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Microvision Integrates First Direct Green Lasers into Pico Projector Prototypes

Date Announced: 01 Nov 2010

Critical Milestone Reached on the Company's Technology Roadmap to Support High Volume Product Requirements.

REDMOND, Wash., Nov 01, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Microvision, Inc., a leader in innovative ultra-miniature projection display technology, today announced it has successfully integrated the first "direct green" laser samples from two leading manufacturers into pico projector benchtop prototypes. This achievement represents an important first step toward the commercialization of PicoP(R) display engines using direct green lasers. The PicoP display engine utilizing a direct green laser is expected to offer significant commercial advantages in price, size, power, and performance.

"We are very pleased with the performance of these early direct green laser prototypes," commented Sid Madhavan, Microvision vice president, R&D and Applications. "These encouraging results give us confidence that direct green laser diodes will be capable of meeting the performance requirements for integration into our PicoP display platform."

Simplicity leads to lower costs
Microvision's current pico projection engine uses red and blue laser diodes and a frequency-doubled "synthetic" green laser to create a full color image. Synthetic green lasers are infrared lasers that are manipulated to reduce their wavelength to produce a green light. This conversion process creates a complex system of multiple components held to tight tolerances making manufacturing more challenging.

Direct green lasers are capable of producing green light natively, greatly simplifying laser design and manufacturing processes. Direct green lasers are expected to be manufactured in a manner similar to red and blue lasers available today, facilitating lower cost and rapid scalability to commercial quantities. The combination of smaller size, lower power, and lower cost make direct green lasers an attractive alternative to synthetic green lasers for Microvision's mobile display solutions.

Historically, availability of synthetic green lasers has been constrained due to their complexity and the existence of only two manufacturers. Today, there are at least five companies worldwide that have announced they are developing direct green lasers for late 2011 to mid 2012 commercial introduction. Industry researcher Yole Development forecasts that the direct green laser market size will reach about $500 million by 2016 and should represent more than 45 million devices.

Source: Microvision

Contact

Microvision, Inc.
Tiffany Bradford, 425-936-6847 (investors)
or
Callie Snyder, 503-471-6816 (media/PR)

E-mail: see web site

Web Site: www.microvision.com

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