TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA - iFire Technology Inc., a subsidiary of The Westaim Corporation, today announced that it has achieved color quality equal to the leading commercial television technology. The color breakthrough comes after three years of research and is the result of advancements in the company’s material systems, including enhancements in the patterning structure of iFireTM displays.
“This is our most significant color achievement since 1997 when we were the first company to stabilize a blue EL phosphor,” said Michael Goldstein, President of iFire Technology. “This color breakthrough will enable iFire displays to show more vibrant blues, reds and greens, which generate life-like images equal to those on the highest quality large screen digital televisions available today. It is a key step in meeting our 2001 goal of demonstrating TV quality performance on our 8.5- and 17-inch prototype displays.”
Concurrently, iFire Technology announced that it has validated new prototype column driver integrated circuits (driver ICs) that enables the company to electrically drive iFireTM-based televisions up to 42-inches in size. The driver IC development milestone is the result of engineering cooperation with leading flat panel display electronic suppliers.
With this color achievement, iFire Technology has now reached the color levels of today’s cathode ray tube (CRT) television sets. CRT manufacturers typically use the European Broadcast Union (EBU) standard for chromaticity, an industry measurement for quantifying color. Twelve months ago, iFireTM displays were at 65 per cent of EBU and climbed to 79 per cent by December 2000. Achieving 100 per cent EBU is significant because it makes for a more efficient phosphor system that requires less color filtering, which ultimately allows for greater brightness and CRT-quality color performance.
iFire Technology made the color breakthrough on a two-inch display, which is part of its standard development process. The company has already demonstrated its display scaling capability. The next steps will be to apply the color advancements to an 8.5-inch display, where graphic video capability will be added, and then to a 17-inch display on a path to scale to larger formats required for large screen commercial television.
About iFireTM flat panel displays
Unlike many flat panel display technologies that depend heavily on the use of expensive semiconductor-type thin-film manufacturing processes, the iFireTM flat panel display is a solid-state electroluminescent technology that relies mostly on lower cost, thick-film processes. Its manufacturing process uses a simple screen-printing technique well known in the capacitor and printed circuit board industry, that is less sensitive to contaminants. This translates into fewer process steps, higher yields and lower-cost production equipment and facilities.
iFireTM flat panel display technology has been advanced faster than any other display technology in history, moving from 2-inch screens to 17-inch screens within a 24-month period. Compared with most other flat panel technologies, an iFireTM flat panel display is a very simple device. It does not involve vacuum, gases or liquids, making it more robust than other flat panel technologies with reduced susceptibility to shock, vibration and breakage. iFireTM displays emit light from the front portion of the display, resulting in a wide viewing angle and crisp, clear, full-color images. iFireTM flat panel displays boast one of the widest operating temperature ranges of any electronic display technology, meeting the demanding requirements of transportation displays and other high-reliability applications.
iFire Technology is commercializing small graphic iFireTM displays through a licensing agreement it signed with TDK Corporation of Japan in February 2000. The company plans to become a leading supplier of branded flat panel display modules for the large screen TV market by building a partnership with a consumer electronic company.
The Westaim Corporation is a technology accelerator that launches exceptional technologies into the marketplace. In addition to iFire Technology Inc., its technology investments include Westaim Biomedical Corp., which has developed an infection control technology for use in the treatment of wounds, and Savvion, a leader in e-business management software. Westaim's common shares are listed on Nasdaq under the symbol WEDX and on The Toronto Stock Exchange under the trading symbol WED.
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Contact:
Tony Johnston, Senior Vice President Corporate Affairs
The Westaim Corporation
(403) 234-3103
info@westaim.com
www.westaim.com
www.ifire.com
This news release may contain forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations that are subject to risks and uncertainties, and the Company can give no assurance that these expectations are correct. Various factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in such statements, including financial considerations and those predicting the timing and market acceptance of future products. The Company disclaims any intention or obligations to revise forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise. All forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this Cautionary Statement.
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