Imaging & Detector Industry Report

July 1, 2000
Kodak, eMagin extend OLED licensing agreement; JSW to anneal LCDs with excimer lasers; FLIR Systems closes deal with IRIS Systems; and more.

Kodak, eMagin extend OLED licensing agreement

Organic light-emitting-diode (OLED) display manufacturers Eastman Kodak (Rochester, NY) and eMagin Corp. (Hopewell Junction, NY) have extended their existing cross-licensing agreement by two years, through March 2002. The scope of the agreement also has been expanded to include sharing of viewfinder-optics technology. Under terms of the agreement, eMagin will continue to license OLED technology for incorporation into microdisplays that are optically magnified to produce virtual images of data or video with the apparent size of a regular desktop-computer monitor. Because eMagin's microdisplay is built directly upon silicon chips, a variety of functions can be integrated into a display. Kodak holds more than 50 patents for OLED technology. EMagin holds 39 of its own patents issued and more than 50 pending in flat-panel-display technology as well as in related fields of optics, active-matrix integrated circuits, and systems integration.

JSW to anneal LCDs with excimer lasers

Japan Steel Works (JSW; Tokyo, Japan) has placed multiple orders totaling more than $11 million with Lambda Physik AG (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) and MicroLas Lasersystem GmbH (GÖttingen, Germany). The high-power industrial excimer lasers and line beam optics will be integrated into JSW's liquid-crystal-display annealing systems. The systems use excimer-laser radiation for the polycrystallization of amorphous silicon thin film on substrates. MicroLas Lasersystem is a joint-venture company of Lambda Physik and Jenoptik AG. MicroLas develops and manufactures ultraviolet optics for excimer-laser-based applications.

FLIR Systems closes deal with IRIS Systems

FLIR Systems (Portland, OR) will provide multispectral infrared (IR) imaging-camera systems to Infrared Inspection Systems (IRIS; Vancouver, BC, Canada) in a $4.7 million deal. Used in the inspection of vehicle brakes, bearings, and tires, the IR systems will be mounted in minivans to allow inspectors to make on-the-spot decisions concerning malfunctioning vehicle parts and fluid leaks. The transaction is the first delivery of cameras to IRIS as it enters its first phase of production. Money also will be contributed to the effort by General Motors Canada.

Texas Instruments and Imax to develop wraparound digital-projection technology

Texas Instruments (TI; Dallas, TX) has signed an agreement with Imax Corp. (Mississauga, Ontario, Canada) in which Imax and its subsidiary Digital Projection International will develop, make, and market projectors based on TI's digital micromirror technology. The projectors will be used in both Imax's large-format theaters and in standard cinema projection. The TI technology was introduced for standard cinema use last year with all-digital showings of Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace and is continuing to be installed in worldwide locations. Each projector contains three micromirror arrays with 1,310,000 individual elements; TI's cinema-compatible version is distinct from its device widely sold for graphics applications.

Also in the news . . .

II-VI (Saxonburg, PA) has been awarded a $700,000 contract from NASA for 22,000 cadmium zinc telluride radiation detectors to be installed in the new SWIFT research satellite; additional quantities of 18,000 and 5000 detectors may be ordered following completion of the initial contract. . . . In a $2.9 million deal, Advanced Photonix Inc. (Camarillo, CA) will provide optical sensors to Automotive Distance Control Systems (Auburn Hills, MI) and Omron Corp. (Kyoto, Japan) for adaptive automotive cruise-control systems. . . . Thomson-CSF Semiconducteurs (Saint Egréve, France) has changed its name to Atmel Grenoble, a subsidiary of Atmel Corp. (San Jose, CA). . . . Hamamatsu Photonics Deutschland GmbH (Herrsching, Germany) has become the exclusive dealer of spectroscopic measurement systems for Edinburgh Instruments (Livingston, England) throughout Germany, Austria, and Denmark. . . . Spectrophotometer maker Spectronic Unicam (Rochester, NY) has sold its fluorescence-lifetime-instrument business to Jobin Yvon Inc. (formerly Instruments SA; Stanmore, England).

John Wallace

For more business news, subscribe to Optoelectronics Report. Contact Jayne Sears-Renfer at [email protected].

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