Printed electronics: Revolution becomes reality

Printed electronics: Revolution becomes reality

About 1,500 organizations worldwide seek to commercialize transistors, displays, photovoltaics and more.

By Dr. Peter Harrop, Chairman, IDTechEx

Because they are fast becoming indistinguishable, printed and potentially printed electronics are terms used to describe both the new electronics and new electrics. For example, a smart window may have one layer generating power and one layer acting as an electronic curtain or display.
In the US, the majority of organizations are concentrating on new forms of thin-film solar cells, with ones using inorganic compounds getting the most attention. The largest orders for “post-silicon” photovoltaics are going to cadmium selenide versions—commitments of more than $1 billion dollars already—with the biggest effort for the next improvement going to Copper Indium Gallium Diselenide (CIGS) versions which can now be printed and promise to be transparent, lower cost and even work from heat as well as light.
In East Asia, the largest number of organizations is directed towards Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs) as displays and lighting.
In Europe, printed transistors get the most attention, particularly ones printed with organic inks. Indeed, globally, it is transistors that attract the most organizations, about 40 percent of them being academic institutions and the rest manufacturers and potential manufacturers of what will be the engine of a new $300-billion market. Wild cards are the inorganic compound semiconductor in a transistor and compound organic/inorganic semiconductors in transistors, both of which are now printable and both exhibit far better electronic performance and stability. Hewlett Packard, Eastman Kodak, Merck Chemical, Motorola and Toppan Printing are among the increasing number of giants working in this field.
About 1,500 organizations across the world are tackling printed and potentially printed electronic devices. Major technology efforts are divided about equally across transistors, displays, photovoltaics and other types (see charts). The smaller number of organisations in East Asia does not represent less expenditure, ambition or effort in the subject, and the even distribution of effort among the three most important types of devices is not reflected regionally.
This year has seen many factories manufacturing CIGS and Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSC), including one built by Honda Motor Co. DSSC offer greater tolerance of low levels of light, light at narrow angles and polarized light, and they are being printed by companies such as g24 Innovations in their new factory in the UK. PolyIC has sold its first printed transistors. Printed wide-area, light-emitting, AC-electroluminescent displays are attracting larger and larger orders. A plethora of new sensors, printed batteries from Finnish newcomer Enfucell and others are being delivered, and the printed electronics revolution is truly on its way. For example, look at the new electronic skin patches for drug delivery, diagnostics and wound healing at hospitals and the widely used smart blisterpacks for drug trials that record when pills were taken, thus avoiding corrupted data.
Things are moving so fast that those seeking to understand the subject must access broadly based, up-to-date information. For example, it would be foolish to appraise organic electronics alone, given the excellent new inorganic electronic inks.

“Printed Electronics USA 2007,” a conference, tabletop exhibition and workshop series, will be held Nov. 12-15 in San Francisco. More info and to register: www.idtechex.com/peusa