Sales under the Chip Foundation co-development agreement are
expected to continue throughout 2025
MANCHESTER, England, Jan. 16,
2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Smartkem (Nasdaq: SMTK), which
is seeking to change the world of electronics using its disruptive
organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs), announced that it has
completed the first sale of its TRUFLEX® semiconductor
materials to its joint development partner, Shanghai Chip
Foundation Semiconductor Technology Co., Ltd. ("Chip Foundation"),
a manufacturer of semiconductor and integrated circuit devices, for
use by Chip Foundation in the co-development of a new generation of
microLED-based backlight technology for Liquid Crystal
Displays.
Smartkem Chairman and CEO, Ian
Jenks, comments, "The first sale of our single layer
dielectric materials marks a significant development milestone in
our path to establish the commercial viability of our advanced
materials in both the display industry and within other
applications."
Smartkem is supplying its proprietary organic dielectric single
layer material, or Redistribution Layer (RDL), to Chip Foundation
to combine with its own microLED devices, for the joint development
of microLED based device structures. The resulting manufactured
chip is expected to have the properties of high brightness coupled
with high current efficiency, reducing power losses in driving
backlights and improving uniformity of illumination.
Additional sales of RDL materials to Chip Foundation are expected
to continue throughout 2025.
Dr. Maosheng Hao, Chairman of
Chip Foundation, comments, "We are excited to collaborate with
Smartkem and integrate their TRUFLEX® materials into our
microLED devices. This partnership marks a significant step forward
in advancing high-performance backlight solutions for LCDs,
combining innovation and efficiency to meet the evolving demands of
the display industry."
About Smartkem
Smartkem is seeking to reshape the world of electronics with its
disruptive organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) that have the
potential to revolutionize the display industry. Smartkem's
patented TRUFLEX® liquid semiconductor polymers can be used to
make a new type of transistor that can be used in a number of
display technologies, including next generation microLED displays.
Smartkem's organic inks enable low temperature printing processes
that are compatible with existing manufacturing infrastructure to
deliver low-cost displays that outperform existing technology.
Smartkem develops its materials at its research and development
facility in Manchester, UK and
provides prototyping services at the Centre for Process Innovation
(CPI) at Sedgefield, UK. It has a field application office in
Taiwan. The company has an
extensive IP portfolio including 138 granted patents across 18
patent families and 40 codified trade secrets. For more
information, visit our website or follow us on LinkedIn.
About Shanghai Chip Foundation Semiconductor Technology Co.,
Ltd.
Shanghai Chip Foundation Semiconductor Technology Co., Ltd. has
developed a comprehensive Chemical Lift-off (CLO) technology for
Gallium Nitride (GaN) growth substrates through years of continuous
research and practice, achieving mass production. The substrate, as
the core support for GaN materials and chips, plays a crucial role.
Chip Foundation have successfully developed a new type of composite
patterned sapphire substrate, namely Dielectric Patterned Sapphire
Substrate (DPSS), which is significantly different from the
industry-standard Patterned Sapphire Substrate (PSS). Utilizing
precise facet controlled epitaxial lateral over growth technology,
Chip Foundation can reduce the dislocation density of the GaN
epitaxial layer on the DPSS substrate to the level of 10^7/cm². For
large-size LED chips, the effect of dislocations can be ignored,
but for Micro LED chips, the negative effects of dislocations will
become increasingly prominent. Relying on the DPSS substrate, Chip
Foundation have further innovated the processing technology of
chemical lift-off growth substrates. Compared with the traditional
laser lift-off method, chemical lift-off shows superior performance
in cost-effectiveness and product yield. The laser lift-off process
has an adverse effect on the leakage performance of the chip, while
the chemical lift-off process can effectively improve the leakage
performance of the chip, a conclusion that has been experimentally
verified and its physical mechanism clearly explained.
These technologies can effectively promote the mass production
of Micro LED chips and can be used to produce Mini Thin-film
Flip-chip LED chips. Due to the omission of substrate thinning,
laser scribing, and cracking processes, and the fact that almost no
scribe channels are needed between chips, the cost advantage is
very significant. Chip Foundation have developed wafer-level
packaging technology based on thin-film chips and Mini LED
backlight technology that can fully leverage the superior
performance of thin-film chips.
The advantages of GaN materials in electronic power and radio
frequency chips are also unparalleled. Our core technologies (DPSS
substrate, lateral epitaxial growth technology, chemical lift-off
substrate technology) can effectively solve the reliability and
heat dissipation issues of electronic power and radio frequency
chips, and Chip Foundation look forward to cooperating with various
parties in these fields in various forms.
Forward-Looking Statements
All statements in this press release that are not historical are
forward-looking statements, including, among other things, its
market position and market opportunity, expectations and plans as
to its product development, manufacturing and sales, and relations
with its partners and investors. These statements are not
historical facts but rather are based on Smartkem, Inc.'s current
expectations, estimates, and projections regarding its business,
operations and other similar or related factors. Words such as
"may," "will," "could," "would," "should," "anticipate," "predict,"
"potential," "continue," "expect," "intend," "plan," "project,"
"believe," "estimate," and other similar or elated expressions are
used to identify these forward-looking statements, although not all
forward-looking statements contain these words. You should not
place undue reliance on forward-looking statements because they
involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and assumptions
that are difficult or impossible to predict and, in some cases,
beyond the Company's control. Actual results may differ materially
from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of a
number of factors, including those described in the Company's
filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company
undertakes no obligation to revise or update information in this
release to reflect events or circumstances in the future, even if
new information becomes available.
Contacts:
Selena Kirkwood
Head of Communications for Smartkem
T: +44 (0) 7971 460 364
s.kirkwood@smartkem.com
U.S. Investors
David Barnard, CFA
Alliance Advisors Investor Relations
T: 1 415 433 3777
dbarnard@allianceadvisors.com
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SOURCE SmartKem, Inc.
