About Us

What we do

ProtoFlex seeks to promote clean energy technologies and innovative product designs by:

  • Partnering with companies seeking to bring new, thin film-based products to market.
  • Optimizing the balance between device performance and manufacturing costs, thereby enabling production of high quality, high performance, low cost devices.
  • Providing high quality coating services and characterization equipment to assist our customers in reaching their prototype, production and quality assurance goals.
  • Meeting our clients’ needs through customized delivery of thin film deposition tools, process expertise, end-to-end production line consulting, and business case development.
  • Supporting successful product manufacture, thereby opening up financing opportunities for our clients.

ProtoFlex is a C-corporation, based in the Denver metropolitan area. The company was incorporated in 2001 as Alpha Optics, Inc. In order to capitalize on market opportunities, the company changed its name and focus in 2006.

Who we are

Founder and Chief Technology Officer: Dr. Pawan Bhat

Dr. Pawan Bhat, Ph.D. has over 25 years of experience in thin film technology and business management. He is a recognized expert in thin film process and equipment technology, and has worked with customers across the globe. A skilled business manager, Previously, Dr. Bhat served as Manager of Operations for the Thin Film Tools division at ITN Energy Systems. As the Director of Technical Operations at Infinite Power Solutions, Dr. Bhat was responsible for deploying the company’s thin film battery pilot production facility.

In 1990, Dr. Bhat founded Materials Research Group, Inc. (MRG) to manufacture innovative thin film deposition equipment and develop advanced thin film processing techniques. Prior to founding MRG, Dr. Bhat was the Director of Technology at Glasstech Solar, Inc.

Dr. Bhat has been instrumental in commercializing several technologies, and has broad expertise in overcoming technology limitations in a production environment.  His work spans applications such as thin film battery storage, renewable energy systems, optical storage materials and vacuum processing tools. Dr. Bhat has published over sixty articles in technical journals, and has appeared as an invited speaker at conferences around the world. Dr. Bhat is currently a member of the Colorado Photonics Industry Association (CPIA).