per share exercisable after 31 March 2007, and expiring on 20 October 2010, but these warrants will be cancelled if eMagin's net revenue for fiscal year 2006 exceeds $20 million or if the investor has sold more than 25% of the shares purchased under the securities purchase agreement.

www.emagin.com    


Organic semiconductor industry market watch

Week ending 21 October 2005
Company Symbol Share
price		 Market
cap
(million)		 Stock Market Movement
Cambridge Display Technology OLED $6.46 $125.8 Nasdaq
Universal Display Corp. PANL $10.82 $308.7 Nasdaq
eMagin Corp. EMA $0.67 $55.4 Nasdaq
Aixtron AIXG $3.25 $291.9 Nasdaq
MicroEmissive Display * MED £0.77 £13.2 AIM
Luxell Technologies ** LUX $0.27 $11.9 Toronto
* based on 17,131,574 shares; ** Canadian Dollars

  www.nasdaq.com     www.londonstockexchange.com     www.tsx.com


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