Printed Electronics (PE) is a disruptive technology that is poised for exponential growth over the next two decades. Many companies have and will continue to invest in the development of the inks, designs, and printing technology required for the printing of PE.
As companies learn about the possibilities with PE, many new products and applications will emerge that will take advantage of low cost, flexible, durable electronic components that were not possible with traditional silicon based electronics. In fact, it is estimated that over 50% of the PE market will be made up of electronic components and applications that currently do not exist.
Driving Factors for Printed Electronics
PV (photovoltaic solar cells)
Oil Prices
Oil dependability - desire for energy independence from foreign oil
1/3 of the world is not connected to a power grid
Environmental concerns
Government programs and mandates world-wide
Low cost of production
Acceptance and funding of solar increasing sharply
U.S. energy grid potential target for terrorists - Individuals desire independence from grid
Material for traditional photovoltaics is in short supply and costs are increasing
TCC (Transparent Conductive Coatings)
Printed solar cell demand will increase TCC demand
Flat Panel Displays demand will increase TCC demand
Cell phones, PDA’s, IPODs, Laptops; demand will increase TCC demand
Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) is predominate TCC today, it requires a slow and expensive process
ITO supply is down; cost is increasing at a fast rate
Durability of ITO is an issue; it is brittle and non-flexible
PE provides low cost, simple process, high production capacity
Integrated Circuits (ICs), RFIDs, Memories
Flexible, durable
Disposable
Price pressure
Raw materials for traditional production means are in short supply
PE provides low cost, simple process, high production capacity
(High performance computer chips are not threatened by PE)
Other PE Applications
PE opens the door for many new applications not possible or not thought of yet
Low cost, simple process, high production
Flexible, durable
Disposable
Other applications include: flexible displays, batteries, toys, smart labels, smart shelving, smart fabric, smart wall paper, smart lighting, many types of sensors, etc.
Market Sectors
The PE Market has several major sectors. There are a number of market drivers that will impact each of these sectors. Some factors that are common to all market sectors include price, production capacity, flexibility, durability, and light weight.
Market Sector |
Application Advantages for Printed Electronics |
Weakness of Printed Electronics |
Photovoltaics, and
Transparent Conductive Coatings |
Lower cost of production.
Rooftop solar "carpet"; portable battery chargers, smart fabrics, and novel applications |
Power Conversion Efficiency, Longevity |
RFIDs, Integrated Circuits, Memories, and sub 100 micron Traces |
Prices will get to a point where they will compete with barcodes on product labels and other disposable applications |
Range of signal for RFID |
OLED Displays (Organic Light Emitting Diode) |
Flexible displays that have vibrant images and wide viewing angles |
Longevity |
Backplanes |
Flexible displays will require organic TFT's (Thin Film Transistors) on flexible substrate |
|
OLED Lighting |
Flexible lighting, conforms to many shapes, durable, novel applications |
|
Smart cards & Ticketing |
Low cost, flexible, durable cards and tickets with security and other information encoded into them |
|
Sensors |
Low cost, flexible, durable sensors for smart packaging, and other applications |
|
Toys & Novelties |
Many applications where low cost and flexibility will be important |
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