On October 14, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the selection of Canandaigua, New York for America’s first pilot manufacturing facility for Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) lighting panels. In January 2010, DOE awarded $4 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds to Universal Display Corporation (UDC), who is partnering with Moser Baer Technologies, Inc. (MBT) to advance this cutting edge, high efficiency lighting technology.

In contrast to LEDs, which are small point sources of light, OLEDs provide a diffuse-area light source, and may be more practical for general ambient lighting. DOE, UDC, MBT, and New York’s Smart System Technology & Commercialization Center (STC) are partners on the project, which leverages an $11.5 million investment from MBT, state government incentives available through the STC, and municipal tax credits. The project demonstrates how DOE partnerships drive innovative technologies into the market, foster new industries, and create high-tech jobs.

“The DOE solid-state lighting manufacturing initiative, which began last year, is now starting to convert research and development investment into clean tech jobs for Americans,” said Jim Brodrick, DOE Lighting Program Manager. “Yet it’s more than jobs—this new DOE initiative was designed to establish and maintain U.S. leadership in solid-state lighting manufacturing. The Recovery Act funding will help lay the foundation for the development of an OLED lighting industry in the U.S.”

The pilot facility will demonstrate the scalability of UDC’s phosphorescent OLED technology and materials for the manufacture of white OLED lighting panels that meet commercial lighting targets. The first of its kind in the U.S., the pilot facility will be designed, built and operated by Moser Baer and utilize key manufacturing processes to produce more than 1,000 panels per day.

The pilot line will be housed within the 140,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art Smart System Technology & Commercialization Center in Canandaigua. Managed and supported by the College of Nanoscale Science & Engineering of the State University of New York at Albany, STC promotes statewide, technology-led economic development through smart systems innovation, with an emphasis on supporting the design, fabrication, and packaging of microelectromechanical systems.

The collaboration between DOE, UDC, MBT, and New York’s STC exemplifies a joint effort to leverage federal funds, industry investments, state government incentives, and municipal tax credits to create this new type of manufacturing facility in the United States. DOE is committed to creating and sustaining high-tech American jobs while furthering its mission to drive innovative technologies to the market and to maintain and grow the SSL technology and manufacturing base within the U.S. The pilot line will create more than 50 high tech jobs in Canandaigua by 2012.