David Savastano, Editor12.21.10
The ability to create new products is an essential component to the growth of printed electronics, and businesses, research institutes and universities alike are developing promising new technologies.
Once these products are in place, the next step is showing potential customers that the products can be mass-produced. This has been a step that has halted some noteworthy projects.
Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), a Xerox company, is working on both the R&D and production side of the PE business.
Recent announcements of agreements between PARC and Thin Film Electronics on developing next-generation printed memory solutions and PARC and Soligie on scaling products from the lab to fab hold tremendous promise.
“This year, our big focus is on closing the gap between research and the market,” said Jennifer Ernst, PARC’s director, business development. “The partnerships with Thin Film Electronics and Soligie are key parts of that effort. They are strong partners with well planned objectives.”
Printed Memory Solutions with Thin Film Electronics
Founded in 1970, PARC was incorporated in 2002 as a wholly owned independent subsidiary of Xerox Corporation. Over the years, the company has had an astonishing impact on everyday life: laser printing, fiber optics and the ethernet are but a few of the projects that originated under PARC’s auspices.
PARChas also had a hand in the PEfield. The company developed printed thin-film transistors utilizing amorphous silicon (a-Si) on flexible substrates as early as 1983, and in 2003, created some of the first plastic semiconductors. Today, sensors and integration are key areas of focus for PARC.
A provider of advanced printed memory technology, Thin Film Electronics (Thinfilm) already has a 20-bit printed memory heading into production, and in conjunction with PARC, is working on its second-generation system, a 128-bit printed memory chip.
“We are working with Thin Film Electronics on thin film transistor (TFT) technology with their memory architecture, which has the potential to open up the market,” Ernst said. “This could redefine the number of required connections and size of the system. For us, it is a great opportunity to see TFTs move into the market.”
“We are working to combine our printed memory systems with PARC’s transistors,” said Geir Harald Aase, vice president communications and IR for Thinfilm. “This will allow us to make a denser, addressable memory using fewer pads, which is the next step on the way to a contactless memory. We are now in the design phase, and will have our design ready earlyy next year.”
Memory is required for identification, tracking status and history, information storage, and more. Thinfilm is commercializing fully printed, rewritable memory for application in specific markets, including toys and games.
By using printing to manufacture electronic memory, Thinfilm minimizes the number of process steps. Target markets for Thinfilm memory products include RFID tags, sensor tags and disposable price labels, among others.
“By working closely with PARC to couple our memory products with their transistor technology and printed electronics capabilities, we will enable compact, 128-bit, fully printed memory systems,” said Thinfilm CEO Davor Sutija. “Several of the world’s large toy manufacturers are already designing concepts including this type of memory because of its unique design, form factor, and cost advantages. In addition to our products for card-based games and toys, we are adding resources to support the development of printed ID and sensor tags.”
Bringing Projects to Scale with Soligie
It is, of course, important to be able to develop innovative new products. However, being able to successfully go into production is essential to the ultimate success of the product.
During Printed Electronics USA 2010, PARC and Soligie announced an agreement aimed at advancing the commercialization of printed electronics technologies and capabilities. Soligie’s high speed, roll-to-roll manufacturing capabilities are being utilized to produce printed electronics for the medical device, smart packaging, RFID and flexible interconnect markets.
By working together, both companies will help their customers bring a range of novel and custom electronics solutions to market. Potential opportunities include sensors and sensor systems for medical device manufacturers, printed electronics sfor consumer packaged goods companies and in-transit monitoring systems for companies with high-value shipments.
Under the agreement, customers can engage either company to work on their printed electronics projects.
“Our sweet spot is to carry a project to scale, while PARC is very strong in R&D,” Matthew Timm, president of Soligie, noted. “By working together, customers who want to take advantage of both ends can engage both PARC and us.”
Timm noted that the joint effort’s first project is in the area of temperature sensing, and anticipates having prototypes ready for market evaluation by early 2011.
“We wanted to try one application first that we felt confident was deliverable and would find strong consumer demand,” Ernst said. “Our thermistor technology is ideal for food and medical applications, and was designed to fit Soligie’s process lines.”
“The test case has been thermistors,” Timm said. “We are taking the thermistors into our fab to demonstrate our production capabilities.”
“Working together, we are able to us align our design capabilities with their manufacturing systems,” Ernst concluded. “This will allow us to create products that can be easily transformed into production.”
Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), a Xerox company, is working on both the R&D and production side of the PE business.
Recent announcements of agreements between PARC and Thin Film Electronics on developing next-generation printed memory solutions and PARC and Soligie on scaling products from the lab to fab hold tremendous promise.
“This year, our big focus is on closing the gap between research and the market,” said Jennifer Ernst, PARC’s director, business development. “The partnerships with Thin Film Electronics and Soligie are key parts of that effort. They are strong partners with well planned objectives.”
Printed Memory Solutions with Thin Film Electronics
Founded in 1970, PARC was incorporated in 2002 as a wholly owned independent subsidiary of Xerox Corporation. Over the years, the company has had an astonishing impact on everyday life: laser printing, fiber optics and the ethernet are but a few of the projects that originated under PARC’s auspices.
PARChas also had a hand in the PEfield. The company developed printed thin-film transistors utilizing amorphous silicon (a-Si) on flexible substrates as early as 1983, and in 2003, created some of the first plastic semiconductors. Today, sensors and integration are key areas of focus for PARC.
A provider of advanced printed memory technology, Thin Film Electronics (Thinfilm) already has a 20-bit printed memory heading into production, and in conjunction with PARC, is working on its second-generation system, a 128-bit printed memory chip.
“We are working with Thin Film Electronics on thin film transistor (TFT) technology with their memory architecture, which has the potential to open up the market,” Ernst said. “This could redefine the number of required connections and size of the system. For us, it is a great opportunity to see TFTs move into the market.”
“We are working to combine our printed memory systems with PARC’s transistors,” said Geir Harald Aase, vice president communications and IR for Thinfilm. “This will allow us to make a denser, addressable memory using fewer pads, which is the next step on the way to a contactless memory. We are now in the design phase, and will have our design ready earlyy next year.”
Memory is required for identification, tracking status and history, information storage, and more. Thinfilm is commercializing fully printed, rewritable memory for application in specific markets, including toys and games.
By using printing to manufacture electronic memory, Thinfilm minimizes the number of process steps. Target markets for Thinfilm memory products include RFID tags, sensor tags and disposable price labels, among others.
“By working closely with PARC to couple our memory products with their transistor technology and printed electronics capabilities, we will enable compact, 128-bit, fully printed memory systems,” said Thinfilm CEO Davor Sutija. “Several of the world’s large toy manufacturers are already designing concepts including this type of memory because of its unique design, form factor, and cost advantages. In addition to our products for card-based games and toys, we are adding resources to support the development of printed ID and sensor tags.”
Bringing Projects to Scale with Soligie
It is, of course, important to be able to develop innovative new products. However, being able to successfully go into production is essential to the ultimate success of the product.
During Printed Electronics USA 2010, PARC and Soligie announced an agreement aimed at advancing the commercialization of printed electronics technologies and capabilities. Soligie’s high speed, roll-to-roll manufacturing capabilities are being utilized to produce printed electronics for the medical device, smart packaging, RFID and flexible interconnect markets.
By working together, both companies will help their customers bring a range of novel and custom electronics solutions to market. Potential opportunities include sensors and sensor systems for medical device manufacturers, printed electronics sfor consumer packaged goods companies and in-transit monitoring systems for companies with high-value shipments.
Under the agreement, customers can engage either company to work on their printed electronics projects.
“Our sweet spot is to carry a project to scale, while PARC is very strong in R&D,” Matthew Timm, president of Soligie, noted. “By working together, customers who want to take advantage of both ends can engage both PARC and us.”
Timm noted that the joint effort’s first project is in the area of temperature sensing, and anticipates having prototypes ready for market evaluation by early 2011.
“We wanted to try one application first that we felt confident was deliverable and would find strong consumer demand,” Ernst said. “Our thermistor technology is ideal for food and medical applications, and was designed to fit Soligie’s process lines.”
“The test case has been thermistors,” Timm said. “We are taking the thermistors into our fab to demonstrate our production capabilities.”
“Working together, we are able to us align our design capabilities with their manufacturing systems,” Ernst concluded. “This will allow us to create products that can be easily transformed into production.”