Industrial Partnership Program

NSFALCOM Center

The Center for Advanced Liquid Crystalline Optical Materials (ALCOM) is the nation’s only National Science Foundation Science and Technology Center devoted to liquid crystal research. ALCOM is a consortium of three Northeast Ohio universities: Kent State University, Case Western Reserve University, and the University of Akron.

The ALCOM Center advances basic research by providing state-of-the-art facilities and research programs focused on liquid crystal science and display development. ALCOM benefits industry through cooperative research efforts and by preparing graduate and undergraduate students with the knowledge and experience necessary for successful careers in the expanding field of liquid crystal displays.

The ALCOM Center plays an important role in applied liquid crystal research. Past cooperative industrial projects include the following achievements:

• TN and STN modeling and optimization • Cholesteric bistable reflective displays • Page-size zero power displays • Optical compensators • Optimization for wide viewing angle LCDs • 3-D model of director orientation in micro-displays • Diffractive devices • PDLC windows

• Electronic shutters • Patterned alignment layers • Rub-free alignment layers • Plastic substrate LCDs • IR devices for telecommunications • SmC* devices • Polymer stabilized bistable display devices • Custom liquid crystalline materials

The significance of ALCOM’s contributions to liquid crystal applications is evident at the Society for Information Display International Conferences where ALCOM researchers typically contribute 20% of the academic LCD papers presented.

Membership Benefits

Companies can participate in ALCOM's research and technology development through the Industrial Partnership Program. The program provides the following services to assist companies working on liquid crystal applications:

• A window to current advances in liquid crystal science and technology
• A cost-effective means to leverage research budgets
• Assistance in solving specific problems
• Access to trained personal for short term projects
• Access to specialized resources for prototype development
• Access to high volume LCD manufacturing equipment for process evaluations

Industrial Participation

More than 45 companies have joined the ALCOM Industrial Partnership Program since its inception in 1991. Member companies participate in symposia, short courses, and workshops. They are kept informed of current research, meetings and ALCOM publications through quarterly newsletters. Members receive a written synopsis of relevant presentations from SID conferences.

Industrial partners provide direction for future research and activities through participation at the annual retreat and planning session. Partners also contribute their expertise to the LCD Research Facility Advisory Board.

Membership

Companies can join the ALCOM Industrial Partnership Program for a $10,000 annual fee. The fee includes $4,000 in credits which may be used to purchase services. The following services are available to members at reduced rates:

Research and Problem Solving

• Short course on liquid crystal applications
• Half-day company visit with targeted seminar
• Access to graduate student for short research or modeling projects
• Modeling software
• Custom technology reports
• ALCOM scientist consultations

Device Prototypes and Characterization

• Direct access to prototyping facility and LCD manufacturing equipment
• Characterization software
• Contract prototype development
• Device characterization
• Liquid crystalline material synthesis
• Technical and engineering assistance
• Documented process training

Materials Characterization

• Elastic, refractive and dielectric constants of LC materials
• Pretilt angles and surface anchoring of alignment layers
• Optical, scanning electronc and atomic force microscopy

Liquid Crystal Display Resource Facility

Clean room

The 2,500 sq. ft. clean room space, contains a prototyping line, the Lucent Technologies LCD Pilot Line and the W.M. Keck Clean Room used for thin film deposition. The facility has the capability to produce page size passive LCDs with full scale production equipment.

Characterization Facility

The Characterization Facility consists of 2,000 sq. ft. of laboratories for characterizing liquid crystalline materials, surface anchoring properties and electro-optical properties of liquid crystal devices. Analysis capabilities include NMR, AFM, and SEM (shown in photo). Characterization Group

Synthesis Facility

The Synthesis Facility consists of 2,000 sq. ft. of chemistry laboratories and has full capabilities for synthesis of liquid crystals, polymers, phase compensation films, dichroic dyes and alignment materials. Organic Synthesis and Purification Group

LCD Resource Facility Equipment

To view photos of the equipment, click on links.

• Nissha Angstromer Offset Printer	• TNP Laser Repair Station
• VPI Glass Scriber	• Nikon Stepper
• LCI Custom Rubbing Machine	• Hornell Rubbing/Dry Cleaning machine
• Fujioka Rubbing Machine	• General Vacuum ITO Deposition System
• Peregrine PDLC Coating/Laminating Machine	• AZLCD Vacuum Filling Station
• AZLCD Vacuum Bagger	• Kawajiri Thermal Press
• Asymtek XY Dispenser	• Nakan Offset Printer
• Fukioka Spacer Sprayer	• Tencor Alpha Step 200 Profilometer
• Brewer Cee Large Area Spincoater	• Ultra T Megasonic Cleaner
• Air Control Glass Cleaning Wet Bench	• Photo Research Spectrophotometer
• Air Control Develop/Etch/Strip Wet Bench	• UV-IR Spectrometers
• Technics PlanarEtch II Plasma Etcher	• JEOL Scanning Electron Microscope
• Fukioka Plate Aligner	• Digital Instruments Atomic Force Microscope
• ORC Optibeam 6036 UV Exposure System	• Olympus MHL100 Microscope
• Tektronix Silicon Monoxide Thermal Evaporator	• Olympus BH-2 Microscope
• Solitec Spincoater	• Air Shower
• Manual Glass Scriber	• Blue M Cleanroom Oven
• Reynoldstech Hotplate	• Samco UV-Ozone Cleaner
• Oriel Mask Aligner and UV Exposure System	• Dynachem Dry Resist Laminator
• LCD Characterization Equipment - Electro-optical - Viewing Angle - Surface Alignment

IPP Contacts

	Philip J. Bos, IPP Director Ph.D., Physics Kent State University (1978) Tel: (330) 672-2511 pbos@kent.edu
	Douglas R. Bryant, Display Engineer Research Facility Manager M.S., Electrical Engineering Univ. of Southern California (1992) Tel: (330) 672-1583 dbryant@lci.kent.edu
	Jonathan C. Ruth, IPP Liaison Ph.D., Condensed Matter Physics University of Colorado, Boulder (1990) Tel: (330) 672-1555 ipp@lci.kent.edu