Aug 28 2007
Plastic Logic Ltd., based in Cambridge, UK, has purchased an AIXTRON Gen 3.5 deposition tool for thin film deposition of the key organic dielectric layer used in their manufacturing process for flexible organic TFT backplanes. The company has developed a unique process to fabricate active-matrix backplanes on plastic substrates which, when combined with an electronic-paper frontplane material, will be used to create display modules that are thin, light and robust. According to Plastic Logic this will enable a digital reading experience that is much closer to paper than any other technology.
The newly developed equipment, based on AIXTRON’s proprietary Close Coupled Showerhead (CCS) technology, will be installed and integrated into Plastic Logic’s new manufacturing line for production of Gen 3.5 substrates in early 2008.
Dr. John Mills, COO of Plastic Logic, comments: “AIXTRON has an outstanding record of developing and delivering equipment solutions for complex semiconductor gas phase deposition processes. Based on their success and expertise in large area deposition of organic semiconductors we are convinced that AIXTRON can provide the best solution for our specific challenge.”
In January 2007 Plastic Logic announced that it had raised US$100 million to build the first factory to manufacture plastic electronics on a commercial scale. The production facility is being built in Dresden, Germany, the heart of “Silicon Saxony” alongside renowned companies such as AMD and Infineon. The Plastic Logic facility will produce display modules for portable electronic reader devices. It will have an initial capacity of more than a million display modules per year with production starting in 2008.