EV Group, a leading manufacturer of MEMS, nano and semiconductor wafer-processing equipment, also will use the facility to conduct joint development work with the Flexible Display Center (FDC), sponsored by Arizona State University (ASU) and the U.S. Army. EV Group is providing a large-area spray coater and developer to the center’s GenII automated production line, which uses 14x18-inch glass substrates. An EVG850 Laminator and Temporary Bonder, and an EVG850 Debonder also will be installed on the FDC’s 6-inch process line. EV Group will work closely with all other partners to develop thin and flexible computer screens for both military and commercial applications.

Dr. Peter Podesser, chief executive officer of EV Group, noted that the Tempe facility will be EV Group’s largest installation outside of the company’s worldwide headquarters in Schärding, Austria. “This new headquarters serves the dual purposes of expanding service to our growing North American customer base, and collaborating with Arizona State University and the U.S. Army on a project with far-reaching implications for the U.S. military and global commercial markets. We are honored to participate in programs like the FDC, where our know-how can help solve some of the greatest technical challenges of the day, and where we can expand our work with some of the best minds in the global display industry.”

The FDC, the result of a $43.7 million cooperative agreement between the U.S. Army Research Laboratory and ASU, is working on developing flexible computer screens that can be integrated as part of a soldier’s uniform, or rolled up and carried in a soldier’s pocket. The agreement has a performance period of five years with an option for an additional $50 million over an added five-year period, according to the U.S. Army News Service.

“The FDC brings together academia, industry and government to develop what, in essence, will be revolutionary information portals – devices that are small, lightweight, rugged and consume very little power, but they will be very powerful in that they will hold the key to successful military operations – real-time information,” said ASU President Michael Crow.

Dr. Gregory Raupp, the FDC’s director, said the technology ultimately will be developed commercially. “The FDC is a unique partnership vehicle that enables us to work with best-in-class form industry, government labs and academia to advance component technologies, integrate them into working flexible display technology demonstrators, and in parallel develop the manufacturing processes and toolsets to fabricate these revolutionary displays. In this regard we are thrilled to be able to work with EVG side-by-side in our facility to leverage their core capability and expertise in temporary bonding / debonding and large area coating” he said.

EV Group’s North American headquarters will be equipped to provide coating, developing, wafer bonding, nano-imprint lithography (NIL), mask aligning, and other technologies. All processes can run up to 150mm wafer sizes, and coating is available for 200mm wafers. Partner Sonix Inc. will install a scanning acoustic microscope (SAM), for use in wafer bonding analysis. The address of EV Group’s new facility within the Flexible Display Center is 7700 South River Parkway, Tempe, AZ 85028.

About EV Group
Founded in 1980, EV Group is a global supplier of wafer bonders, aligners, photoresist coaters, cleaners and inspection systems for semiconductor, MEMS and emerging nanotechnology markets. EV Group holds the dominant share of the market for wafer bonding equipment (especially SOI bonding) and is a leader in lithography for advanced packaging, MEMS and nanotechnology. The company’s unique Triple I approach (Invent – Innovate – Implement) is supported by a vertical infrastructure, allowing EV Group to respond quickly to new technology development, apply the technology to manufacturing challenges and expedite volume production. Headquartered in Schärding, Austria, EV Group operates via a global customer support network, with subsidiaries in Tempe, Arizona; Albany, New York; Yokohama and Fukuoka, Japan; and Chung-Li, Taiwan. For more information, visit www.EVGroup.com <http://www.evgroup.com/> .