MicroEmissive Displays opens new manufacturing center in Dresden

14 May 2007

Set up adjacent to Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems, the site represents a total investment of over $10 million.

The new facility, set up by Scottish company MicroEmissive Displays (MED), consists of nearly 400 m² of cleanroom premises. The site currently employs 16 manufacturing and technical staff, but MED says that it intends to double its staff in Germany over the next two years in order to ramp up production.

The eyescreen ME3204, a color QVGA polymer organic light emitting diode (P-OLED) microdisplay with a 6 mm diagonal pixel array, will be manufactured at the center. When combined with magnifying optics, the microdisplay can produce a large virtual image equivalent to a larger display screens or computer monitors. Possible applications include low-power wearable head-sets for watching TV and video on the move, and electronic viewfinders for digital cameras, camcorders, and night vision systems.

The Dresden site was selected due to the proximity of Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems, which has helped to support a strong technology base in the Saxony region. The state government and the Invest in Germany agency encourage cooperation between research bodies and industrial partners in the optical and microelectronics fields through a package of investment incentives, and collaborated with MED during the investment decision process.

MED and Fraunhofer IPMS will cooperate on the future development of OLED microdisplays, and on new concepts for active matrix OLEDs that will be integrated into silicon.