RICHARDSON, Texas (Sept. 24, 2002) - Projection display screens that are bigger, brighter and less expensive than current technology is the goal of research being conducted by a faculty member of The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) and funded by Korean electronics firm Samsung.

        Dr. Gil Sik Lee, an associate professor of electrical engineering, is conducting his studies in the Micro Devices Research Lab he operates in UTD's Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science. The research is made possible by a grant worth more than $815,000 from Samsung Electro-Mechanics.

        Lee and fellow researchers are working to produce large "piezoelectric" displays for use in the home, office or classroom. Piezoelectric materials deform when a voltage is applied. In this case, the UTD researchers plan to build an array of small piezoelectric elements to make a projection screen, so that when electricity is introduced, the elements become rippled and efficiently diffract the projected light, forming a bright display.

        "We seek to demonstrate that this technology can be used to produce large, bright displays that are much more economical than what exists today," said Lee.

        Lee began his work for Samsung with a larger grant awarded in February 2001, while he was still on the faculty of Louisiana State University (LSU). He joined U.T. Dallas in August 2001, but only this month Samsung transferred the balance of the grant to UTD.

        Lee is conducting his research with a former colleague, Dr. Martin Feldman, a faculty member of LSU's Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Assisting the pair are a UTD student and a post-doctor, and Lee plans to add one additional student to the research team.

        Prior to joining UTD, Lee was a member of the LSU faculty for 14 years - first as an assistant, then an associate professor. During that time, he spent six months as a visiting scientist at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C.

        He holds a Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from North Carolina State University and an M.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin. In addition, he earned M.E. and B.E. degrees in Electronics from Kyungpook National University in Korea.

About UTD
The University of Texas at Dallas, located at the convergence of Richardson, Plano and Dallas in the heart of the complex of major multinational technology corporations known as the Telecom Corridor, enrolls more than 13,000 students. The school's freshman class traditionally stands at the forefront of Texas state universities in terms of average SAT scores. The university offers a broad assortment of bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree programs. For additional information about UTD, please visit the university's Web site at http://www.utdallas.edu.