Vitex Systems, Inc.,
a leading technology developer, licensor and engineering service provider for
thin-film encapsulation and moisture barrier films, today announced that it
has expanded its leading edge thin-film barrier capability with the qualification
of its new state of the art, 2nd generation deposition equipment. The new equipment
will be located in Vitex's facility in San Jose and will allow the company to
further enhance its moisture barrier film technology as well as service its
customers.
In conjunction with its internal expansion efforts, Vitex has also elected
to join the Flexible Display Center located at Arizona State University (ASU)
and to donate its previous generation tool to the Center. The Flexible Display
Center at ASU, which was established by the U.S. Army in February 2004, boasts
collaborations with university, government and industry partners, both national
and international.
"We have many potential customers asking Vitex to provide Barix Encapsulation
and Barix Barrier Film for various applications. The investment for the new
deposition equipment provided by funding from Battelle will not only expand
our developmental capabilities but will also allow Vitex to more effectively
service many new customers," said Chyi-Shan Suen, President and COO at
Vitex Systems. "In addition, all other member companies will have access
to test and evaluate our barrier with our tool in the Center. We very much look
forward to participation in this outstanding organization."
Over the past year, Vitex has made excellent progress demonstrating the unique
capabilities of its Barix Barrier Film for encapsulation of thin-film photovoltaic
cells. Cooperating with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Vitex recently
demonstrated results obtained on SoloPower's thin-film CIGS PV that, when protected
by Vitex's Barix Barrier Film, the cells had less than 10% efficiency degradation
after 1920 hours of damp heat tests at 85oC and 85% relative humidity, while
the IEC 61646 standard only demands testing to 1000 hours.
Dr. Jeffrey Wadsworth, President and CEO of Battelle said, "Battelle is
very pleased with the progress that Vitex has made and we're excited that the
company is working with some of the largest thin-film producers and OLED display
makers in the world. The next generation of display, photovoltaic, solid-state
lighting, and thin-film battery products will require bold and innovative solutions
such as Vitex's Barix technologies. Vitex is wisely positioning itself to be
an integral supplier of encapsulation products that will help their partners
be the first to bring new applications to the marketplace."