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QPC Lasers Inc of Sylmar, CA, USA, which makes high-power lasers for the industrial, defense and medical markets, has won a contract from a consumer electronics manufacturer to develop and deliver its proprietary BrightLase lasers for use in rear-projection TVs based on digital light processing (DLP) and liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) technologies. The contract also provides for an exclusive supply relationship that could be worth up to $230m over the 10 year term of the contract (depending on the size of the rear-projection TV market).

QPC expects to receive development milestone payments of up to $1.15m over the next 90 days. QPC also received an order (which becomes non-cancellable once product specifications have been met) totaling about $11m for products to be delivered through June 2011. “We anticipate recognizing initial milestone revenues from this contract in the fourth quarter of this year,” elaborates co-founder and chief financial officer George Lintz.

“This contract marks the successful expansion of QPC’s technology into the large and growing market for visible wavelength technology,” says co-founder and CEO Dr Jeffrey Ungar. “Rear-projection laser televisions will offer a dramatically improved viewing experience compared to other older and/or more expensive technologies available today, such as those based on lamps, plasma, LCDs, and conventional cathode ray tubes.” Laser TVs should provide more vibrant, life-like colors with high resolution and wide viewing angles from a lightweight, less expensive, slimmer-profile unit, he adds.

“Major consumer electronics manufacturers such as Sony Corp and Mitsubishi have exhibited laser TV prototypes in the recent past, however we are not aware of any laser TVs that are currently available for consumer purchase,” says Dr Paul Rudy, senior VP of marketing & sales. “QPC’s laser technology should enable a more rapid ramp to production and availability to consumers.”

BrightLase lasers achieve high power in a single beam from an energy-efficient, low-cost chip, claims Ungar. QPC’s compact and efficient laser design can replace the expensive, short-lived, and inefficient UHP lamps that are common engines in conventional display technology. “While LEDs have also been used for this application, we believe lasers offer higher brightness and improved energy efficiency,” Ungar says. “Alternative laser approaches based on conventional multi-stage lasers and lower-power multiple-beam diode lasers are also costly, inefficient, and difficult to manufacture in high volume,” he adds.

“This contract award not only signals QPC’s entry into the multi-billion-dollar high-growth consumer electronics sector for laser TV, but opens up numerous possibilities for utilization in a wide variety of display applications including miniature mobile projectors for mobile phones, PDAs, and laptops, along with displays for automobiles and cockpits,” adds Ungar. “Our technology offers high-speed direct modulation, low power consumption, and low cost in high-volume production,” he claims.

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