GLEN ALLEN, VA – The rise of thin-film, organic and printable electronics, and the trend toward endowing objects with as much electronic intelligence as possible with the goal of creating environments that enhance comfort, productivity and entertainment value, will create major business opportunities in the next few years, says research firm NanoMarkets.
 
The variety of names used for the second trend cover up the fact that there is nothing new about enhancing objects electronically, NanoMarkets says; inexpensive electronics have been used for decades in such applications as magnetic strips on credit cards and tickets, lights and audio effects for inexpensive toys and novelties, and certain security tags.
 
The latest developments in TOP electronics enable embedded electronics of this kind to move to the next level of complexity, the researcher notes. Thanks to TOP electronics, the magnetic credit card can be transfigured into a thin, wallet-size smartcard with its own display and an onboard printed processor, says the firm.
 
One of the major implications is that this intelligence can be in objects easily discarded with few consequences; hence the term disposable electronics. These products hold little essential value, so that disposing of them is not an issue. You may keep your credit card for several years, but cutting it up when it expires is not a big deal, NanoMarkets says.
 
Disposable electronics is characterized by high-cost sensitivity to materials, fabrication and components, and the need to create electronic functionality in products not especially durable.
 
TOP electronics addresses this by permitting creation of moderately complex electronics using printing/solution processing. Such fabrication processes are less expensive than the conventional deposition and patterning technologies. The direction of TOP electronics is toward fabrication on inexpensive flexible substrates, especially paper and plastic, says NanoMarkets.
 
Such substrates will facilitate the use of R2R fabrication and addresses the need to create electronics on paper/plastic substrates. Therefore, TOP electronics and disposable electronics go well together, says the research firm.
 
While TOP electronics could prove a key enabler for disposable electronics, it also presents challenges. Creating electronics on plastic and paper has yet to be perfected, for one. The printing technologies most widely used today for printed electronics - screen and inkjet - may not be easily scalable to high-volume production. And some of the materials used for printed and organic electronics may be expensive; silver is widely used and gold is common in R&D, explains NanoMarkets.
 
Printed electronics could reduce item-level RFID tags to just a few pennies, making wide-scale tagging possible. However, registration and resolution in high-speed printing may not be good enough; optimal materials have yet to be determined; inline printing along with graphics has not been established, and the result of competition with conventional chips created in depreciated fabs has not been determined. 
 
With regard to other smart packaging, opportunities include the addition of sensors and displays to show the condition of products in the package and how often the package has been opened, etc. Brand enhancement and advertising using electronics features are also possible. However, value is limited to niche applications and volume opportunity may be limited.
 
Low-cost, updateable pricing labels based on e-paper technology can be created for point-of-presence displays. These can improve retail efficiency and be operated under low power; volume potential is large. However, this concept is not well established, and printed/thin-film batteries are currently expensive. Also, e-paper does not offer color, although it soon will, NanoMarkets says.
 
On smartcards, electrochromic/e-paper displays can be added for additional security and other features. Printable transistors and memories may ultimately prove less costly than conventional chips. The small form factor of printable/thin-film batteries may make this kind of battery highly suitable in this application, and there is a large volume opportunity.
 
Although, not many TOP electronics companies focus on this opportunity at present, and organic/printed chips vs. conventional silicon is even less a settled issue than RFID. Powered chips are only just beginning to appear. Also, the high-temperature lamination may damage delicate organic transistors, says the researcher.
 
With this technology, features could be added to existing games/toys or could be used to create new ones. However, games and toys are notoriously subject to market failures, and volumes may be quite small, NanoMarkets says.
 
Finally, there is considerable potential for electronic enhancement of medical products through innovations such as smart bandages, low-cost diagnostic products and patches. But, the product approval process is much more difficult than in any other area. Few TOP electronics firms are looking at this area yet.
 

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