PHOENIX and TOKYO, Feb. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Kovio, Inc., a privately held leader in printed silicon electronics, and Nissan Chemical Industries, Ltd., (NCI) a Japanese chemical company supplying cutting-edge products in fields including electronic materials, today announced a joint collaboration and development agreement. NCI will commercially produce Kovio's proprietary silicon ink technology and supply Kovio with silicon ink products for its RF products and other strategic applications. In addition, NCI intends to commercialize silicon ink products based on Kovio's technology in the Asian display industry.

This announcement was made during a presentation today by Kovio at the 2010 Flexible Electronics & Displays Conference.

"Securing an industry-leading chemical supplier such as NCI to commercially produce and supply silicon ink to Kovio ensures that Kovio can meet its customer demands for silicon ink-based RF barcodes going forward," said Amir Mashkoori, chairman and CEO, Kovio. "The availability of silicon ink in commercial quantities also allows for the commercialization of Kovio's silicon ink in new and expanded applications across a variety of industries."

NCI will be the exclusive supplier of Kovio's silicon ink products to the display industry in Asia, enabling the introduction of printed silicon electronics as a next-generation low-cost process technology for the manufacturing of thin-film transistor (TFT) backplanes in LCD, OLED and eBook displays. Combining the high performance and environmental stability of industry standard silicon with the low cost and green aspects of advanced printing techniques, Kovio's printed silicon technology enables the fabrication of amorphous and polycrystalline silicon TFTs over large areas and on flexible substrates, at a fraction of the cost of conventional process technologies.

"We are excited about the opportunity to be the exclusive supplier of Kovio's silicon ink in the Asian display industry and to supply Kovio with such silicon ink for its RF products and other applications. We believe that Kovio's printed silicon electronics platform presents a great value proposition and strategic opportunity for NCI in the display market," said Yutaka Niitsu, senior managing director, Electronics Materials Division, NCI.

NCI develops various cutting-edge products for LCDs and OELDs. The company is a top supplier of LCD alignment coatings named "SUNEVER" and has close relationships with global flat-panel display manufacturers.

Kovio and NCI are currently working with leading display manufacturers to explore the use of high-performance and low-cost printed silicon electronics to manufacture TFT backplanes for displays.

About Kovio, Inc.

Kovio, Inc., a privately held Silicon Valley company, is developing a new category of semiconductor products using printed silicon electronics and thin-film technology. Kovio's approach delivers a unique and compelling value proposition in multiple industries, including retail, healthcare, consumer electronics, transportation, manufacturing and energy.

Kovio's investors include Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Bessemer Venture Partners, Duff Ackerman & Goodrich Ventures, Flagship Ventures, Harris & Harris Group, Jerusalem Venture Partners, Mitsui Ventures, Northgate Capital, Panasonic Venture Group, Pangaea Ventures, Pinnacle Ventures, Toppan Forms and Yasuda Enterprise Development.

For more information on Kovio, please visit http://www.kovio.com.

About Nissan Chemical Industries, Ltd.

Nissan Chemical Industries, Ltd. has 120 years history providing many unique products in a wide range of fields, from basic chemical products supporting our daily lives to electronic industrial materials that contribute to technological innovation in the IT and display industries. By communicating with its users, it intends to continue developing products that meet their high-level needs. Nissan Chemical Industries, Ltd. has annual sales of $1.5 billion and employs 1700 people worldwide.

For more information on Nissan Chemical, please visit http://www.nissanchem.co.jp/english/index.html.

SOURCE Kovio, Inc.

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