[p2p-research] Xerox Paves the Way for Low Cost Printable Electronics on More Materials

[Ryan]

  Sent to you by Ryan via Google Reader: Xerox Paves the Way for Low
Cost Printable Electronics on More Materials via Next Big Future by
noreply at blogger.com (bw) on 10/28/09
Xerox has a breakthrough which provides the industry with the
capability to print electronics on a wider range of materials and at a
lower cost. Xerox says it could bring the cost of RFID tags down from
the current dollar or so each to roughly a penny each. Another of the
key benefits of its technology is that it can print with silver ink at
a much lower temperature than competing technologies, which makes it
much easier for the materials it's printing on to survive.

Until now, bringing low-cost electronics to the masses has been
hindered by the logistics and costs associated with silicon chip
manufacturing; the breakthrough low-temperature silver ink overcomes
the cost hurdle, printing reliably on a wide range of surfaces such as
plastic or fabric. As part of its commercialization initiatives, Xerox
plans to aggressively seek interested manufacturers and developers by
providing sample materials to allow them to test and evaluate potential
applications.

Integrated circuits are made up of three components - a semiconductor,
a conductor and a dielectric element - and currently are manufactured
in costly silicon chip fabricating factories. By creating a
breakthrough silver ink to print the conductor, Xerox has developed all
three of the materials necessary for printing plastic circuits.

Using Xerox's new technology, circuits can be printed just like a
continuous feed document without the extensive clean room facilities
required in current chip manufacturing. In addition, scientists have
improved their previously developed semiconductor ink, increasing its
reliability by formulating the ink so that the molecules precisely
align themselves in the best configuration to conduct electricity.

The printed electronics materials, developed at the Xerox Research
Centre of Canada, enable product manufacturers to put electronic
circuits on plastics, film, and textiles. Printable circuits could be
used in a broad range of products, including low-cost radio frequency
identification tags, light and flexible e-readers and signage, sensors,
solar cells and novelty applications including wearable electronics.




PC Mag coverage

The possibilities range from printing on flexible plastic (opening the
door to displays you can roll up and put your briefcase), to paper and
cardboard (for packaging that can give audio and video instructions for
assembling a product, provide active reminders to take medicine or
confirm whether you already took it), to fabric (which could allow
wearable electronics – a T-shirt with a display, say, replacing a
printed slogan for marketing or for showing support for a political
candidate.)

"We will be able to print circuits in almost any size from smaller
custom-sized circuits to larger formats such as wider rolls of plastic
sheets – unheard of in today's silicon-wafer industry," said Hadi
Mahabadi, vice president and center manager of Xerox Research Centre
Canada, in a statement.

Xerox says it could bring the cost of RFID tags down from the current
dollar or so each to roughly a penny each.




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