Aixtron and Manz AG partner to develop deposition system for OLED manufacturing

Jan. 8, 2014
Partners plan efficient organic layer deposition on large-scale surfaces

Aachen/Germany – AIXTRON SE, a leading supplier of deposition systems to the semiconductor industry, and Manz AG, a Reutlingen-based specialist engineering company, have agreed a strategic cooperation. Both partners will be working on further developing solutions for use in efficient organic light-emitting diode (OLEDs) production, aiming to jointly exploit the opportunities offered by the future market for OLED technologies.

Within the cooperation, the partners will be developing a new system to demonstrate efficient organic layer deposition up to a substrate size of Gen8 (2,300 mm x 2,500 mm) based on AIXTRON’s patented OVPD® process technology. The new demonstration system will for the first time enable the advantages offered by this technology to be outlined with regard to efficient production of organic light-emitting diodes for displays and lighting applications on an industrial scale and at a reasonable price.

Manz will be contributing its extensive experience in purifying and handling large-scale glass substrates and in developing and manufacturing large vacuum systems. As the efficient organic layer deposition is considered a key step in the economically viable production of large-scale OLEDs, AIXTRON’s part in this cooperation will be to further develop its OVPD® process technology. This way, it will be possible to manufacture extremely homogenous, easily scalable thin films with high material efficiency and deposition rates.

The new system will be assembled in the coming months in a clean room at AIXTRON. As well as demonstrating the proprietary OVPD® process and its scalability for large substrates, a key focus will be the qualification of new components. Alongside reduced manufacturing costs, increased output is the prerequisite for achieving greater market penetration for OLED technology. This in turn requires the launch of more efficient production processes in conjunction with the use of large-format substrates.

About AIXTRON
AIXTRON SE is a leading provider of deposition equipment to the semiconductor industry. The Company was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Herzogenrath (near Aachen), Germany, with subsidiaries and sales offices in Asia, United States and in Europe. AIXTRON’s technology solutions are used by a diverse range of customers worldwide to build advanced components for electronic and opto-electronic applications based on compound, silicon, or organic semiconductor materials. Such components are used in a broad range of innovative applications, technologies and industries. These include LED applications, display technologies, data storage, data transmission, energy management and conversion, communication, signalling and lighting as well as a range of other leading-edge technologies.

OVPD® technology has been exclusively licensed to AIXTRON from Universal Display Corporation (UDC), Ewing, N.J. USA for equipment manufacture. OVPD® technology is based on an invention by Professor Stephen R. Forrest et al. at Princeton University, USA, which was exclusively licensed to UDC. AIXTRON and UDC have jointly developed and qualified OVPD® pre-production equipment.
For further information on AIXTRON (FSE: AIXA, ISIN DE000A0WMPJ6; NASDAQ: AIXG, ISIN US0096061041) please visit our website at: www.aixtron.com.

About Manz
Manz AG based in Reutlingen, Germany, is a world-leading high-tech engineering company. Founded in 1987, in recent years the company has grown from an automation specialist into a supplier of production lines. Manz AG has amassed expertise in six areas of technology, including automation, laser processes, vacuum coating, printing, metrology and wet chemical processes. The technologies are deployed in three strategic fields, the “Display”, “Solar” and “Battery” segments and continuously further developed.

The company, led by founder Dieter Manz, has been listed on the stock exchange in Germany since 2006, and currently operates production facilities in Germany, China, Taiwan, Slovakia, and Hungary. Manz AG also has sales and service branches in the USA, South Korea and India. At the beginning of 2013, Manz AG had approximately 1,850 employees, aproximately half ot them working in Asia. With its slogan “passion for efficiency”, Manz is making a promise to offer its customers – all companies active in important future markets – increasingly efficient production equipment. Like this, the company contributes significantly to reduce the production costs of end products and thereby making them available for a broad range of buyers worldwide.

Contact:

AIXTRON SE
+49-241-8909-756