Apr. 17, 2007 — BASF Future Business GmbH is collaborating with Polyera Corporation to develop and commercialize new organic semiconductors and dielectrics for use in CMOS-analog printed circuits. The partners intend to develop these materials as well as a printed prototype CMOS circuit within the next three years.

Organic material sets make it possible to print CMOS circuits on flexible substrates. This will make organic CMOS circuits cheaper and easier to produce than standard CMOS circuits and enables printed electronics to open up new markets. The market volume for printed electronics is expected to rise to over €30 billion by 2015 from currently €3 billion, according to independent consultants IDTechEx, Cambridge, U.K.

“Polyera has in-depth know-how in the design and synthesis of semiconductors and dielectrics, as well as in transistor physics. This perfectly complements the expertise that BASF has built up in this area by itself as well as through a network of cooperations,” said Dr. Peter Eckerle, project manager at BASF Future Business. “We are now well positioned to develop superior new material systems and satisfy the growing market demand.”

Polyera Corporation was founded in 2005 as a start-up from Northwestern University. BASF Future Business GmbH, a 100 percent subsidiary of BASF Aktiengesellschaft, aims to open up business areas with above-average growth rates that lie outside BASF’s current activities.