Chipmaker acquires Longmont firm

LONGMONT — Memory chipmaker Micron Technology, Inc. (NYSE:MU) has acquired Longmont-based DisplayTech for an undisclosed amount.

DisplayTech manufactures small display screens found in products such as digital cameras. It employs 40 people in Longmont at 2602 Clover Basin Drive.

Officials with Boise, Idaho-based Micron said the Longmont office will continue to operate — now as Micron Microdisplay Research and Design. No employment changes are expected in the immediate future.

With the acquisition, Micron gains DisplayTech’s ferroelectric liquid crystal on silicon (FLCOS) technology. The technology switches up to 100 times faster than standard screens, providing better image quality. It also reduces size and weight by combining the display panel, memory, image processing and light driver control into one chip.

DisplayTech was founded in 1985 and began launching a line of micro displays for use as electronic viewfinders in digital cameras and camcorders in 1999. It served clients such as Kodak, Olympus, JVC, Hitachi, Konica-Minolta, Kyocera and Hewlett-Packard.

Micron is a global manufacturer and marketer of semiconductor devices, mostly memory chips and image sensors. It recorded $5.3 billion in sales in 2008 and employs 22,000 people worldwide.

on Facebook on LinkedIn