Oerlikon Announces Collaboration With Microvision To Bring Tiny Pico Projector To Market

Golden, CO — Oerlikon Optics, a global leader in optical component solutions, announced recently that it has been collaborating with Microvision, a world leader in laser scanning-based display and imaging products, on the optimization of Microvision's ultra-miniature projection display engine, called PicoP™.

This effort focuses on leveraging Oerlikon's experience in high-volume design to create a compact, manufacturable and affordable PicoP product for Microvision's customers. Ultimately, it is expected that PicoP will be incorporated into a variety of applications and products in the automotive and consumer space.

Uwe Krüger, CEO of Oerlikon, stated that the joint development agreement with Microvision is a significant strategic addition to the business unit's own technologies and products: "Microvision's PicoP design represents the future direction of ultra-miniature mobile projection systems. It also is expected to open up new markets such as innovative vehicle displays and wearable displays with life-like 3D applications".

"Working with Microvision makes perfect sense for our Optics business since the technology is highly complimentary to our present product portfolio and can be applied across the entire range of micro display and scanning devices," added Mike Cusick, Head of Business Unit Optics.

"We are delighted to collaborate with Oerlikon, a recognized leader in the photonics industry and one of the world's leading micro-display component manufacturers," said Alexander Tokman, President and CEO of Microvision. "Oerlikon's expertise and business focus in optical components development and manufacturing should position us well to accelerate the commercialization roadmap of Microvision's PicoP-based products with the right levels of performance, quality and cost for high-volume consumer and automotive applications"

About PicoP
The PicoP is an ultra-miniature projector capable of producing color rich, high resolution, large images, but small and low-power enough to be embedded directly into mobile devices, such as cell phones. Other potential display applications based on the PicoP are numerous and include tiny projectors embedded into or used as accessory displays for mobile devices such as personal media players, gaming devices, laptops, and DVD players.

About Microvision
Headquartered in Redmond, Wash., Microvision Inc. designs a display technology platform to enable next generation display and imaging products for pico projectors, vehicle displays, and wearable displays that interface to mobile devices. The company also manufactures and sells its bar code scanner product line which features the company's proprietary MEMS technology.

SOURCE: Oerlikon Optics