May 17, 2005, Ewing, NJ--Universal Display Corporation has been awarded a two-year, $1.7 million SBIR (small business innovation research) Phase III contract by the U.S. Department of Defense to continue its development of flexible OLED-display technology for a next-generation military communications device.
In the new contract, Universal Display is to develop and deliver functional prototypes of a "portable flexible communication display device." The communications device will be form-fitted to a soldier's wrist and communicate wirelessly to a nearby computer, thereby enabling soldiers to see crucial video and graphics information in real time.
The device will use a full-color active-matrix OLED display built on metal foil. The use of metal foil substrates can lead to a rollable, retractable and rugged display with a small and lightweight form factor for use in portable communication devices. Universal Display's flexible OLED technology, combined with its top-emission OLED technology, enables the use of flexible metal foil as a substrate material. With a 4-in.-diagonal screen, the 320 x 240 pixel (QVGA format) active-matrix LED display will also use Universal Display's high-efficiency phosphorescent OLED technology and materials.
Funded through the U.S. Army's Communication Electronics Research and Development Engineering Center (Ft. Monmouth, NJ), the SBIR Phase III contract builds on Universal Display's work funded through its current Phase II contract and two other ongoing programs with the U.S. Army Research Laboratory and the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory. In a Phase III Program, a demonstrated prototype is further developed into commercial prototypes and subsequent products for sale in the military and/or private sector.