CDT confident of sorting MED problems

Cambridge Display Technology, which is helping MicroEmissive Displays (MED) to overcome its manufacturing problems, is confident that MED will resolve its issues satisfactorily.

"CDT and MED are closely collaborating," Dr S B Cha, CDT’s commercial v-p, told Electronics Weekly. "We are more than just a licensing company we are a research services company. All of our licensees find you start manufacturing at a low level, and then find the technological advances which give you increases in yield," he said.

MED has reported problems in moving its microdisplays from prototype development into production volume. Co-founder and CTO Dr Jeff Wright resigned last month, although MED’s CEO Bill Campbell said his resignation was unrelated to manufacturing problems.

However, Cha remains confident that MED can overcome its problems. "When it comes to OLEDs, our technology is easier to manufacture than most. I would be very surprised if they do not get over these issues," he said, adding "there is no substitution for hard work and hours, you have to put in the engineering hours."

MED has appointed Bill Miller, a former v-p and general manager of Motorola’s semiconductor division and a director of the National Microelectronics Institute to be its chief operating officer.

Last week an email was leaked to the press which was alleged to be from Campbell to MED employees saying that "the yield is close to zero". MED would neither confirm or deny that the email was genuine, and the company did not return phone calls asking for a comment.