News

U.S. Army Re-ups with $50 million Flexible Display Center Contract at Arizona State

• By Dian Schaffhauser
• 02/11/09

Arizona State University (ASU) announced that the United States Army has committed to sponsor an additional five years of research and development at ASU's Flexible Display Center. Flexible displays are paper-like computer displays made almost entirely of plastic. The five-year renewal, agreed upon in 2008, is for $50 million and follows initial funding of the center in 2004. Taken together, the two five-year commitments represent a total investment of nearly $100 million in this component of the U.S. Army Research Laboratory's research portfolio.

"As an early adopter of advanced technologies, the Army recognized the importance of developing revolutionary information displays and had the foresight to commit to fostering a sustainable ecosystem that could successfully develop and commercialize flexible electronic displays," said Nick Colaneri, director of the center. "The Army's long-term commitment to this initiative not only recognizes the important role that the center plays within this developing market but, more critically, allows us to accelerate the application development and commercialization process."

The Flexible Display Center is a collaborative effort involving government, industry, and academia designed to advance the development of full-color flexible display technology. Over the past five years, it has introduced six-inch wafer-scale and GEN II 370x470 mm display-scale manufacturing pilot lines and related toolsets.

Colaneri recently replaced Gregory Raupp as director. Raupp will continue as professor of chemical engineering at the university.