Multi-Million Dollar Program Targeted for Advanced Vision SystemsTAUNTON, Mass., Dec 03, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Kopin(R) Corporation (NASDAQ: KOPN) today announced that the
Office of Naval Research (ONR), the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC), the U.S.
Army's RDECOM CERDEC Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate
(NVESD), and the U.S. Army's Product Manager Soldier Sensors and Lasers
(PM-SSL) have jointly awarded a 3-year, $3.1 million program to Kopin
for the development of the world's highest-resolution microdisplays for
use in future vision systems, including integrated day-night weapon
sights and solid state image intensifiers.
"The U.S. Government is again relying on Kopin to expand the boundaries
of microdisplay resolution and performance by developing an active
matrix liquid crystal display (AMLCD) with a 2048 x 2048 monochrome
pixel resolution in a 0.99-inch-diagonal form factor," said President
and Chief Executive Officer Dr. John C. C. Fan. "This new display will
reflect the strategic research and development initiatives we have
undertaken over many years, efforts that have resulted in important
innovations including low-voltage architecture, integral heaters, small
pixel geometry, and specialized and ruggedized LCD processes. The new
8-inch processing line Kopin developed in partnership with the U.S.
Government will be critical in the fabrication of such a high-resolution
display."
"Kopin has a solid history in the development of microdisplay for the
U.S. Army's night vision systems and is a major display supplier for
thermal weapon sights and advanced night vision goggles," the U.S. Army
said in a prepared statement. "The new high-resolution display will meet
the aggressive imaging system requirements of advanced weapon sight and
digital image-intensified vision systems which will be tailored for
urban and network battlefield environments."
"This new display will provide military personnel with spatial
resolution equal to or better than the current image intensifier tube,"
stated Michael Presz, Kopin's Vice President of Government Programs and
Special Projects. "It will allow for target identification at extreme
ranges, which will substantially reduce friendly fire incidents. In
addition, the lightweight, low-power display architecture will optimize
the viewing of digital image intensifier imagery."
About Kopin
Kopin Corporation produces lightweight, power-efficient, ultra-small
liquid crystal displays and heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs)
that are revolutionizing the way people around the world see, hear and
communicate. Kopin has shipped more than 30 million displays for a range
of consumer and military applications including digital cameras,
personal video eyewear, camcorders, thermal weapon sights and night
vision systems. The Company's unique HBTs, which help to enhance battery
life, talk time and signal clarity, have been integrated into billions
of wireless handsets as well as into WiFi, VoIP and high-speed Internet
data transmission systems. Kopin's proprietary display and HBT
technologies are protected by more than 200 global patents and patents
pending. For more information, please visit Kopin's website at www.kopin.com.
Kopin and The NanoSemiconductor Company are trademarks of Kopin
Corporation.
Safe Harbor Statement
Statements in this news release about the award from the U.S.
government may be considered "forward-looking" under the "Safe Harbor"
provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These
include statements relating to the potential that the new
high-resolution display will meet the aggressive imaging system
requirements and allow for target identification at extreme
ranges, which will substantially reduce friendly fire incidents;
optimized viewing of digital image intensifier imagery with the
lightweight, low-power display architecture; and the potential benefits
of the new high-resolution display in military systems. These statements
involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual
results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking
statements. Factors that might affect the actual results, performance or
achievements include, among other things, the possibility that the award
may not be funded beyond the first phase; problems with the design and
fabrication of the new high-resolution display; and issues related to
the supply or production of non-Kopin components used to demonstrate the
new display. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited
to, potential claims or liability that could arise as a result of the
Company's restatement of its financial statements; and other risk
factors and cautionary statements listed in the Company's periodic
reports and registration statements filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission, including the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the 12
months ended December 29, 2007, and the Company's subsequent filings
with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should not place undue
reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the
date on which they are made. The Company undertakes no responsibility to
update any of these forward-looking statements to reflect events or
circumstance occurring after the date of this report.
Kopin - The NanoSemiconductor Company(R)
SOURCE: Kopin
Investor Relations
Kopin
Richard Sneider, CFO, 508-824-6696
rsneider@kopin.com
or
News Media Relations
RDW Group, Inc.
Dave McDermitt, VP, 617-235-5812
dmcdermitt@rdwgroup.com
