First orders for novel LEP displays

Cambridge Display Technology has received the first sales order for light emitting polymer display products from its Godmanchester UK manufacturing technology development centre.

Cambridge Display Technology (CDT) has received the first sales order for light emitting polymer (LEP) display products from its Godmanchester UK manufacturing technology development centre.

The 1.7in diagonal, 5 x 7pixel segmented display module uses a yellow polymer with an operational lifetime to half luminance of 20,000h from an initial brightness of 250cd/m2.

CDT plans to increase the product range by offering displays in a variety of colours, sizes and configurations for diverse industrial, transportation and electronics equipment markets.

The first shipment will go to Trident Displays, a UK distributor of liquid crystal, EL and plasma displays technology and support products.

Trident Displays is active in the passenger information display market where CDT's LEP displays offer distinct advantages such as wide viewing angles, high brightness and low power consumption.

CDT's manufacturing technology development centre began initial operation in January 2002 based on the company's investment of $25 million.

Since startup, CDT has commissioned equipment from major suppliers such as Tokki, Ulvac and SSEC, and ramped-up operations for LEP manufacturing technology development using 350 x 350mm glass substrates.

Recent arrival of model 140P first generation production ink-jet printers from Litrex, a wholly owned subsidiary of CDT, is establishing the centre as a world-class colour LEP display manufacturing and technology development facility.

In addition to the production of display devices, work at CDT's Godmanchester facility has resulted in the offering of a manufacturing process package for spin-coating displays.

A full colour ink-jet printing package is in development as well as of other manufacturing technology offerings.

The process packages have been developed to support licensees and new entrants into the LEP display market and to speed the technology into the market place.

David Fyfe, CEO of CDT, said "The sale of first products is an important milestone for CDT's development centre, not only because it demonstrates the evolution of our technology to a commercial manufacturing scale, but because we utilised the same tools and processes to produce these displays that we have successfully used to advance the technology that we are offering to our licensees.

This is the reason we invested in the centre and reinforces CDT's commitment to its licensees and to commercialising LEPs as a major display technology".

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