August 14, 2012 — Printed electronics is a set of printing methods used to create electronic circuits, sensors, devices, and various electronics products. Printing is emerging as a technology that can replace traditional photolithography processes for electronics manufacturing, reducing costly material use, very complex processes, and expensive equipment. Printing enables direct patterning of desired materials on the desired location without complex processes, and production is cleaner and more productive, according to Displaybank, an IHS analyst business.
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| Figure. Steps in printing electronics compared to steps in current electronics manufacturing methods. |
Printing devices can lead the creation of new industries through technology fusion.
Printed electronics can be classified as substrate and printing material-related technology: various technologies that allow functional materials to be deposited at a desired position, equipments and parts that can run these technologies, and methodologies.
Printed electronics process technology includes material technologies of printed electronics inks such as conductive inks, insulating materials, and metal nano-inks, new printing process technologies such as inkjet printing, µ-contact printing, and imprinting to print materials, and various equipment technologies to support these.
Table. Printed electronics technology applications.
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Area |
Detail |
Applicable processes |
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Displays and Lighting |
LCD |
-Color filter, alignment film, spacer: Inkjet, roll printing. -TFT backplane: Semiconductor layer, gate, S/D electrode, insulating layer, printing. |
|
PDP |
-Wiring: Inkjet printing -Electromagnetic waves shield: Ag conductive film filter screen printing |
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OLED |
-organic light-emitting layer: Inkjet and nozzle jet when polymer-method OLED. -Transparent electrode layer: Conductive polymer inkjet, slot die coating. |
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|
e-Paper |
-Frontplane: Septum in wetting, inkjet and roll printing in solution injection. -TFT backplane: Active layer and insulating layer imprint, inkjet. |
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|
Lighting |
OLED |
-Organic light-emitting layer: Inkjet and nozzle jet when producing polymer-method OLED. |
|
Smart products |
RFID |
Antenna: Roll printing -Others: Roll-to-roll to capacitors and chips |
|
Packaging |
Sensor: Inkjet, roll, and screen printing in sensor layer. |
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Energy |
Solar cells |
-CIGS, CdTe, DSSC absorber layer: Spray, screen. OPV active layer: Inkjet, slot die, roll method. -Si electrode layer: Screen printing, inkjet, AD method. |
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Battery |
-Electrode layer: Slot die to electrode layer. |
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Others |
Touchpanels |
-Wiring: Screen and roll printing to electronic wiring. -Transparent electrode layer: Jetting and roll printing to replace patterned ITO. |
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Flexible PCBs |
-Wiring: Roll printing when forming high-density wiring. |
The report, “Printed Electronics Technology Trend and Market Forecast (2011~2020)” from Displaybank talks about printed electronics material technology, issue, process technology issue, and applicable areas throughout chapter 3~5, and chapter 6 and 7 summarize trends of companies and research institutes that are developing technologies in their fields. Lastly, chapter 8 forecasts and analyzes the size of printed electronics-applicable application in the next 10 years, and speculates the size of market, which can be created as printed electronics is introduced, for the first time in the world.
This report will help printed electronics-related technologies developing companies, companies reviewing new businesses, and companies that want to innovate through printed electronics process to understand an industry-wide trend and forecast future prospects. Learn more at http://www.displaybank.com/_eng/research/report_view.html?id=847&cate=6