Plessey Semiconductors – Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation

April 5, 2020

The VR Job Hub: So Real, Within & Plessey

The virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) industries are wonderfully diverse when it comes to the job roles available, always looking to hire the best talent to work on exciting projects. Whether you’ve been an avid fan of the tech for a while or are already involved in some way, today’s VR Job Hub has plenty of new roles which can help you become more involved and shape VR/AR’s future.

Location	Company	Role	Link
London, UK	VRFocus	Video Producer/Presenter	Click Here to Apply
Bern, Switzerland	So Real	CTO	Click Here to Apply
Los Angeles, CA	Within	Engineering Lead	Click Here to Apply
Los Angeles, CA	Within	Executive & Personal Assistant to CEO	Click Here to Apply
Los Angeles, CA	Within	Senior Software Engineer	Click Here to Apply
Plymouth, UK	Plessey	CMP Process Engineer	Click Here to Apply
Plymouth, UK	Plessey	Photolithography Process Engineer	Click Here to Apply
Plymouth, UK	Plessey	Plasma Etch Process Engineer	Click Here to Apply
Plymouth, UK	Plessey	Process Engineer – Wafer Thinning & Polishing	Click Here to Apply
Plymouth, UK	Plessey	Principal Process Engineer – Photolithography	Click Here to Apply
Plymouth, UK	Plessey	Principal Process Engineer – Plasma Etch	Click Here to Apply

Don’t forget, if there wasn’t anything that took your fancy this week there’s always last week’s listings on The VR Job Hub to check as well.

If you are an employer looking for someone to fill an immersive technology related role – regardless of the industry – don’t forget you can send us the lowdown on the position and we’ll be sure to feature it in that following week’s feature. Details should be sent to Peter Graham (pgraham@vrfocus.com).

We’ll see you next week on VRFocus at the usual time of 3PM (UK) for another selection of jobs from around the world.

March 30, 2020

MicroLED Maker Plessey Agrees Exclusive Deal With Facebook

Facebook might be making significant investments in virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies but there are times when specialist companies have done some of the vital work. Normally, giants like Facebook would simply purchase these smaller firms – like the recent acquisition of CTRL-Labs – but this can be a lengthy process. Today it has been revealed that Facebook and British microLED manufacturer Plessey have entered into an exclusive arrangement to help further Facebook’s AR plans.

Plessey specialises in building microLED display solutions which it claims produce very high-brightness whilst consuming low amounts of power. There are a number of hurdles AR headset makers face and producing viable imagery is a decent form factor is a major component. Facebook has yet to reveal an AR product but has extensively discussed the technology at events like Oculus Connect.

Regarding the news, Plessey notes in a press release. “We have decided to work with Facebook to help achieve their vision of the next computing platform centred around people. Under a new commercial agreement, our LED manufacturing operations will be dedicated to helping Facebook prototype and develop new technologies for potential use in the AR/VR space.”

The deal will help stop rivals gaining access to Plessey’s technology. While the company has previously collaborated with Vuzix on its next generation of Vuzix AR smart glasses, Apple is the main rival Facebook is trying to beat. An article by The Information suggests Apple was recently looking to buy Plessey, citing two sources familiar with the matter. In any case, that’s not going to happen now.

“We are delighted to announce this new commercial agreement with Facebook,” said Dr Keith Strickland (Co-CEO/CTO) of Plessey in a statement. “Plessey has been at the forefront of micro-LED display development and this agreement recognises the significant advances in our capabilities that we have made in recent years and we very much look forward to working with Facebook to help bring their vision to life.”

Last year it was reported that Facebook had teamed up with Ray-Ban’s parent company Luxottica to help design a form factor that the general public would buy, not just tech enthusiasts. With the Facebook Developer Conference (F8) now cancelled and lockdowns in place across multiple countries, any AR news may be put on hold for a little while. For further updates to Facebook’s AR plans, keep reading VRFocus.

June 14, 2018

Vuzix Partners with Plessey to Upgrade AR Smart Glasses

Vuzix has emerged as one of the most well-known providers of enterprise-focussed augmented reality (AR) smart glasses technology, having worked with a number of other companies and brands. Vuzix have now announced that it is partnering with Plessey Semiconductor to introduce Plessey technology into the next generation of Vuzix AR smart glasses.

Vuzix have selected Plessey Semiconductor to help create the next iteration of AR smart glasses. The company will be integrating the microLED-based Quanta-Brite light engine into future AR smart glasses.

Vuzix Blade

Quanta-Brite is based on Plessey’s proprietary gallium-nitride-on-silicon or GaN-on-Si technology which allows for the creation of very bright and uniform light sources which can be used to illuminate advanced display engines. The result is up to 50% smaller than existing light systems and offers advantages in terms of power efficiency and weight.

“This development with Vuzix, the leading provider of next-generation augmented reality glasses, is a significant endorsement of Plessey’s GaN-on-silicon microLED approach,” said Dr Keith Strickland, Chief Technology Officer at Plessey. “Monolithic microLED technology is fast emerging as the only one that can provide high luminance in a very small form factor with minimal energy consumption, necessary for reducing costs and enabling lightweight battery-powered products for a range of emerging consumer and industrial applications.”

“Plessey’s Quanta-Brite™ microLED™ technology can be a major enabler of the future of augmented reality,” said Vuzix President and CEO Paul Travers. “As well as delivering high-efficiency, low-power and small-size illumination capabilities, the very high level of luminescence of the Quanta-Brite™ light source can also enable the development of end products with a sleeker form factor, which is a key attribute of our waveguide based Smart Glasses and critical to mass market adoption.”

Vuzix - Logo

Vuzix also recently announced it was working with Qualcomm to incorporate the Snapdragon XR1 platform into future smart glasses. For future updates on Vuzix and other AR technology, keep checking back with VRFocus.