"Printed electronics" have made it possible to manufacture a variety of electronic devices through printing technology, and the first commercial implementations are already appearing in electronic book (e-book) readers, organic light-emitting device (OLED) lighting and other fields. The technology is becoming a key factor in creating new products the competition can't match.
Thin, lightweight and break-resistant: A variety of electronics products with these characteristics are ramping up for manufacture through inexpensive printing technology (Fig. 1).
The QUE e-book reader to be released by Plastic Logic Inc. in early 2010 is a good example. QUE will feature electronic paper (e-paper) manufactured by E Ink Corp. Even though it is a large 13.9-inch size (8.5 inches by 11 inches), it is only one-third of an inch (about 8.5 mm) thick. It looks more like a large envelope than a display. Weighing no more than a magazine and tough to break, it is eminently suited to being carried around in a business briefcase.
The key element in making it possible is a technology for printing TFTs directly on plastic substrates. Because e-paper drive circuits can be fabricated without glass substrates, e-book readers can be made thin, light, and tough. By transitioning the majority of TFT fabrication processes to printing in the future, it will be possible to dramatically slash manufacturing costs. In the past, there have been e-paper prototypes that use organic TFT drive, but almost none of them ever made it to commercial use.
General Electric Co. will begin commercial roll-to-roll production of flexible OLED lighting in 2010 or 2011. Anil R. Duggal, Advanced Technology Leader Electronic Material Systems, GE Global Research, is eager: "The most critical factor in achieving widespread adoption of OLED lighting is cost. And roll-to-roll manufacturing is the only way to achieve the cost we demand." The company has already successfully manufactured prototypes and is now resolving remaining issues such as extended service life.
One company that has gotten very serious about the flexible OLED panel business using printing technology is Sony Corp. In the organizational shake-up of June 2009, the firm brought together all the organic TFT researchers scattered throughout the organization. They formed a group with the goal of launching the flexible OLED panel business as soon as possible. With a thin, light, flexible display, "It will be possible to change the fundamental design of equipment, which has been static for so long," explains Kazumasa Nomoto, Chief Distinguished Researcher, General Manager, Flexible Display Development Department, Display Device Development Division, Core Device Development Group of Sony.
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