SAN JOSE, Calif., March 23 -- The United States Display Consortium will provide funding to Illumitech Inc. for the development of improved optics used in projection display systems. The award is part of a USDC contract with Welch Allyn, Inc. of Skaneateles, N.Y., for development of a complete illuminator assembly incorporating Welch Allyn's compact metal halide lamps and Illumitech's collection optics. Illumitech's portion of the development effort is budgeted at $750,000. The new illuminators are scheduled to be delivered to beta sites at various USDC member companies by April 2000.
The Display Consortium is an industry-led, public/private partnership providing a common platform for flat panel display manufacturers, developers, and users, as well as the manufacturing equipment and supplier base. Headquartered in San Jose, the consortium has more than 100 corporate and affiliate members, as well as support from the U.S. government's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).