Date: Sep 12, 2013 Source: bizjournals (
click here to go to the source)
Gilbert-based Colnatec LLC, manufacturer of the only temperature-controlled sensors for thickness measurement of thin film devices, has partnered with Novaled, a German provider of Organic Light Emitting Diode technologies and materials.
The two are working together on a research and development project to test the performance of the world's first heated quartz crystal microbalance sensor system, called Tempe, for device layer self-regeneration in continuously-run OLED production.
"Our film thickness monitoring system, ‘Tempe,' was developed to stabilize OLED device performances, for its material characterization capabilities, and for in-situ, self-regeneration properties," said Scott Grimshaw, chief technology officer and co-founder of Colnatec, in a statement. "At the same time, ‘Tempe' has the potential to increase run-time, decrease downtime, and significantly reduce overall costs. We are confident of outstanding results of our system in the continuous OLED production at Novaled."
The effects of temperature are important with the advent of organic electronics material. "Heating a sensor and controlling it reduces stress and relaxes the film, and also allows for ‘baking off' accumulated material, thereby extending sensor lifetime, a critical factor for cost efficiency in long, continuous runs," according to the company.
