Brussels, 13 October 2006
Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems (IPMS) a leading provider of R&D services in the field of optical MEMS enters into a new level of strategic cooperation with Microvision - world-leading company for light scanning technologies for displays and imaging products
Fraunhofer IPMS a leading provider of applied research and development services for customer specific products and Microvision, Inc. the leader in light scanning technologies for display and imaging products, formally announced today their strategic technology development relationship. Microvision and Fraunhofer IPMS have been engaged for several years in the development of MEMS scanning mirrors optimized for several large-volume display and imaging applications.
MEMS scanners are a key component to Microvision's Integrated Photonics Module (IPM™) platform, which is expected to deliver miniature display engines for mass market OEM applications, such as a full-color projection display embedded into a mobile phone. The development relationship with Fraunhofer IPMS is focused on novel technology and design solutions for 2D MEMS scanning mirrors for a large variety of display and imaging products.
"We can't think of a more natural partnership than this one with Microvision, the pioneer in MEMS projection displays", said Harald Schenk, deputy director of Fraunhofer IPMS, "we are excited to continue this cooperation and to provide Fraunhofer IPMS' MEMS scanner technology, already used in commercially available bar code scan engines, for the development of highly innovative display and imaging applications."
Alexander Tokman, Microvision President and CEO said: "We are very pleased to formally announce that Microvision and Fraunhofer have been, and continue to be, engaged in a very fruitful research partnership that has yielded strong technical results and provides exciting new product avenues for the company to exploit. We are excited about the many display and imaging applications that can be enabled by the combination of talents and technologies of our teams."
Fraunhofer IPMS Dresden and Fraunhofer IOF Jena recently publicized a prototype laser projector the size of a sugar cube. The miniature projector is less than 16 mm wide, 9 mm high and 9 mm deep. The prototype projector houses a tiny silicon MEMS scanning mirror developed by Fraunhofer IPMS that scans light from a red laser diode to create an image.
"Microvision's full-color PicoP™ projector prototype and this sugar cube projector from Fraunhofer IPMS are generating interest worldwide," said Tokman, "because they both demonstrate the powerful miniaturization capabilities of MEMS laser scanning technology.
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About Fraunhofer IPMS:
Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems (IPMS) is one of 58 independent Institutes of the Fraunhofer Society, Europe's largest organization for applied research and development. Fraunhofer IPMS carries out customer and application specific research, development and fabrication of highly innovative photonic microsystems, such as light modulating devices (scanners, micro mirror arrays), light emitting devices (Organic Light-Emitting Diodes) and optical detectors (photodiodes, integrated optoelectronics), as well as system development based on proprietary sensors and actuators or commercially available components. Fraunhofer IPMS maintains a 1000 m2 class 10 clean room focused on MEMS/MOEMS technologies and CMOS compatible special processes. For further information, visit www.ipms.fraunhofer.de.
About Microvision:
Headquartered in Redmond, WA, Microvision, Inc. is the world leader in the development of high-resolution displays and imaging systems based on the company's proprietary silicon micro-mirror technology. The company's technology enables solutions and products in a broad range of industrial, consumer, military, and medical applications. For more information about bar code products, please visit www.flicscanner.com. For more information about Microvision's display capabilities, please visit www.microvision.com.