May 2 2006
The U.S. Display Consortium (USDC), a public/private partnership chartered with developing the flat panel display industry infrastructure, recently announced a $1.7M development agreement with the Princeton Institute for the Science and Technology of Materials (PRISM) at Princeton University. The purpose of the R&D contract is for the university to develop the process technology and know-how to produce amorphous silicon thin film transistors (a-Si TFTs) on a clear, high temperature-capable polymer foil substrate.
Flexible active matrix TFT display backplanes will find applications ranging from reflective to transmissive to emissive displays, and a high performance, silicon TFT-based clear backplane would substantially advance industry capability. One of the gating factors in producing TFTs on polymers is the processing temperature limits – organic substrates cannot withstand typical TFT semiconductor on glass processing temperatures of >300° C. The Princeton program is based on a new type of clear, flexible polymer substrate that is capable of use at these “glass-like” processing temperatures.
“The project with Princeton University and their industrial partners is an exciting step forward for the flexible displays and microelectronics industry,” stated Dr. M.R. Pinnel, chief technology officer for USDC.
“This is the first USDC project to adapt current display industry ‘processing envelopes’ to polymer substrates in order to obtain TFT performance equivalent to that on glass. The participation of the Arizona State University’s Flexible Display Center, another USDC partner, and Applied Materials, Inc., (NASDAQ: AMAT) through its subsidiary, AKT, Inc., the largest supplier of PECVD (plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition) systems for TFT manufacturing, makes this a world-class collaborative effort,” Dr. Pinnel stated. The Princeton researchers intend to also work with PRISM’s longtime industrial partner Universal Display Corp (NASDAQ: PANL), a USDC member company.
The two-year program has several important milestones. For example, by the end of Year 1, a best effort will be made to demonstrate an electrophoretic test array and an OLED test array on the plastic substrate. “While the technical challenges are formidable, we believe that successfully processing polymer substrates at high temperatures can be achieved,” stated Dr. Sigurd Wagner, professor of electrical engineering at Princeton University. The principal investigators, Wagner and PRISM director Dr. James Sturm, have been working on experimental substrates for some time and have made a-Si TFTs at 280° C with performance nearly identical to typical TFTs made on glass. Applied Materials’ subsidiary, AKT, will collaborate to investigate the scale up of these materials using industry-standard fabrication tools.
The USDC program is a joinit effort of private industry and the U.S. Army Research Laboratory, located in Adelphi, MD.
“Princeton University is at the forefront of new technology development, and this USDC contract re-affirms the university’s microelectronics leadership,” stated Rep. Rush Holt (D/NJ12). “I am especially pleased that the university and its industrial partners will be contributing to a new class of innovative display products that will have the U.S. Army as an early adopter. These types of public/private partnerships are necessary to strengthen our nation’s manufacturing base,” added Rep. Holt.
http://www.usdc.org