DuPont licenses inkjet technology for LEP OLEDs

Cambridge Display Technology is to license its full-colour inkjet printing manufacturing technology to DuPont for use in LEP OLED manufacturing.

Cambridge Display Technology (CDT) is to license its full-colour inkjet printing manufacturing technology to DuPont for use in LEP OLED manufacturing.

Under the terms of the agreement, CDT will transfer proprietary full-colour manufacturing process knowledge to DuPont to accelerate DuPont's commercialisation of LEP displays.

The technology and process transfer agreement builds on the November 2001 LEP manufacturing and intellectual property licensing agreement between the two companies.

CDT's manufacturing process uses inkjet technology developed by CDT on deposition tools supplied by its Litrex subsidiary.

CDT currently manufactures LEP displays on 350 x 350mm substrates at its Godmanchester UK manufacturing technology development centre and plans to shortly release the first commercially available LEP displays made using an inkjet printing process.

LEP technology uses organic materials to generate light with an applied electric current.

Because LEPs use a thin-film emissive technology, they eliminate the cost, space, weight and power consumption associated with backlights needed by LCD displays.

The image produced by LEPs has higher contrast and faster image response than LCDs while offering an unlimited viewing angle.

These features offer advantages for display product markets ranging from televisions to emerging portable products with high demands on imaging quality for multimedia applications.

Unlike other OLED materials, LEPs can be placed in solution to allow deposition by a variety of methods, including inkjetting.

Inkjetting LEPs allows full colour display pixels to be formed directly onto glass substrates, and may ultimately lead to the possibility of roll-to-roll manufacturing of full colour displays on flexible substrates.

"The transfer of this manufacturing process technology to DuPont Displays continues our business relationship and technology support of their manufacturing plans", said David Fyfe, CEO of CDT.

We are investing substantial human and capital resources to bring inkjet printing of LEPs into LEP display manufacturing.

Litrex leads the design and commercialisation of the printers themselves and CDT is heavily involved in ink formulation, surface conditioning and manufacturing system development to allow high-resolution printing.

We expect to transfer this knowhow to other display makers in the near future".

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