Tempe, AZ--Sunic System (Kyung-Gi, South Korea) has become an industry partner of the Flexible Display Center (FDC) at Arizona State University; the two companies will jointly pursue the development of flexible organic light-emitting-diode (OLED) and electronics technologies.
As part of the agreement, the FDC has purchased a Gen-II OLED Sunicel Plus 400 vacuum-evaporation and encapsulation process tool from Sunic for its Tempe development facility. The companies will collaborate to improve the processes and tools related to the manufacture of flexible displays and electronics.
Aiming for large displays
The FDC is a government/industry/academia partnership that is advancing full-color flexible display technology and fostering development of a manufacturing ecosystem to support the burgeoning market for flexible electronic displays. Sunic System supplies OLED evaporation process tools worldwide and is developing tools that can handle G4 or larger substrates.
The new capability will advance development of flexible OLED displays and flexible OLED solid-state lighting, said Nick Colaneri, director of the FDC. For example, it will help flexible OLED technology to deliver video capabilities and strong colors.
Full-color active-matrix OLED
The SUNICEL Plus system is designed to simplify OLED technology development and manufacturing, and is equipped to handle plastic substrates without interrupting the vacuum process. The system enables full-color active-matrix OLED (AMOLED) and mono-color panel production with high electroluminescence (EL) performance and long lifetime.
The two companies are already actively engaged in research and development activities. The deposition tool will be installed at the FDC facility in Tempe in the fall of this year with prototype devices anticipated in the first quarter of 2011. To support the partnership, Sunic will also open a U.S.-based office onsite at the FDC.
For more information, see http://flexdisplay.asu.edu.
