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Thin Film Electronics works on printed memory chips
By Richard Wilson -- Electronics Weekly, 4/10/2007
Scandinavian company Thin Film Electronics is the latest European company to line up for commercial production of printed electronic ICs.
The non-volatile polymer memory specialist is working with Xaar of Cambridge to develop an industrial inkjet printing processes capable of producing printed memory devices in volumes sufficient for commercial applications.
The companies are planning to produce thousands of product samples at a manufacturing and development site in Järfälla, Sweden.
They have been working together for more than a year investigating the feasibility of printing Thin Film Electronics’ ferroelectric memory technology based on organic polymer materials.
Xaar has provided knowledge of the printing process, which includes the optimization of printing fluids to ensure precise drop volume and placement accuracy.
“Last year we demonstrated the world’s first functional, fully printed memory together with Xaar. We will now in this joint effort prove our technology’s manufacturability using industry standard ink-jet equipment for high volumes,” said Johan Carlsson, CEO of Thin Film Electronics.
“We will demonstrate that our industrial ink-jet manufacturing technology is capable of controlling material properties to produce devices with desired electronic functionality,” said Werner Zapka, head of Xaar’s advanced applications technology team.
This is the latest in a series of announcements by European companies planning to move printed electronic devices ranging from flexible displays to sensors into full production. Cambridge, England-based Plastic Logic is building a $100 million facility in Dresden, while Austrian company Nanoident has opened its facility producing printed electronic sensors.
Electronics Weekly is the London-based sister publication of Electronic News, part EDN.com.
