Partnerships in Asia key to commercialization of Light Emitting Polymers

TOKYO  – Cambridge Display Technology (CDT), the leading company in the research, development and commercialization of Light Emitting Polymers (LEPs), today announced a formal license & technical assistance agreement with Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd. (Sumitomo) of Japan to advance the development of polymers for use in LEP technology for displays, photovoltaic, and lighting applications.

CDT, which owns the fundamental Intellectual Property (IP) and know-how portfolio for LEPs, will license to Sumitomo some of its basic LEP materials IP, enabling Sumitomo to carry out broad research to develop new conjugated polymers. Sumitomo will provide these new polymer samples to CDT for testing and evaluation in a wide variety of electronic display structures. This agreement supports CDT’s strategy for LEP commercialization by providing services and making the IP accessible to companies looking to capitalize on the versatility of LEP technology.

“Collaborating with Sumitomo reinforces CDT’s commitment to working with industry experts to speed the commercialization of LEP technology,” stated David Fyfe, chief executive officer of CDT. “The Asian technology sector is known for readily adopting and applying new technologies. As such, CDT recognizes the importance of partnering with Asian companies and is seeking the appropriate partnerships in this sector.”

“We are very pleased to have the opportunity to collaborate with CDT,” stated Masatoshi Takahashi, executive vice president of Sumitomo Chemical.  “Combining our IP with CDT’s IP, we hope to play a leading role in the LEP market.  We believe that the collaboration with CDT will accelerate the commercialization of our LEPs.”

LEPs, which are part of the rapidly growing Organic Light Emitting Device (OLED) market, will be used in mobile communications, computers, and consumer electronics. And Asia is set to be the region that is expected to see the greatest growth in this industry.

LEPs utilize organic materials to generate light with an applied electric current. Because LEPs do not need ambient light to be viewable, they eliminate the cost, space, weight and power consumption associated with backlights needed by Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs). The image produced by LEPs has a higher contrast than LCDs and offers a viewing angle of over 160 degrees. LEPs offer improved image performance, particularly for advanced portable applications, which require high-switching speed, high contrast, increased brightness and low-power consumption.

To date, CDT has granted licenses to Delta Electronics, DuPont Displays, OSRAM, Philips, and Seiko-Epson, who have either announced imminent start of production or are actively implementing their manufacturing strategies. Additionally, CDT is collaborating with other companies in Asia to speed the commercialization of LEPs.