Plessey’s micro-LED advisory board gains Apple’s former VP of Macintosh Hardware Systems Engineering

UK-based Plessey, which develops embedded micro-LED technology for augmented-reality and mixed-reality (AR/MR) display applications, has appointed Dr Edward H. Frank to its micro-LED advisory board, as part of the rapid development of the firm’s micro-LED technology (which promises thinner, brighter, lighter and low-power displays). Combining the best features of liquid-crystal displays (LCDs) and organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), micro-LEDs represent the fourth-generation flat-panel display technology after plasma, LCD and OLED.

“Ed’s strong and proven history of developing and bringing revolutionary solutions to market makes him an excellent addition to our advisory board,” reckons Plessey’s co-CEO and CTO Dr Keith Strickland. “His expertise in delivering innovative silicon and systems, at companies both large and small, will be invaluable as we continue to provide cutting-edge micro-LED display solutions to AR applications,” he adds.

“Micro-LED display has many advantages such as high brightness, ultra-low power consumption, fast response time, very high contrast rate, wide colour gamut, long lifetime, environmental stability, high resolution, the option of flexible backplanes and integration of sensors in the display,” comments Frank. “Its main challenges are manufacturing complexity and yield issues, all of which Plessey is addressing.”

Previously, Frank was CEO & co-founder of voice-of-the-customer start-up Cloud Parity. Earlier, he served as VP of Macintosh Hardware Systems Engineering at Apple, as corporate VP of Research and Development at Broadcom (a broad-based manufacturer of wireless chips used in many Apple devices) and as a Distinguished Engineer at Sun Microsystems. He is currently on the boards of directors of Analog Devices and Marvell.

Frank earned a BSEE and MSEE from Stanford University, and a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon University, where he is presently vice-chair of its Board of Trustees. He is a member of the US National Academy of Engineering and is a named inventor on over 50 patents.

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