[December 10, 2012]

Rolith Aims To Address The Growing Market For Transparent Electrodes

Rolith, Inc., the leader in developing advanced nanostructured coatings and devices, today announced that it has received an exclusive license to methods of micro and nano-patterning substrates to make transparent conductive electrodes from the University of Michigan Office of Technology Transfer (U-M Tech Transfer). The licensed process, developed by University of Michigan professor Jay Guo, is based on patterning, which uses continuous optical lithography and offers a low cost, high throughput approach to manufacturing transparent conductive electrodes.

Transparent conductive electrodes are critical to the operation of various optoelectronic devices and are commonly used in high volume applications such as displays, solar cells, "smart" windows and LEDs. Transparent conductive metal oxides, such as indium tin oxide (ITO) are currently used for this purpose. However, there is a growing need to replace ITOs with alternative solutions for reasons of cost, availability and performance.

Recent discoveries regarding the optical properties of nanopatterned metals have opened up an important opportunity to develop a new class of transparent electrodes without relying on ITOs. The nanostructured electrodes technology licensed from U-M Tech Transfer in combination with the existing "Rolling Mask Lithography" capabilties at Rolith offer a convenient and cost effective manufacturing solution to the market.

"We are pleased to be able to partner with Rolith with the license of this exciting technology," says U-M Tech Transfer Executive Director Ken Nisbet. "Partners as Rolith enable our research discoveries to have an impact and fulfill our mission."

"Rolith was fortunate to partner with the University of Michigan and the talented group of scientists headed by Prof. Jay Guo from the early stages of our company growth," said Dr. Boris Kobrin, Founder and CEO of Rolith. "The recent licensing deal gives us a stronghold position in one of the most demanded applications of our core technology."

ABOUT ROLITH, INC:

Rolith, Inc. is developing advanced nanostructured products for consumer electronics, solar and green building markets using a proprietary nanolithography technology. Rolith was formed by Dr. Boris Kobrin, Prof. Mark Brongersma and Julian Zegelman in 2008 and is currently located in Pleasanton, CA (News - Alert). The company holds a comprehensive patent portfolio in the areas of nanolithography, material deposition and etch methods, and nanophotonic devices. Rolith's strategic partners include SUSS MicroTec AG and Asahi Glass Company Ltd. Its current investors are DFJ VTB Capital Aurora, a Draper Fisher Jurvetson affiliate fund managed by VTB Capital and AGC America, Inc., the venture arm of Asahi Glass Group.

ABOUT UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN:

The University of Michigan spends over $1.2 billion per year on its wide-ranging research initiatives, making it one of the largest, most successful academic research institutions in the world. U-M Tech Transfer, the University unit responsible for transferring research discoveries to business and venture partners, launches an average of 10 start-ups, and signs over 100 agreements with businesses annually. These activities have led to the launch of over 100 new start-up companies since 2000, including HealthMedia, Compendia Biosciences and Arbor Networks, and the adoption of several world-changing technologies, such as the FluMist® inhalable flu vaccine and the IntraLase® LASIK eye surgery system. More on U-M Tech Transfer, including a up-to-date list of technologies available for commercialization, can be found at the U-M Tech Transfer website.

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