Kopin Announces Multi-million Dollar U.S. Army Contract to Develop Manufacturing
Technology for the CyberDisplay 1280
TAUNTON, Mass--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 27, 2000--
Evaluation Kits Now Available for Ultra-High
Resolution 1280 x 1024 Display
Kopin Corporation (NASDAQ:KOPN), today announced the award of a $2.3 million contract from the U.S. Army to
initiate production development of the Company's CyberDisplay(TM) 1280. This 18-month Manufacturing Technology
Development Program is sponsored by the RAH-66 Comanche Helicopter Program Office and is being managed by the
Night Vision and Electronic Systems Directorate (NVESD), Ft. Belvoir, VA. The program follows a successful two-year
development effort funded by the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) and the U.S. Army, and will
provide the manufacturing infrastructure to transition the CyberDisplay(TM) 1280 from development into production.
"Kopin has demonstrated an ability to produce CyberDisplay(TM) 1280 displays with performance levels that exceed
some of our toughest requirements," said Colin Reese, program manager for NVESD. "Image quality and safety are
both paramount for our applications and the CyberDisplay (TM) 1280 offers a solution for both. Earlier CRT based
systems provided good image quality but were unable to meet stringent weight and center-of-gravity requirements. The
CyberDisplay(TM) 1280 will provide our designers with exceptional image quality in a compact, lightweight, low power
package suitable for Comanche as well as other military head mounted applications."
"The CyberDisplay(TM) 1280 boasts image quality and functionality surpassing anything on the market," stated Dr.
John C.C. Fan, Kopin's president and chief executive officer. "We are committed to the U.S. Government's need for
high performance displays and this contract allows Kopin to begin production development of the CyberDisplay(TM)
1280. The level of cooperation we have seen from DARPA and the U.S. Army has been outstanding, and response to
the display has been excellent."
"The success of the Kopin 1280 development program is unprecedented," stated Henry Girolamo, Program Manager at
the Army Soldier Biological Command working for DARPA's Microsystems Technology Office. "The entire team has
done a superb job developing a display which, because it leverages Kopin's commercial production line, will serve the
needs of the military as well as the commercial product sector. This program should serve as a model for how to
develop Commercial-off-the-Shelf (COTS) hardware for Military Program use."
The CyberDisplay(TM) 1280 is a 0.97-inch diagonal transmissive AMLCD that displays information at a pixel resolution
of 1280 x 1024. By combining high resolution and low power consumption, Kopin's CyberDisplay(TM) 1280 has made it
possible for companies to replace the bulky and unreliable high-voltage cathode ray tube with a compact, lightweight,
solid-state imaging device. Along with displaying standard text and graphics, the CyberDisplay(TM) 1280 provides
stunning image quality with 8-bit (256 level) gray scale, no image smear at full 60Hz video frame rates and brightness
capability exceeding 2,000 fL.
Coincident with this award, Kopin announced availability of the CyberDisplay(TM) 1280 Evaluation Kit. "This
plug-and-play evaluation kit provides users with an ability to create custom graphics or view high-resolution imagery in a
personal computer environment, using the CyberDisplay(TM) 1280 AMLCD as a PC monitor," said Michael Presz,
general manager of Kopin's Visual Products Group. "The system provides pixel-by-pixel (digital) control with full gray
scale capability over the entire 1.3-million pixel image."
"The kit is configured for use in laboratory and product development environments and provides a powerful tool to
support rapid integration of the CyberDisplay(TM) 1280 into the next generation of imaging products," continued Presz.
"In addition to the Comanche Head Mounted Display (HMD), we see the CyberDisplay(TM) 1280 as an excellent choice
for a variety of military and commercial HMDs as well as for infrared imaging, medical, simulation & training, printing
and optical computing products."
About Kopin
Kopin is a leading developer and manufacturer of high-resolution, flat panel display products and HBT wafers for
telecommunications and digital imaging applications that enhance the delivery and presentation of video, voice and
data. The Company has combined advanced AMLCD and integrated circuit technology to produce its CyberDisplay
family of ultra-small, high-density imaging devices. The Kopin CyberDisplay(TM) family has won many international
awards for innovation in the last two years, and now includes the CyberDisplay(TM) 1280, 640C, 320 and 320C -
providing OEMs with a range of powerful, high quality display solutions for a range of devices from consumer
electronics such as camcorders and digital cameras to next-generation Internet wireless handsets.
Telecommunication providers are using Kopin's HBT wafers for power amplifier circuits used in wireless digital phones,
and gigabit circuits for broadband and Internet data transmission. For more information, please visit Kopin's Web site at
www.kopin.com.
CyberDisplay is a trademark of Kopin Corporation.
Statements in this news release about Kopin's contract with U.S. Army are made under `safe harbor' provisions of the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could materially
affect future results. Among these risk factors are general economic and business conditions and growth in the flat
panel display industry, the impact of competitive products and pricing, availability of third-party components, viability of
integrated circuit fabrication facilities, cost and yields associated with production of the Company's CyberDisplay
imaging devices, loss of significant customers, acceptance of the Company's products, continuation of strategic
relationships, and the other risk factors and cautionary statements listed from time to time in the Company's periodic
reports and registration statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to, the
Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 1999.
CONTACT: Kopin Corporation
Michael Presz, 408/364-0271
mpresz@kopin.com
or
Sharon Merrill Associates, Inc.
Scott Solomon, 617/542-5300
ssolomon@investorrelations.com |
