Orem, UT, May 21, 2004--Polatechno Co., Ltd. (Niigata, Japan) and Moxtek Inc. have announced the first phase of their capacity-expansion plans for one of their products--polarizers and polarizing beamsplitters for liquid-crystal projection displays. This first phase of expansion will take place in the existing Moxtek facility and will enable Moxtek to triple current capacity for its projection-display components by the second quarter of 2005. Construction and installation of this additional manufacturing capacity has begun, with startup scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2004.
Moxtek's polarizers and beamsplitters are critical components in liquid-crystal projection displays of both the high-temperature polysilicon (HTPS) and liquid-crystal-on-silicon (LCOS) types. Such projection displays and rear-projection TVs are manufactured and sold by major consumer electronics companies throughout the world. This facility is expected to supply polarizers and beamsplitters for both HTPS and LCOS projection displays and TVs.
"The projection display industry is growing very quickly today," said Matt Free, the sales and marketing manager for the projection-display products. "Our sales projections indicate that we should grow by at least a factor of three each year for the next several years."
Moxtek specializes in what the company calls "digital optics." Based on a technology developed with assistance by NASA, digital optics consist of structures of alternating high-index-of-refraction materials (either conductors or insulators) and low-index materials like air, polymer, or glass. In the case of polarizers, nanoscale aluminum stripes on glass act as a normal-incidence polarizer or polarizing beamsplitter for visible light. In addition, Moxtek produces x-ray sources, detector, and windows.
Early this year, Polatechno acquired Moxtek. Polatechno manufactures and sells organic polarizers and retarders for use in liquid-crystal displays and projection systems. Its technology is complemented by Moxtek's inorganic-polarizer technology.