Tag Archives: Small Times Magazine

Apr. 27, 2007 — A group of U.S. senators — including Ron Wyden (D-OR), John Kerry (D-MA), Gordon Smith (R-OR), and Mark Pryor (D-AR) — has added a provision to U.S. competitiveness legislation to authorize the use of National Science Foundation grant funds to acquire nanotechnology equipment and software designed for teaching students in classrooms.

The tools targeted for purchase “will help attract talented young people to nanotechnology in Oregon and across the nation,” said Wyden, co-chairman of the congressional Nanotechnology Caucus.

“If we are to harness the extraordinary potential of nanotechnology, we must make it an educational priority,” Pryor said. “This legislation will foster partnerships between American businesses and schools so that we can continue to stay competitive in the global economy. From medical technology to heavy machinery, I’ve seen first-hand how nanotechnology is advancing in my home state of Arkansas.”

The language in the provision was added to an amendment that establishes a laboratory science pilot program at the National Science Foundation, and is included in the America COMPETES Act, which the U.S. Senate approved on April 25, 2007.

The senators said that with the inclusion of the language, partnerships between schools (including low-income school districts, colleges, and universities) and businesses will be able to secure funds to purchase classroom versions of scanning electron microscopes and other tools.

The 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act is due to come up for reauthorization next year. Wyden, one of the Act’s authors, said reauthorizing the legislation will help further promote American competitiveness in the field of nanotechnology.

Apr. 26, 2007– Nano Chemical Systems Holdings, Inc. (“Nanochem”) has a new entry in the multi-billion dollar performance chemical category: NANOILMARINE, a nanotechnology-enhanced GREEN 2-cycle oil for use in marine applications. Unlike today’s fossil and synthetic oils, NANOILMARINE is non-toxic and bio-degradable.

The EPA’s “Final Rule” regulating outboard motor and Personal Water Craft (PWC) emissions calls for a 75% reduction in hydrocarbon emissions nationally by 2025. Nanochem 2-cycle NANOILMARINE, marine oil will have a tremendous impact in achieving this goal.

Nanochem will produce NANOILMARINE using the same nanotechnology patent applications and inventions that it uses for its NANOIL product, which directly address bio-fuel production for a nano-enhanced line of “green” bio- lubricants. NANOILMARINE promises to be a unique combination of “green” technologies to meet the needs of the marine consumer.

The company says that testing shows NANOILMARINE can perform as well as today’s fossil and synthetic oils in marine applications. Further, the viability of bio-fuel production can be significantly enhanced by using materials that must be removed from biodiesel as feed stocks for NANOILMARINE.

According to Lou Petrucci, COO and VP Sales of Nanochem, “with 100% biodegradable oil, accidental spillage will not have an environmental impact.”

NANOILMARINE is the second in a series of products to be launched in Nanochem’s ‘WHY NOT GREEN’ campaign”; the company previously announced the introduction of NANOIL for use in automobiles.

Apr. 26, 2007 — ClassOne Equipment, Inc. has opened a new facility, significantly expanding the company’s ability to supply refurbished semiconductor and nanotechnology equipment.

The new 40,000 square foot facility, located 15 miles from the Hartsfield Airport near Atlanta, GA, effectively quadruples the space of the former facility. The layout features 10,000 square feet of lab space, for refurbishing, showcasing and demonstrating equipment. There, customers are able to “test-drive” equipment prior to purchasing, although ClassOne says this is typically not necessary because it sells most equipment with a 3-month warranty, a 30-day right of return, and a full satisfaction guarantee.

ClassOne Equipment president Byron Exarcos commented, “When we opened our former 10,000 sq. ft. facility in April 2005, we believed we had enough room to expand for the next five years.” Thanks to unforeseen growth in demand, the company found it necessary to expand again.

ClassOne offers a range of wafer process and metrology equipment including wet benches, mask aligners, photoresist coat and develop systems, etchers, polishers, dicing saws, and microscopes.

Apr. 26, 2007 — Altair Nanotechnologies Inc. has formed a new company, called AlSher Titania, in a joint venture with The Sherwin-Williams Company, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of paint and durable coatings.

AlSher Titania will combine the Altairnano Hydrochloride Pigment (AHP) process and the Sherwin-Williams Hychlor Pigment (SWHP) process and other technologies to develop and produce high-quality titanium dioxide pigment for use in paint and coatings, and nano titanium dioxide materials for use in a variety of applications including those related to removing contaminants from air and water.

The new AlSher Titania pigment process is designed to produce titanium dioxide pigment at a significantly lower price point — both in terms of capital outlay and operating costs — as compared to sulfate and chloride-based technologies currently in use. Equally important is the improved environmental acceptability of the new materials and their production processes, as compared to current technologies.

White titanium dioxide pigment is mainly used in the production of paints, plastics, and paper and the total world market is valued at approximately $9 billion US, with a projected annual growth rate of approximately three percent.

AlSher Titania, LLC will be based, initially, in Reno, NV. The pilot demonstration of the AlSher process is scheduled for 2007 with further scale-up and capacity expansions planned for 2008 and thereafter.

Apr. 25, 2007 — The Pennsylvania NanoMaterials Commercialization Center has announced its first round of funding for three commercialization projects in nanomaterials. The Center targets partnerships of researchers from universities, small companies, large companies and entrepreneurs, and funds projects that have commercial or defense applications.

The Center granted NanoRDC, LLC $51,250 to develop and commercialize a chemical method for functionalizing carbon nanotubes (CNTs). This initiative will enable CNTs to be more effectively dispersed in a wide range of polymers at lower cost. Polymers using these treated CNTs will have enhanced antistatic and electrical conductivity, resulting in the expanded use of new rubber and plastic materials for the automotive, electronics, aerospace and defense industries. Applications include electrostatic painted plastic parts, static dissipation products, thermally conductive components and EMI shielding products.

Illuminex Corporation was awarded $300,000 to commercialize device technologies that utilize nanowire arrays. These arrays will be incorporated into a new generation of heat pipes, which makes the heat pipes more efficient in removing heat from microprocessor chips used in computer servers and laptops. If successful, the new nanowire technology has the ability to enable the computer industry to solve the challenging problem of removing the higher heat loads generated by the new generation of faster computer microprocessors.

Plextronics Inc. was funded in the amount of $200,500 to further the development of Plexcore PV active layer technology for organic solar cells. Organic solar cells use extremely thin layers of plastic semiconductors, instead of silicon, to absorb light and create electricity. This initiative will focus on the development of a new generation of polymer-based semi-conductive inks, Plexcore PV, that increase solar conversion efficiency, while extending the lifetime of the device. Success will remove one of the remaining barriers to broad market commercialization and make organic solar cells an economically viable form of renewable energy.

In addition to the Center’s funding for the three projects totaling $551,750, the companies have added cash and in-kind matches totaling $460,600.

In September 2006, the Center requested pre-proposal white papers prior to the submission of formal proposals that resulted in 38 submissions statewide. All proposals in the final round were judged by the Center’s technical advisory committee.

The grants were made possible by funding from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the U.S. Air Force.

A second round of projects will be funded in the early summer of 2007; full proposals are due June 15.

Apr. 25, 2007 — In response to the April 6 article Cresanti leads nano commercialization roundtable, and in particular the article’s report of small-tech patent application review frustrations, Small Times has received two letters, one from Under Secretary for Technology at the US Department of Commerce, Robert Cresanti and another from John Doll, Commissioner for Patents.

“It is not ‘strong union forces,’ but federal law, that makes it harder for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to recruit and retain patent examiners,” says Doll, who then explains use of special law provisions to overcome the shortage of qualified examiners.

Doll goes on to detail work being done to fast-track patent-application review, including the provision for applicants to request accelerated examination, “guaranteeing a final examiner decision within 12 months in return for adhering to certain requirements.”

Doll acknowledges the current frustration level, saying his department knows that more must be done to ensure that micro- and nanotechnology developers get decisions on their patent applications more quickly. And in the letter he announces that the USPTO is “seeking solutions from the public and those with a stake in the patent system through a series of town hall meetings and focus groups we will hold later this year.” When Doll and his team finalize plans for these meetings, they will be announced on the USPTO website.”

“We welcome the thoughts and suggestions of readers of Small Times,” Doll concludes. Send your thoughts and suggestions to Small Times at [email protected].

By Tom Cheyney, Small Times Senior Contributing Editor


(Photo: TFE)

Apr. 24, 2007 — Six months after electing a new board and revising its operational plan, Thin Film Electronics (TFE) has signed separate agreements with Xaar and Soligie to jointly develop low-cost volume production processes for its nonvolatile printed polymer memory technology. Product applications employing flexible memory could include smart labeling and packaging, game cards, RFID tags, and medical devices.

Under the terms of the respective deals, UK-based Xaar will produce samples at its development and manufacturing site in Järfällä, Sweden, while Soligie (owned by Taylor Corp.) will begin work on TFE’s memory products in its new 18,000-sq-ft cleanroom-equipped facility in the Minneapolis/St. Paul suburb of Savage.

“Depending on the application, different resolutions and registrations may be needed,” explains Johan Carlson, CEO of TFE. “Xaar, being in the business of producing inkjet heads, will help us demonstrate that inkjet can be used for manufacturing. Soligie will use other production methods (think newspaper presses) to bring memory production to volumes.”

Soligie president Matt Timm says they expect to “have [TFE] prototypes available in fall 2007, with volume processes becoming available in the second quarter of 2008,” which corresponds with the timeline provided by Carlson.

“Initial work will begin with prototyping equipment and subsequent processes will be developed on our production line,” says Timm. “The processes that we qualify for the TFE work will be driven by device architectures, material properties, and order volumes. We are not committed to, or constrained by, any one particular printing technique,” noting Soligie’s access to many kinds of techniques by virtue of its connection to Taylor’s family of print industry-related companies.

“Xaar is interested in showing the ability of inkjet printing in printed electronics in general — and together with TFE [we were] able to produce the first fully inkjet-printed memory devices [last year],” says Werner Zapka, head of Xaar’s advanced applications technology group. “The key challenges are to formulate an inkjetable fluid from TFE’s proprietary functional material and to produce high-quality surface morphology at the interfaces between the individual layers.”

The companies remain tight lipped about the specifics of many process and manufacturing capabilities. Timm says Soligie’s processes are “aimed to be as close to traditional printing as possible, but also contain steps that resemble electronics or semiconductor manufacturing.” He adds that the facility will likely employ roll-to-roll (R2R) processing for TFE’s products.

He explains that “it is too early to speculate on the maximum [memory] density” and that “substrate size is a variable, and we do not yet have data with respect to the maximum substrate size that can successfully yield good product.” Timms believes that with Soligie’s scaleable, high-volume R2R line, daily output in “excess of 1 million devices is entirely possible,” once the process and materials sets are dialed in.

Carlson describes the first TFE memories, which will be “physically contacted,” as “consisting of a printed bottom and top electrode sandwiching our ferroelectric nonvolatile rewritable polymer.” While the composition of the polymer remains proprietary, he disclosed that the material has a film thickness of 200 nm, a surface roughness average of < 1 nm, an electrode linewidth of 200 microns, and a 2 sq cm "footprint." He adds that the memory technology has demonstrated ultimate scalability "beyond 32 nm." “Printable memory will be essential to the whole printable electronics effort—you can’t have a new paradigm in electronics without memory being a part of it,” says Lawrence Gasman of NanoMarkets. “The TFE/Xaar/Soligie alliance seems to be closer than anyone else in providing that missing piece of the equation. Of course, there will be challenges in actually getting this new memory commercialized, and it will be interesting to see if anyone else comes up with something competitive.”

The KADETT is suited for advanced packaging, micro-optics, and MEMS assembly. (Photo: SUSS MicroTec)

Apr. 24, 2007 — SUSS MicroTec has unveiled the KADETT, its new placement and bonding system designed for R&D laboratories, universities, and pre-production environments. Originally developed by the Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland, the KADETT, has been used for bonding ionizing radiation detectors and it is also well suited for advanced packaging, micro-optics, and MEMS assembly.

SUSS says the KADETT semi-automatic device bonder is a flexible and open platform for accurate assembly and bonding on a variety of substrates. The machine promises accurate pick and place functions; a range of bonding processes including in-situ reflow, thermo-compression, thermo-sonic and adhesive bonding are available for forces up to 75N.

A vision systems uses two independent high resolution video microscopes (chip and substrate) with a high resolution (0.1µm) XY alignment stage to achieve accurate alignment. SUSS says the KADETT’s flexible architecture enables the integration of many processing modules such as a UV glue curing system and ultrasonic bonding head.

Apr. 24, 2007 — Nanoforum, a pan-European nanotechnology network funded by the European Union, is conducting a survey to identify barriers and offer advice to the European Commission, with a goal of helping European companies commercialize nanotechnologies.

Results of the survey will be discussed at a dedicated workshop to be held during EuroNanoForum2007 on June 21, 2007, in Düsseldorf, Germany; and a follow-on report will offer detail on both survey results and discussions, and providing recommendations for the Commission and other policy and decisionmakers.

Survey responses are due May 25, 2007 to the European Nanotechnology Trade Alliance (preferably via e-mail to [email protected]).

Apr. 23, 2007 — InvenSense has completed the first public demonstration of its iG (“instant gesture”) technology. Made at the Spring Intel Developers Forum in Beijing, China, the demo featured several motion sensing applications running on Intel’s UMPC and MID mobile platforms, including user interface control, gaming, and GPS navigation.

InvenSense says its highly integrated MEMS motion sensors are designed to meet the stringent market requirements of consumer devices including small size, low cost and robust design. InvenSense’s iG technology promises a more natural and intuitive user interface resulting in faster adoption of new features and higher customer satisfaction.

“InvenSense’s iG technology and motion sensors will enable many killer applications in the UMPC,” said Kelley Johnson, Marketing Manger at Intel.