Smartkem to Deliver Feature Presentations at the 25th International Meeting on Information Display (IMID) in Busan, Korea

Smartkem's Head of Technology Transfer Steven Tsai will be delivering a talk on behalf of the Dean of Hon Hai Research Institute, Prof. Hao-Chung Kuo, at 9:00 am on Wednesday, August 20, which will be followed by Smartkem's Chief Technology Officer Dr. Simon Ogier at 9:30 am

MANCHESTER, England, Aug. 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Smartkem (Nasdaq: SMTK), which is seeking to change the world of electronics with a new class of transistor technology, will be delivering presentations at the 25th International Meeting on Information Display (IMID 2025) at BEXCO in Busan, Korea on August 19 to 22, 2025. The theme of this year's event is "Beyond Pixels, Beyond Limits." The talks follow Smartkem's recent grant of a UK patent covering the company's chip-first microLED manufacturing architecture, strengthening its intellectual property position in next-generation display production.

Session: Future Micro LED Technology, Room H, Link to Session Program

Wednesday, August 20^th – 9:00 am to 10:35 am local time

• 9:00 am: Steven Tsai, Smartkem's Head of Technology Transfer (on behalf of the Dean of Hon Hai Research Institute, Prof. Hao-Chung Kuo) - Advancements and Strategies for Enhancing Efficiency in MicroLED Displays
• 9:30 am: Dr. Simon Ogier, Smartkem's Chief Technology Officer - Micro-LED Displays Fabricated Chip-First, Enabled by Low-Temperature Organic Transistor Technology

Steven Tsai's presentation will include the technical roadmap of secondary optics for MicroLED and discuss Smartkem's involvement in an international collaboration project with the largest display manufacturer in Taiwan, AUO, to develop the world's first transparent, rollable display, featuring PEN-based substrates with elongation ≥100%.

Dr. Simon Ogier will discuss MicroLED display fabrication enabled through Smartkem's novel chip-first approach enabled by low-temperature organic thin-film transistor (OTFT) technology. This patented method addresses key challenges in MicroLED commercialization, such as achieving high manufacturing yields, reducing re-work, and accommodating small die sizes critical for economic production. By reversing the traditional process and starting with the MicroLED chip facing upward, this technique eliminates the need for eutectic bonding and its associated high-cost limitations. Instead, a planarized organic layer and precision via metallization enable high-yield electrical connections across various substrates, including sapphire, silicon, and plastic. Crucially, the low-temperature OTFT backplane (<150°C) protects delicate MicroLED structures from heat damage, making it a viable solution for next-generation active-matrix displays.  Smartkem believes that these innovations mark a significant step forward in overcoming key technical barriers to MicroLED commercialization, offering scalable solutions that reduce power consumption, improve brightness uniformity, and enable thinner, more efficient display panels suitable for next-generation consumer electronics.

About Smartkem

Smartkem is seeking to change the world of electronics with a new class of transistors developed using its proprietary advanced semiconductor materials. Our TRUFLEX® semiconductor polymers enable low temperature printing processes that are compatible with existing manufacturing infrastructure to deliver low-cost, high-performance displays. Our semiconductor platform can be used in a range of display technologies including MicroLED, LCD and AMOLED, as well as in applications in advanced computer and AI chip packaging, sensors, and logic.   

Smartkem designs and develops its materials at its research and development facility in Manchester, UK and provides prototyping services at the Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) in Sedgefield, UK. It operates a field application office in Hsinchu, Taiwan, close to collaboration partner, The Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI). Smartkem is developing a commercial-scale production process and Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools to demonstrate the commercial viability of manufacturing a new generation of displays using its materials.   

The company has an extensive IP portfolio including 140 granted patents across 17 patent families, 14 pending patents and 40 codified trade secrets. 

For more information, visit our website or follow us on LinkedIn.  

About IMID 2025

The IMID (International Meeting on Information Display) conference is a premier event for researchers, industry professionals, and academics in the field of information display technology. It serves as a platform for sharing knowledge, showcasing innovations, and fostering collaborations in areas like OLEDs, Micro-LEDs, and more. IMID is organized annually by the Korean Information Display Society (KIDS) and endorsed by the Society for Information Display (SID). 

Forward-Looking Statements

All statements in this press release that are not historical are forward-looking statements, including, among other things, its market position and market opportunity, expectations and plans as to its product development, manufacturing and sales, and relations with its partners and investors. These statements are not historical facts but rather are based on Smartkem, Inc.'s current expectations, estimates, and projections regarding its business, operations and other similar or related factors. Words such as "may," "will," "could," "would," "should," "anticipate," "predict," "potential," "continue," "expect," "intend," "plan," "project," "believe," "estimate," and other similar or elated expressions are used to identify these forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and assumptions that are difficult or impossible to predict and, in some cases, beyond the Company's control. Actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of factors, including those described in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update information in this release to reflect events or circumstances in the future, even if new information becomes available.   

Contacts:

Selena Kirkwood
Head of Communications for Smartkem
T : +44 (0) 7971 460 364
s.kirkwood@smartkem.com

U.S. Investors
David Barnard, CFA
Alliance Advisors Investor Relations
T: 1 415 433 3777
dbarnard@allianceadvisors.com

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