Lillian Hoddeson and Peter Garrett
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- September 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780262037532
- eISBN:
- 9780262345033
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262037532.003.0011
- Subject:
- History, History of Science, Technology, and Medicine
Adapting the thin-film technology developed in its solar energy program, ECD became a pioneer in making flat panel displays. Its subsidiary Ovonic Imaging Systems enjoyed some success in this area, ...
More
Adapting the thin-film technology developed in its solar energy program, ECD became a pioneer in making flat panel displays. Its subsidiary Ovonic Imaging Systems enjoyed some success in this area, but in time the display industry was taken over by the giant Japanese and Korean electronics companies. Commercializing Ovshinsky’s invention of phase-change memory also went slowly. The company first developed chalcogenide alloys for faster optical memories, used in rewritable CDs and DVDs. At Ovshinsky’s urging, the same alloy was used in an electrical phase-change memory, which advanced to the point where a new company, Ovonyx, was begun to develop its promise for use in computers. One other promising information technology, a “cognitive computer” whose architecture modeled that of the human brain, never reached fruition because the program was terminated by ECD at the time Ovshinsky was pushed out.Less
Adapting the thin-film technology developed in its solar energy program, ECD became a pioneer in making flat panel displays. Its subsidiary Ovonic Imaging Systems enjoyed some success in this area, but in time the display industry was taken over by the giant Japanese and Korean electronics companies. Commercializing Ovshinsky’s invention of phase-change memory also went slowly. The company first developed chalcogenide alloys for faster optical memories, used in rewritable CDs and DVDs. At Ovshinsky’s urging, the same alloy was used in an electrical phase-change memory, which advanced to the point where a new company, Ovonyx, was begun to develop its promise for use in computers. One other promising information technology, a “cognitive computer” whose architecture modeled that of the human brain, never reached fruition because the program was terminated by ECD at the time Ovshinsky was pushed out.
Lillian Hoddeson and Peter Garrett
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- September 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780262037532
- eISBN:
- 9780262345033
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262037532.003.0019
- Subject:
- History, History of Science, Technology, and Medicine
Reckless financing for expansion by its new management led ECD to file for bankruptcy in February 2012. That failure also ended Ovshinsky’s solar power effort. Work on his nickel metal hydride ...
More
Reckless financing for expansion by its new management led ECD to file for bankruptcy in February 2012. That failure also ended Ovshinsky’s solar power effort. Work on his nickel metal hydride batteries, however, was continued by BASF, which purchased the Ovonic Battery Company. The batteries continue to be used widely, including in hybrid cars like the Toyota Prius. Ovonyx was sold to Micron, and phase-change memory has now been developed by an Intel-Micron collaboration resulting in the recent memory device called 3D Xpoint, poised to become an important addition to information technology. Ovshinsky Innovation ended its work soon after Ovshinsky’s death, but a small new company has revived the name of Ovshinsky Innovation and is continuing some of Ovshinsky’s work.Less
Reckless financing for expansion by its new management led ECD to file for bankruptcy in February 2012. That failure also ended Ovshinsky’s solar power effort. Work on his nickel metal hydride batteries, however, was continued by BASF, which purchased the Ovonic Battery Company. The batteries continue to be used widely, including in hybrid cars like the Toyota Prius. Ovonyx was sold to Micron, and phase-change memory has now been developed by an Intel-Micron collaboration resulting in the recent memory device called 3D Xpoint, poised to become an important addition to information technology. Ovshinsky Innovation ended its work soon after Ovshinsky’s death, but a small new company has revived the name of Ovshinsky Innovation and is continuing some of Ovshinsky’s work.
