Printed electronics improve displays, lithium-ion batteries, c-Si solar cells

October 28, 2011 — Printed electronics can improve existing electronics and energy applications, replacing non-printed layers in displays or increasing crystalline silicon photovoltaics efficiency, among other applications shared below.

The giant East Asian electronics companies are replacing several non-printed layers in LCD flat screens with one printed layer, greatly reducing the cost, said Raghu Das, CEO, IDTechEx.

Third-generation lithium-ion batteries are printed and solid state, doubling the all-electric range of new electric cars, Das added.

T-Ink Inc plans to replace heavy, expensive wiring in road vehicles with printed wiring.

DuPont announced recently that it has acquired Innovalight, Inc., a company specializing in advanced nano-silicon inks and process technologies that increase the efficiency of crystalline silicon solar cells. DuPont exceeded $1 billion in revenue from sales into the conventional photovoltaic market in 2010, and it has set a goal to reach $2 billion by 2014 based on continued growth supported by new innovations that improve solar module efficiency, lifetime and overall system costs. Silicon inks used in conjunction with DuPont Solamet photovoltaic metallization pastes boost the amount of electricity produced from sunlight, enabling the production of superior Selective Emitter solar cells.

Kovio in Milpitas is printing the logic in the electronic tickets of the Los Angeles Metro, replacing the silicon chip at a lower price point.

More examples from Das include OTB group ink jet printing in solar cell mass production, Solexant optimizing solar cell production and Boeing Spectrolab further enhancing solar cell efficiency for space PV to terrestrial applications. In the energy arena, battery testers are printed onto Duracell batteries by Avery Dennison, and OLED displays are printed in phones and cameras.

Raghu Das is CEO of IDTechEx and co-author of the annual, "Printed, Organic & Flexible Electronics Forecasts, Players & Opportunities 2011-2021" available at www.IDTechEx.com/pe.

IDTechEx hosts Printed Electronics USA, this December in Santa Clara, CA, where many of these applications will be discussed. Learn more about IDTechEx at http://www.idtechex.com

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