SAN JOSE, CA -- (Marketwire) -- 09/22/09 -- Vitex Systems, Inc., a leading technology developer, licensor and engineering service provider for thin-film encapsulation and moisture barrier films, today announced that it has expanded its leading edge thin-film barrier capability with the qualification of its new state of the art, 2nd generation deposition equipment. The new equipment will be located in Vitex's facility in San Jose and will allow the company to further enhance its moisture barrier film technology as well as service its customers.

In conjunction with its internal expansion efforts, Vitex has also elected to join the Flexible Display Center located at Arizona State University (ASU) and to donate its previous generation tool to the Center. The Flexible Display Center at ASU, which was established by the U.S. Army in February 2004, boasts collaborations with university, government and industry partners, both national and international.

"We have many potential customers asking Vitex to provide Barix Encapsulation and Barix Barrier Film for various applications. The investment for the new deposition equipment provided by funding from Battelle will not only expand our developmental capabilities but will also allow Vitex to more effectively service many new customers," said Chyi-Shan Suen, President and COO at Vitex Systems. "In addition, all other member companies will have access to test and evaluate our barrier with our tool in the Center. We very much look forward to participation in this outstanding organization."

Over the past year, Vitex has made excellent progress demonstrating the unique capabilities of its Barix Barrier Film for encapsulation of thin-film photovoltaic cells. Cooperating with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Vitex recently demonstrated results obtained on SoloPower's thin-film CIGS PV that, when protected by Vitex's Barix Barrier Film, the cells had less than 10% efficiency degradation after 1920 hours of damp heat tests at 85oC and 85% relative humidity, while the IEC 61646 standard only demands testing to 1000 hours.

Dr. Jeffrey Wadsworth, President and CEO of Battelle said, "Battelle is very pleased with the progress that Vitex has made and we're excited that the company is working with some of the largest thin-film producers and OLED display makers in the world. The next generation of display, photovoltaic, solid-state lighting, and thin-film battery products will require bold and innovative solutions such as Vitex's Barix technologies. Vitex is wisely positioning itself to be an integral supplier of encapsulation products that will help their partners be the first to bring new applications to the marketplace."

About Vitex Systems

Vitex Systems Inc., headquartered in San Jose, Calif., licenses its intellectual property and provides related engineering expertise to enable organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display manufacturers and producers of organic optoelectronic devices to speed time-to-market of thinner, lighter, lower-cost products. Vitex solutions include Barix(TM) proprietary encapsulation process technology; Flexible Glass next-generation flexible barrier substrate; and the Guardian™ deposition system tool. The company was incubated at Battelle Memorial Institute, the world's largest independent private non-profit research foundation, and was spun off as an independent company in 1999. For more information on Vitex Systems, visit www.vitexsys.com.

About Battelle

Battelle is the world's largest independent research and development organization, providing innovative solutions to the world's most pressing needs through its four global businesses: Laboratory Management, National Security, Energy Technology, and Health and Life Sciences. It advances scientific discovery and application by conducting $5.2 billion in global R&D annually through contract research, laboratory management and technology commercialization. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Battelle oversees 20,400 employees in more than 130 locations worldwide, including seven national laboratories which Battelle manages or co-manages for the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and two international laboratories -- a nuclear energy lab in the United Kingdom and a renewable energy lab in Malaysia. For more information visit www.battelle.org.