Picodeon ramps up laser deposition research and manufacturing
Ii, Finland – Following completion of a EUR 5 million round of investment by Enso Ventures Ltd., coating technology specialist Picodeon Ltd. will accelerate the development and manufacture of its disruptive thin films and thin-film deposition tools. In addition, Picodeon recently started a new project funded by TEKES (the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation) with a value of more than EUR 1 million. This investment will fund further research into thin-film applications and the development of new thin-film materials, as well as the production of a market-ready range of laser deposition equipment.
Picodeon's patented Coldab coating technology is an advanced ultra-short pulse laser deposition (US PLD) process that enables high quality nanometer scale thin-film coatings including materials such as metals, composites, oxides and polymers, to be deposited on a vast range of substrates.
The process is produced by Picodeon’s patented coating equipment, where material is vaporized in a laser ablation process forming a plasma plume which condenses on the substrate to form a thin film. Applications include hard optical coatings for displays, screens and other transparent products, and may vary from super-hard low-friction thin films to optical thin films with anti-finger print properties.
"Enso Ventures is an ideal investor for us as they are committed to a long-term business development plan,” said Marko Mylläri, CEO of Picodeon. “Picodeon is investing nearly EUR 2 million in the development of new automated thin-film coating equipment, which will be up and running by January 2014. This is a unique machine to demonstrate the volume manufacturing potential of PLD coatings. It will show that the PLD process is not just a laboratory research concept, but that it is scalable into industrial applications by using the company’s innovations.
“Picodeon has a large portfolio of global patents, including 18 granted patents and nearly 100 patent applications. Managing such a patent portfolio is demanding. However, the patent portfolio plays a critical role in our business model and in the value produced by the company. We believe we are an innovator in the technology pulsed laser deposition area,” concluded Mylläri.
____
(Image via Shutterstock)