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FlexTech News
USDC Awards Contract to Etched in Time to Evaluate Plasma Etching Sources for Flexible Electronics and Displays
Mar 13, 2008
The U.S. Display Consortium (USDC), a public/private partnership chartered with developing the flexible electronics and displays industry supply chain, today announced a contract with Etched in Time, Inc. (EITI), to perform evaluations on developing and comparing plasma-etching sources for large-area panels used in the manufacture of flexible displays and electronics. The $365,000 cost-shared award will provide EITI the opportunity to leverage their expertise in source etching product development acquired from their experience in the semiconductor capital equipment industry.
Under the USDC agreement, EITI will focus on improving key specifications of etch tools currently in production. These improvements will address the etch innovations needed for the broad array of applications in flexible electronics, including solar panels. To make the transition to large-area electronics, improved uniformity and feature profiles, e.g., sidewall angles, are critical, as well as minimizing ion damage of dielectrics and achieving higher etch rates. “Our goal in the USDC contract is to provide a pathway for customers to etch a variety of materials and a methodology for etching in a linear large-area system suitable for future roll-to-roll (R2R) processing,” stated Bob Henderson, president of Etched in Time. “EITI also expects to identify areas where high density, low damage plasma generation for etching of new materials might be able to replace existing silicon nitride used for antireflection and passivation on current solar cells,” he added.
“I am very pleased that Etched in Time has been awarded this competitive contract from USDC, to advance the technology in the manufacture of flexible displays and electronics,” said Rep. Harry Mitchell (AZ-5).“Incredible advances in technology are taking place right here in our backyard, and EITI is a shining example of that. We have a lot to be proud of here in Arizona.”
“USDC and members of our Technical Council are excited about the potential evolution of Etched in Time’s plasma sources,” commented Dr. Mark Hartney, USDC’s CTO. “When the six-month assessment is completed, EITI plans to deliver a radial and a linear source for on-going studies of dielectric material etching to the Flexible Display Center at Arizona State University.”
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