Issue #167 | Oct. 23, 2008 | by Raghu Das

Printed electronics is a term that encompasses thin film transistor circuits (TFTCs), displays, interconnects, power, sensors and even actuators. Over one thousand companies have now entered this market. Readers of RFID Street may know printed electronics as the technology that will print RFID tags right on items in the not too distant future, eliminating the cost of applying them.

A revolution is in the making that is bigger than that. Electronics will never be the same as new applications are spawned. Invisible, origami, edible electronics, low cost materials and manufacturing will lead to the use of electronics in spaces traditionally bare of their functionality. These printing, materials, paper and chemical companies of today will be the new electronic giants tomorrow.

Printed electronics is the gateway to edible, foldable, rollable, conformal, wearable, biodegradable and other electronics and electrics. It covers the future of lighting, affordable solar cells and the newly created mass markets for disposable electronics.

For the first few years it will be "electronic printing," mainly replacing print such as barcodes, books, signage and billboards, not electronics. The impediments to some rollouts include materials shortages.

Maps that talk; windows that change function
The research and growth of new technologies, along with new materials and processing methods, is resulting in the increasing penetration of innovative electronics and the emergence of new products in the competitive fields of displays and lighting. Eye-catching, animated billboards; large-area, thin, flexible displays with amazing colour contrasts; windows that are converted into surface lighting elements at night.

Almost 250 people attended our IDTechEx Printed Electronics Asia 2008 conference and exhibition on October 8-9, in Tokyo. More than 75% of attendees were from Japan and Korea, and they included companies such as Panasonic, Sony, Samsung, Toyota, Mitsubishi Plastics, Konica, Minolta, Toshiba and Honda, to name a few.

The keynote speaker of the event was Mr. Utaka, the Managing Director of Toppan Forms, a billion dollar maker of special papers and forms. He described the importance of providing a strong interface to consumers and hiding the technology so they do not see it.

One great concept he showed was a map one might use at a theme park. The map would show users where they were in real time and alert them to special events, all on a foldable sheet of paper. Toppan Forms has also commercialized the technology in products such as "audio paper" – a flexible paper-based device which can record messages. It incorporates a printed battery, conductors and a thin film speaker.

Thin Film Electronics and Photovoltaics
Kovio CEO Amir Mashkoori spoke of their new 95,000 sq. ft. facility in California, which includes a 22,000 sq. ft. clean room which initially will be making RFID tags on 300 mm stainless steel substrates. Using a nanosilicon inkjetted ink, they are able to achieve 10 micron feature sizes.

Polymer memory developer Thin Film Electronics of Sweden previewed a 15 bit, 1 cent memory device in gaming cards, soon to be a commercial product. (Ed. note: I hope nobody brings these cards to my poker game.) Higher memories were also shown which will be used in a medical application.

Several companies spoke of progress with non silicon PV technologies. Dye Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSC) initial products are expected to appear over the next few years. The cells can be coloured depending on the dye used, and applications include red road signs, which are solar cells powering LEDs on the sign at night.

Displays were neatly categorised into those for watching - where OLEDs are seen as the most important future product - and those for reading - where E-Ink front planes are dominant. Sony spoke of development of printed OTFT for display drivers - a 10.5" VGA fully printed backplane has been achieved.

Samsung is testing inorganic passivation, transistor gates, barrier layers and electrodes as well as organic alternatives. The challenges have increased because, "Our concept has changed to flexible displays," said Dr. Bonwon Koo of Samsung Display Laboratory in Korea.

Smart skin today; printed fuel cells tomorrow
Today's successes also employ conductors, batteries, inductors, antennas, capacitors and electrically active materials that are printed. The moving colour billboard, the gift card and the smart skin patch that are printed on flexible plastic are a reality today and there are lessons to be learned.

Other advances are close behind, including printed thin film fuel cells and lasers. Later will come self-adjusting 'use by' dates, printed microprocessors, ubiquitous printed lighting and other wonders, including printing electronics directly onto things.

The market's development is seeing many new applications, new suppliers and new users being created as a result. From the smart airport, to the next smart military aircraft, the car interior of the next Jaguar car and even electronics as art are newly made possible. If you are in RFID or any other emerging technology, keep your eye on printed electronics. You may find one of the new or coming developments can push your technology to new frontiers.

Raghu Das, CEO/MD of IDTechEx, has been closely involved with the development of RFID and printed electronics for more than 7 years, carrying out consultancy in Europe, USA, Asia and the Middle East. To learn more about the upcoming Printed Electronics USA conference: Printed Electronics USA 2008: Introduction