Plastic memory firm signs partners for printed systems

Peter Clarke, EE Times -- EDN, January 24, 2012

LONDON -- Thin Film Electronics ASA (Oslo, Norway), a developer of ferroelectric polarization polymer memory, has joined forces with a number of partners to develop a low-cost printed electronic sensor platform that could be used to monitor the temperature of perishable goods such as food and pharmaceuticals.

The partners include PST Systems Ltd (Cape Town, South Africa) a spin-out of the University of Cape Town NanoSciences Innovation Centre, a developer of printed silicon electronics with a focus on physical sensors.

Thin Film has also signed a non-exclusive licensing agreement with research institute Acreo AB (Kista, Sweden), which develops printed displays, and into a technology assessment agreement with Imprint Energy Inc (Alameda, Calif) which is developing printed battery technology.

A prototype printed sensor system is expected to measure about 8-cm by 4-cm in size and include temperature sensor, two-digit electrochromic display, battery, and up to 1,600 transistors of memory and state-machine logic. There would also be an optional contact-based readout so that temperature history could be uploaded to a computer.

Thin Film typically works with PVDF-copolymer (polyvinyldifluoride) as its active material. The company has been pursuing the development of plastic memory for more than a decade and for a time collaborated with Intel on research. Minimum device dimensions are approximately 1,000 times larger than the leading-edge in silicon. The company is working with 65-micron design rules with a long-term aim of getting below 40-micron.

The final functionality of the system will depend on the application which might require a broad or narrow temperature range to be monitored with more or less precision, might need only notification if band limits are exceeded or for how long a product has been at a high temperature, said Davor Sutija, CEO of Thin Film.

 



Thin Film estimates that the battery would provide 1-mAhr nominal capacity at 3-V and an on-board voltage pump would be used to take it up to 15-V to operate the printed electronics. Thin Film is looking to provide at least a six-month life for such systems.

Being manufactured entirely using printing technologies on plastic substrate the system will be inherently low-cost and in high volume the cost should reduce to a few tens of cents per unit, Sutija said.

Printed systems offer lower cost, says Thin Film

PST's temperature sensors are based around a core technology of a printed silicon NTC thermistor -- a device whose electrical resistance decreases when it is heated. Being both printable and electronic, the sensors can be fully integrated with Thin Film's memory and with complementary organic circuits.

"The team behind PST has been working with the printed silicon technology over the last decade, and PST Sensors is the leading company in its field," said Christer Karlsson, Thin Film's chief technology officer. "Its printed silicon sensor technology is uniquely easy to manufacture and offers a low-cost point."

Sutija said it was not yet determined who would go into volume manufacturing with products as that depended partly on the final application. "We already have manufacturing partners, such as Inktec in South Korea, and PST has delivered tens of thousands of printed systems. We have the means of scaling manufacturing. Each market will have its own constraints."

"Relationships with complementary technology partners are a key part of our roadmap to support the Internet of Things where objects can collect and communicate data, with people and with each other," Sutija added. "Acreo's printed electrochromic displays are ideal for our display requirements in segmented displays, such as alphanumeric characters and battery meters. The display's low price -- a few cents per display -- and low power makes Acreo's display technology an excellent addition to our technology portfolio."

"In addition, we will be working with Imprint Energy to develop and test samples for low-power, ultra-high volume applications like temperature tags and small-scale displays. Imprint's technology requires very little packaging, making it cost effective to scale the battery to the requirements of a given application. We are pleased to work with both companies," added Sutija.

Imprint Energy is commercializing a flexible, rechargeable battery technology developed by founders from the University of California, Berkeley. Imprint Energy's polymer electrolyte technology is not lithium based and enables print-based manufacturing of energy dense and ultra-thin batteries based on abundant materials, Thin Film said.

The first demonstration prototype of printed sensor system is expected to be completed in the second half of 2012.

This story was originally posted by EE Times.