Plastics in Electrical and Electronic Applications AMNIMARJESLOW GOVERNMENT REVENUE CYCLONE TO COSTING RECYCLING 200 2018 91220017 REVANS POST ARMY

 

What you need to know about plastic electronics

Plastics might seem unlikely materials for building electrical circuits but recent breakthroughs have made this possible. We discover the advantages on offer with plastic electronics and question whether, one day, it might rival silicon .

Plastic electronics have plenty of advantages over silicon

Plastics might seem unlikely materials for building electrical circuits but recent breakthroughs have made this possible. We discover the advantages on offer and question whether, one day, it might rival silicon.
Plastics are electrical insulators, and good ones that that, so it might seem that their use in electronic circuits would be somewhat limited. However, in recent years chemists have learned to fine tune the composition of some plastics so they behave as conductors or semi-conductors.
This, in turn, allows circuits to be created that are tough and flexible – properties not usually associated with silicon – and this might lead to rollable displays and other innovative new types of product. There are other potential benefits too. Plastics are so much cheaper than silicon and plastic circuits are also simpler to manufacture than silicon chips.
This has caused some pundits to suggest that an age of truly ubiquitous intelligence could be just round the corner. Here we look at what’s made all this possible, at the exciting new products that might result, and at when you’ll be able to get your hands on some of this revolutionary gear.

Plastic electronics: a case of mobility

An electrical current involves the flow of electrons and this fact dictates what types of materials are good electrical conductors and which are insulators. In metals, the atoms have some electrons that are not closely bound to them so they are free to move, particularly when attracted by an electrical potential, thereby allowing the flow of an electrical current. In other substances, and plastics are classic examples, the electrons are tightly bound to a particular atoms or, perhaps, shared between a pair of atoms to form a chemical bond. Now, very few electrons will move, even when a high electrical potential is applied.

Plastics are polymers which means have very large molecules comprising a particular group of atoms repeated over and over. Polythene, for example, is short for poly-ethylene which literally means that the molecule is composed of lots of repeating ethylene groups. Ethylene has the chemical formula C₂H₄ and is a gas.
However, when it’s polymerised, it turns into a solid with the chemical formula (C₂H₄)_nH₂ where n is a very large number. All the electrons are closely associated with the carbon or hydrogen atoms or are in the strong chemical bonds between adjacent carbon atoms, or between the carbon and hydrogen atoms. As a result, polythene is a good electrical insulator.
Those few plastics that are electrical conductors have the unique property of mobile electrons. Typically the molecules contain long strings of alternating single and double bonds between the carbon atoms in the so-called molecular backbone. In reality, though, such alternating bonds are only one way of viewing the situation and, in reality, some of the electrons in these bonds are referred to as delocalised or, in other words, they are free to move from atom to atom along the backbone.
What’s more, because polymers contain huge molecules, those electrons are able to move a considerable distance as required for electrical conduction. A classic example is polyphenylene vinylene. As you can see in the diagram of its molecular structure, it has a long string of alternating single and double bonds which does, indeed, allow electrical conduction.
The alternating single and double bonds in allow this plastic to conduct
 The availability of conducting polymers means that plastics could be used to connect components together as the copper tracks do on most electronic circuit boards but, to produce active electronic components like the transistors in micro chips, another element is needed. That is the property of semi-conduction as found in silicon and a few other semi-metallic elements.

So as not to get bogged down in the nitty gritty of polymer chemistry and semiconductor physics, suffice it to say that plastics can also be fine tuned to behave as semiconductors. So, if we also add in good old-fashioned plastics, between the various formulations we now have all the essential elements – conductors, semiconductors and insulators – that are required to build electronic circuits.

Plastic electronics: the plastic advantage

Recent advances in polymer chemistry might have made it possible to create electronic circuits purely out of plastic but, given that we already have copper and silicon, it’s pertinent to ask why anyone would want to it. There are several potential benefits.
First is price. While it would be wrong to consider silicon a rare element –after all, many rocks contain silicon as does sand – extracting the silicon from its ore and purifying it to the extent required for semiconductor manufacturing is an expensive processes. Plastics, on the other hand, and cheap to make.
Far more importantly, though, is the cost of the processes required to turn the raw material into a working circuit. Creating a silicon chip is a hugely complicated and expensive multi-stage process involving deposition, etching, ion implantation and so many other techniques that have to be carried out using high tech equipment. Because plastics can be dissolved in an organic solvent, however, a polymer circuit can be created using a technique that’s very similar to inkjet printing.
Second, and perhaps more importantly, plastics are tough and flexible. Without a doubt, today’s handheld electronic gear is far more durable than it was only a few years ago. Even so, dropping your new smartphone on a concrete floor isn’t a good idea as you could easily end up destroying its screen as with the iPhone to the right. Plastics, on the other hand are virtually indestructible, a fact which, when coupled with the super low price, will surely result in totally new applications.

Plastic electronics: Organic LEDs

One of the first applications of plastics in active electronic components, and one which is starting to appear in real world products, is the OLED or organic light-emitting diode, one variant of which relies on polymers. Most of today’s screens are based on LCD technology in which liquid crystals are made transparent or opaque, thereby allowing a back light to shine through. Some LCD displays are referred to as LED displays but the use of LEDs is purely to produce the back light.

         

Another option is to discard with the LCD totally and use LEDs and specifically OLEDs – one per pixel – to generate the image. These are great for use in bright light, they provide an exceptionally good contrast ratio for really black blacks, and they’re starting to appear in consumer electronics gear such as the recent spate of curved screen TVs.
OLEDs are starting to appear in curved TVs like this one from Samsung

Despite the fact that OLEDs themselves are flexible, the fact that the display material has to be paired up with a layer of thin film transistors (TFTs), to turn each of the pixels on and off, limits another potential benefit. In the main the TFT layer is based on silicon technology so the display is relatively inflexible and is not entirely immune from damage.
However, Cambridge-based Plastic Logic has developed the technology for producing an all-plastic FTF backplane that can be bonded to a display layer which can be based on either the coloured OLED or the monochrome electrophoretic (i.e. Kindle-type e-paper) technology. See: all ereader reviews.
Plastic Logic’s displays are totally flexible
To date, applications have mostly benefited from the virtually indestructible nature of these all-plastic displays. For example, the displays have been used to display timetables at bus stops in Germany and in other public transport applications. Closer to home, PopSlate and PocketBook have produced smartphone cases that feature an e-paper based secondary display. Whether there really will be a market for the rollable display, that has been touted for many years, remains to be seen. However, Plastic Logic believes all plastic displays will now set free the whole sphere of wearable electronics as we’ll see later.
One of the first applications of tough plastic displays is in public transport (Photo: Plastic Logic)

 

Plastic electronics: the bendy processor

While the display might currently be the most advanced area of all-plastic electronics, if polymer is to go mainstream it will also be necessary to produce processors from this most unlikely of materials and progress is being made here too.
The challenge has been taken up by the Dutch research centre, Imec, which has already demonstrated the world’s first plastic microprocessor. According to the company, while it’s possible to produce bottom-end silicon processors for about £1, this is about as low as it’s feasible to go.
It seems possible that a plastic processor could be manufactured for a tenth of this amount, though, and this will open up a whole host of new applications. There has been talk, for example, of intelligent packaging for food that can detect when the contents are no longer safe to eat, or on a cereal box to work out the nutritional value of a serving.
However, while it’s admittedly early days, it seems unlikely that the technology will ever give us £10 tablets as we’ll see if we take a look at that prototype processor. For a start, while mainstream processors operate on data in chunks of 64 bits, this first plastic processor has an 8-bit architecture which is reminiscent of the chips of the 80s. Second, it can execute instruction at a rate of just six per second which is many millions or billions of times slower than silicon’s latest and greatest. And finally, despite this rather pedestrian performance, the circuit measures a huge two centimetres square.
Having said all this, when we bear in mind the phenomenal performance advances in silicon chips over the decades, it would be a brave person who totally discounts high performance plastic chips sometime in the future.

Plastic processors might be slow compared to the silicon equivalent but their super-low price will open up totally new applications. (Photo Imec)

Plastic electronics: the road ahead

For its intended applications, the lacklustre performance of the plastic processor will not be a show stopper, even though it’ll probably be quite some time before the full potential of such ultra-cheap and almost indestructible source of intelligence will become clear. However, Plastic Logic’s reference to wearable electronics hints at a much more imminent application of polymer electronics.
Wearable electronics is here already in the form of smart watches and the Google Glass computer that’s built into a pair of glasses. However, according to some pundits this is just the tip of a very large iceberg and that the onset of plastic electronics will be a major enabler. At least one industry expert considered “wearables” to have been the top trend to emerge at January’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vagas. With products ranging from electronic fashion accessories, through fitness devices to add-on displays, interfaces and cameras, ubiquitous intelligence really does seem to be coming of age.
According to Plastic Logic, wearable electronics will be a major beneficiary of plastic circuits

 

 

REVENUE  IX   : 

 

Plastics in Electrical and Electronic Applications

 

 

Electricity powers almost every aspect of our lives, at home and in our jobs, at work and at play. And everywhere that we find electricity, we also find plastics. In the kitchen, there are the labour-saving devices that we wouldn’t be without; washing machines, microwave ovens, kettles.  In the living room is the television, the video or the music system, while at work, we may use a computer. a fax machine or a telephone. Plastics make progress possible, making electrical goods safer, lighter, more attractive, quieter. more environmentally friendly and more durable.

Plastics fall into two broad categories: thermoplastics such as polyethylene, which can be repeatedly melted down and remoulded and thermosets such as urea formaldehyde which, once set, cannot be remelted, making them suitable for applications where heat is encountered. The UK plastics industry provides jobs for around 200,000 people and has a turnover of over £13 billion per annum, In 1992, 367,500 tonnes of plastics were used for electrical and electronic applications.
 

Brown Goods

The styfish appearance of modern VCRs, CD players, DVD systems, Personal Computers and TV sets owes much to the design freedom granted by plastics.
 

White Goods

Plastics make hygienic and attractive knobs, handles and door facings on cookers; liners, handles and internal fittings on refrigerators and freezers; housings and tops on washing machines and dishwashers.
 

Small White Goods

Safety is a key requirement for goods such as food processors, toasters, kettles and hairdryers - and plastics make it possible.
 

Tools

Filled, impact- and fire-resistant plastics make tough and durable housings and handles for tools such as drills, paint-strippers, lawnmowers, vacuum cleaners and hedge-trimmers.
 

Office Equipment

Essential to the modern office are smart and hard wearing plastic keypads and housings for telephones, machines photocopiers and computers.

 

What Makes Plastics Invaluable?

Electrical insulation: Electricity is essential to our standard of living, a valuable and versatile servant — but it is also potentially lethal. Plastics do not conduct electricity and are therefore used in a variety of applications where their insulating properties are needed. PVC is widely used to insulate electric wiring, while thermosets (which can withstand high temperatures) are used for switches, light fittings and handles. Plastics are especially suited to housings for goods such as hairdryers, electric razors and food mixers as they protect the consumer from the risk of electric shock.

Heat insulation: Plastics are poor conductors of heat. To reduce the risk of burns, manufacturers have therefore made extensive use of plastics, introducing cool-touch toasters, deep-fat fryers and kettles. To further protect the consumer, plastics can be made fire resistant through the use of special flame retardant additives.

Lightweight: If you’ve ever lifted an old-fashioned, heavy vacuum cleaner you can imagine how much harder housework was before plastics! Substantial weight reductions in tools and equipment can be made by using plastics. And as they are lighter, they use less electricity to run —helping the environment as well as reducing running costs.

Freedom of design: Whatever the designer dreams up, plastics can deliver. They can be any colour — transparent, translucent or opaque; any texture —matte to eliminate glare in the office, smooth for easily cleaned kitchen equipment or non-slip for handles. Plastics are ideally suited to the ergodynamic curves which make modern tools easy and safe to use.

Durable: Plastics are hygienic, hardwearing and easily cleaned and maintained. They do not corrode, like metals, or rot like other organic materials. They are oil- and acid-resistant, an important property for tools and can be made shatter-resistant.

Energy-efficient: Plastics consume just 4% of oil production. They take less energy — and therefore fossil fuel — to make than most traditional materials. This makes them cheaper to make and buy, as well as benefiting the environment by conserving resources.

Recyclable: When products have reached the end of their useful lives, many of the plastic components can be recycled, to give them a second life and thus save energy and raw materials. ICER (see below) is promoting and developing recycling facilities in the UK. Waste plastics can also be incinerated in purpose-built, clean-burning power stations to generate electricity.

Working For The Environment - ICER
The Industry Council for Electronic Equipment Recycling (ICER) was founded in 1992 by a consortium of companies including household names such as Boots, CL, IBM, BT and the BPF. It aims to oversee the development of recycling facilities for electrical and electronic equipment in the UK. Telephones are already recycled in large numbers and computer equipment is following suit.

  

• What Plastics Are Used In Electrical Equipment?
• Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene - telephone handsets, keyboards, monitors, computer housings
• Aikyd resins - circuit breakers, switch gear
• Amino resins - lighting fixtures
• Epoxy resins - electrical components
• Ethylene vinyl acetate - freezer door strips, vacuum lean hoses, handle-grips
• Phenol formaldehyde - fuse boxes, knobs, switches, handles
• Polyacetal - business machine parts
• Polyamide - food processor bearings, adaptors
• Polycarbonate - telephones
• Polyesters - business machine parts, coffee machines, toasters
• Polyethylene - cable & wire insulation
• Polymethyl methacrylate - hi-fi lids, windows on tape decks
• Polymethyl pentane - circuit boards, microwave grills
• Polyphenylene oxide - coffee machines, TV housings
• Polyphenylene suiphide - hairdryer grilles, element bases, transformers
• Polypropylene - kettles
• Polystyrene - refrigerator trays/linings, TV cabinets
• Polysulphone - microwave grills
• Polytetrafluoroethene - electrical applications
• Polyvinyl chloride - cable and wire insulation, cable trunking
• Styrene acrylonitrile - hi-fi covers
• Urea formaldehyde - fuse boxes, knobs, switches

 

                               

 

For many plastics processing sites, energy costs are approaching the cost of direct labour and energy costs are almost always higher than the actual profits of the site. Experience shows that for typical sites, where little action has been taken in the past, over 30% of the energy use is ‘discretionary’ - this means that the cost is incurred because the site management has either decided to take no action or because it has not recognised the opportunities for improvement. In most cases, energy use and costs can be reduced by over 30% and these savings add directly to the site profits .

 

 

COST  IIML TO FORECAST  :

 

What are plastic electronics?

Plastic electronics technology encompasses a number terms, some of which can be confusing. However, when you know what individual terms mean, the entire market starts to make more sense.

Plastic electronics technology encompasses a number terms, some of which can be confusing. When you know what individual terms mean, however, the entire market starts to make more sense.

AMOLED - stands for Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode, and is a form of display on televisions, smartphones and tablets. A number of companies have launched products using AMOLED screens over the course of the last 12 months.
Backplane - the portion of a display that controls the pixels located in the frontplane.
Barrier film - a flexible transparent film to cover materials involved in organic electronics, protecting them from exposure to oxygen and water vapour, allowing them to remain non-rigid and extending their life span considerably. Developments in barrier film technologyare making it more instrumental for plastic electronics products
Building-integrated photovoltaics - solar cells integrated into a building design, with the intention of supplying power. Quite often these are made up of thin-film or transparent solar cells that cover a large area. Areas exploited for solar cell integration include windows, glass facades and roofs; and some solar cells are being developed for indoor use.
Carbon nanotubes - molecular-scale tubes of graphite carbon, with strong electronic properties. They can be metallic or semiconducting depending on their structure, making some more conductive than copper, and others react similar to silicone. This could lead to nanoscale electronic devices.
Carbon nanotubes have been developed to replace indium tin oxide, a standard material in touchscreens for consumer electronics devices.
Colour rendering index - the index by which a light source is measured on how accurately it can reproduce all frequencies of the colour spectrum. The lower the CRI, the less accurate its colours are.
Conductive ink - ink that is able to conduct electricity: it can be printed on a number of materials including paper and fabrics. It allows for more scope than etching out conventional circuit boards. Recently, companies have invested in the production of graphene based conductive inks, which can be used in retail packaging.
Dye-sensitised solar cell - a form of thin-film solar cell. Rather than thick silicon plates, a molecular dye, which absorbs sunlight, is places on a thin film beneath a transparent electrode, used to capture the energy produced.
The technology, which mimics the photosynthesis process in plants, can absorb much lower levels of light than conventional solar cell technology, making it suitable for indoor light or cloudy conditions.
Electrochromic - substances that change colour or transparency when an electrical charge is applied, such as LCD displays.
Electronic shelf label - a thin display used by retailers to advertise the prices of products on shelves. Thin enough to sit in front of the products, they allow quick price amendments without the waste of paper. Electronic shelf labels have been designed in both LCD and e-paper formats.
Electrowetting - the process whereby the surface tension of a liquid on a solid surface can be modified by applying a voltage. The technology opens the possibility of low-power, colour and video-rate displays, according to developers like Liquavista and Gamma Dynamics.
E-paper - a display which mimics the effects of paper, reflecting light rather than being backlit, and is able to hold images without electronic stimulation until required.
Applications include e-readers, such as the Amazon Kindle, electronic shelf labels and other signage.
E-reader - a portable device mainly used for reading books or documents, using e-paper technology. Notable e-reader products include the Amazon Kindle and
Flexible electronics - the mounting of electronics onto flexible materials, such as plastics or conductive polyester. They are often printed, and are usually low cost, easier to produce and much thinner than conventional circuits, allowing for a wider range of applications.
Frontplane - The display of an electronic device, which can be made up of various elements.
Graphene - A thin yet strong material with excellent conductive properties. Formed from carbon atoms, graphene is more conductive than copper, and mixed into plastics, can turn them into strong semiconductors. Countries such as the UK are investing in graphene as its importance in plastic electronics technology increases.
Heterojunction - A junction between two semiconductors, they are often used in organic photovoltaics to transfer energy.
Hybrid electronics - a device or circuit that incorporates both organic and inorganic elements
Indium tin oxide - a transparent conducting coating used for many displays, such as flat screen televisions and OLED applications, and solar cells. It is not flexible, and is used in mainly rigid products. Concerns over supply and cost mean a number of companies are developing alternatives to ITO, such as PEDOT and carbon nanotube layers.
Inkjet - a printer which places droplets of ink onto a subject. It can be used with conductive ink to produce printed electronics, and is more precise in doing so.
Integrated smart systems - A series of sensors and other electronics which are integrated into systems allowing them to function independently. One example may be a house, which is able to sense temperature and alter sunlight levels or control air conditioning.
Large-area electronics - Often manufactured using roll-to-roll techniques, large-area electronics are plastic electronics products printed on large substrates with the ability to cover more area, such as organic photovoltaics. Funding competitions have recently been announced to encourage collaboration on the development of large-area electronics.
Lumens per watt - The measurement of light output per electricity used, measured in watts. The higher the Lumens, and lower the wattage, the more efficient the product.
Nanoink - ink, formed of nanoparticles, which is able to conduct electricity. As an ink, it can be printed onto thin film, or paper, allowing it to conduct current.
Nanoparticles - particles with the dimensions of 100nm or less, extremely small, and able to be used with thin electronic circuits.
OLED display - a display made up of organic light emitting diodes, which emit light under electrical response. As they do not need a backlight, products using this display can be made thinner, and more flexible. OLED displays are already used in smartphones and are expected to increase in popularity with use in televisions during 2012
OLED light - a thin or flexible light panel, made of a single-colour OLED display.
Organic semiconductor - a carbon-based semiconductor, where the flow of electrons is regulated by the properties of the material used.
Organic solar cell - a solar cell, which can absorb light and produce electricity, printed using organic material, such as polymer substrates.
PEDOT - a polymer-based material used in the production of printed organic electronics, especially organic solar cells. The conductive layer material is considered a potential replacement for indium tin oxide. It could open a new avenue for nanoelectronic devices.
Photonics - the transmission, signal processing, amplification, detection and sensing of light. Comprising technologies such as LEDs, wireless sensor networks and solar cells, it is becoming increasingly convergent with organic electronics
PMOLED - Passive Matrix OLEDs are smaller than other OLEDs, are controlled in rows and columns, rather than by each individual pixel.
Printed battery - An energy storage device which is printed onto a flexible substrate, printed batteries are used to make a flexible electronic product remain so, with no rigid parts. They are often printed on paper.
Printed diagnostic devices / biosensor - electronic devices used in the detecting or sensing of medical conditions. Using printed electronic concepts, developers are working on cheap, disposable versions of these devices.
Printed electronics - an electronic circuit or device that is printed onto a substrate, rather than etched. They can be flexible, and thin, to aid the design of the products using them.
QLED - a quantum dot LED, which is thinner than OLEDs, and is able to emit a brighter range of colours. This allows for thinner, more visible and more flexible displays.
Quantum dots - a small particle of semiconductor material, which is able to be tuned to emit light of differing colours. They can also be used to capture light and convert it to energy in organic photovoltaics.
RFID - Radio Frequency ID is a method of transmitting data to a reader via radio frequencies. It can allow for products to be given unique ID codes, which can be easily scanned for information to appear. They do not need to be visible to be read. RFID technology has a number of potential uses, including healthcare.
Roll-to-roll - the process of creating flexible electronics, often meaning being printed on a roll of film, or plastic.
Smart packaging - product packaging with integrated electronics that is able to give a range of information, from transmitting ID codes, to informing doctors when a patient takes their pills. Animated logos and sensors for brand protection are also being designed. A number of companies are already pushing forward with pilot products.
Smart textiles and fabrics - a material with integrated electronic properties. This could be printed on to be used in electronic devices, like fibres, or actual clothing with sensors embedded to allow monitoring of various conditions. Smart textiles are also becoming increasingly common in fashion.
Spin coating - a process used to apply thin-film coating to substrates, where an excess layer of fluid is applied, and then the substrate is spun at high speed to spread the fluid thinly over the surface.
Spray coating - a process to apply flexible electronics to substrates, using a spray on technique which can be done at room temperature.
Thin-film - a layer of film, often around a nanometre thick. Used in roll-to-roll processes for electronic semiconductor production due to its cost.
Thin-film transistor - a transformer used in high-matrix LCD displays to control the individual sub-pixels.
Vacuum deposition - the process of depositing thin layers onto a substrate, such as a thin film. It is usually done in a vacuum.
Wearable electronics - electronic devices that are woven into fabrics, clothing and other material products. These could be monitors to measure various athletic or medical traits, such as heartbeat, perspiration or muscle control. They can also be used for novelty items or to act as chargers for mobile devices. 


    

Flexible electronics now being integrated into cars, says supplier

Flexible displays are finding applications in the automotive industry, according to UK transistor developer FlexEnable.

The Cambridge-based firm is working on a number of projects for the automotive industry since meeting interested parties at the International Motor Show in Germany in September 2015.

Working in partnership with Flextronics, an electronics design and manufacturing firm, FlexEnable has been working with a number of Tier 1 suppliers on solutions for the automotive industry.

In an exclusive interview with +Plastic Electronics, FlexEnable CEO Chuck Milligan outlines some of the ways in which automotive firms are looking to integrate flexible electronics.

‘Early traction has been in putting a display in the “A pillar” [either side of the windshield], which gets rid of the blind spot. In this application it has to be curved.

‘However there are a number of auto companies, designers and Tier 1s working on other applications with us. For instance, putting a passenger display in the back of a headrest in a way that’s safer and adds less weight than glass displays.’

 

Flexible displays market

FlexEnable has developed a platform transistor for flexible electronics. Image: FlexEnable

The company demonstrated an organic (O)LCD in the A pillar application in early 2015, and has already signed a number of non-disclosure agreements with firms in this area regarding commercial developments, Milligan adds.

According to IHS Automotive, a consultancy, sales of vehicles with touchscreen interfaces will grow from 16.7 million units in 2015 to more than 61 million units in 2021.

As well as displays, automotive presents a number of potential opportunities for printed and flexible electronics in lighting and sensor applications. BMW is among the automotive firms committed to integrating organic electronic lighting into vehicles.

 

Flexible transistors

FlexEnable provides the flexible transistor, a platform technology that can be used in combination with OLED or LCD displays, various sensors, and other electronic components. Beyond automotive, the firm is speaking to customers in fields such as medical imaging, security and consumer electronics about applications.

‘What’s exciting is that there are a ton of places where a surface needs to be active. We’re working on x-ray imaging, biometric sensors – like fingerprint, vein or pressure sensors – displays in consumer electronics, and also signage and advertising.’

The company plans to licence its technology to supply chain partners, with a goal to have manufacturing set up in Asia later in 2016.

Milligan adds: ‘We aim to be producing significant volumes via this supply chain in 2017, and be manufacturing in very high volumes in 2018.’ 

 

 

   

 

DuPont introduces conductive inks for in-mould components

A set of four silver conductive inks is being targeted at the booming market in in-mould electronic components by their supplier DuPont Microcircuit Materials.

In-mould printed circuitry can cut the weight of complex non-planar assemblies by up to 70% – Source: DuPont

With in-mould electronics assemblies, conductive ink circuitry can be deposited directly onto the non-planar surfaces.
This offers several advantages over conventional silicon components connected with copper wiring.
In-mould
The main growth end-use segments DuPont identifies for in-mould electronics are home appliances, consumer electronics, aircraft, and motor vehicles.
John Voultos, segment manager for DuPont Microcircuit Materials, says: ‘In-mould electronics can simplify structures significantly while opening the door for more creative design possibilities since designers are no longer restricted to the shapes and form factors of printed circuit boards. These new inks will enable more beautiful appliances and lighter vehicles.’ 


 

Applied Materials introduces new flexible OLED fab platform

Two new thin film encapsulation (TFE) tools for volume manufacture of OLED displays have been unveiled by the Applied Materials.

Applied Materials new equipment will enable high throughput encapsulation of OLED panels – Source: Applied Materials

Both machines – the Applied AKT-20K and the Applied AKT-40K – use plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD).
The California-headquartered company already sells a range of manufacturing equipment using PECVD for various display and solar panel technologies.
Applied Materials notes the new machines will allow display manufacturers to move away from rigid glass protective layers and deposit alternative barriers that can match the flexibility of OLED stacks.
OLED
Brian Shieh is vice president and general manager of display products at Applied Materials. He says: ‘The advances – in size, resolution, picture quality, and form factor – create considerable market opportunities for display makers to bring new flexible products to market.’

 

Exclusive: FlexEnable and Merck produce active-matrix flexible plastic LCD

A demonstrator liquid crystal display (LCD) mounted on a flexible plastic substrate, rather than glass, has been announced by Cambridge company FlexEnable - formerly Plastic Logic.

FlexEnable partnered with global chemicals supplier Merck on the project to create an LCD powered by its organic transistors, thus eschewing the breakable glass layers used in conventional displays.
Speaking exclusively to +Plastic Electronics about the impact of the development, FlexEnable notes that the project has proven a plastic LCD that could be industrially feasible.
Video-rate LCD
FlexEnable strategy director Paul Cain explains: 'We have demonstrated a full video-rate LCD driven with our transistor, which is highly uniform across the area of the device. The significance is that it offers a route to high pixel densities for flexible LCD without going to LTPS [low-temperature polysilicon]. It also allows for processing directly to the LCD stack.'

 

 

 

 

 

     

 

Plastics Have Helped Revolutionize the Electronics We Rely On Every Day 

 

From computers and cell phones to televisions and microwaves, durable, lightweight and affordable plastics have helped revolutionize the electronics we rely on every day. Plastics deliver an incredible range of performance benefits. Their unique combination of performance properties inspires innovation on two fronts: the development of new and better products and the more efficient use of resource.

Plastics enable many of our favorite electronics to do more with less. For instance, plastics are essential to advances in weight reduction and miniaturization in many electronic products, so less material is used in production. In addition, plastics can be engineered to meet very specific performance requirements, often helping to achieve greater energy efficiency over the course of a product’s life.

For more than a decade, ACC’s Plastics Division has been helping promote sound  plastics recycling and  recovery from electronic equipment and products. We sponsor research and development projects, publish new information and support technology transfer initiatives. Our knowledge base has grown significantly in recent years, and as the quest for answers continues, we are committed to working with stakeholders throughout the plastics, electronics supply and stakeholder groups to advance the responsible and cost-effective recycling of plastics from electronic equipment and products.

 

 

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                                        growing plastic film recycling operations. 

 

 

Organic electronics  

 

Organic electronics is a field of materials science concerning the design, synthesis, characterization, and application of organic small molecules or polymers that show desirable electronic properties such as conductivity. Unlike conventional inorganic conductors and semiconductors, organic electronic materials are constructed from organic (carbon-based) small molecules or polymers using synthetic strategies developed in the context of organic and polymer chemistry. One of the promised benefits of organic electronics is their potential low cost compared to traditional inorganic electronics.Attractive properties of polymeric conductors include their electrical conductivity that can be varied by the concentrations of dopants. Relative to metals, they have mechanical flexibility. Some have high thermal stability

 

Conductive organic materials

Typical semiconducting small molecules

Organic conductive materials can be grouped into two main classes: conductive polymers and conductive molecular solids and salts.

Molecular solids and salts

Semiconducting small molecules include polycyclic aromatic compounds such as pentacene and rubrene.

Conductive polymers

Conductive polymers are often typically intrinsically conductive or at least semiconductors. They sometimes show mechanical properties comparable to those of conventional organic polymers. Both organic synthesis and advanced dispersion techniques can be used to tune the electrical properties of conductive polymers, unlike typical inorganic conductors. The most well-studied class of conductive polymers include polyacetylene, polypyrrole, polyaniline, and their copolymers. Poly(p-phenylene vinylene) and its derivatives are used for electroluminescent semiconducting polymers. Poly(3-alkythiophenes) are also a typical material for use in solar cells and transistors.

Organic light-emitting diode

An OLED (organic light-emitting diode) consists of a thin film of organic material that emits light under stimulation by an electric current. A typical OLED consists of an anode, a cathode, OLED organic material and a conductive layer.

Br6A, a next generation pure organic light emitting crystal family

Schematic of a bilayer OLED: 1. Cathode (−), 2. Emissive layer, 3. Emission of radiation, 4. Conductive layer, 5. Anode (+)

Discovery of OLED

André Bernanose^[9][10] was the first person to observe electroluminescence in organic materials, and Ching W. Tang,^[11] reported fabrication of an OLED device in 1987. The OLED device incorporated a double-layer structure motif consisting of separate hole transporting and electron-transporting layers, with light emission taking place in between the two layers. Their discovery opened a new era of current OLED research and device design.

Classification and current research

OLED organic materials can be divided into two major families: small-molecule-based and polymer-based. Small molecule OLEDs (SM-OLEDs) include organometallic chelates(Alq3),^[11] fluorescent and phosphorescent dyes, and conjugated dendrimers. Fluorescent dyes can be selected according to the desired range of emission wavelengths; compounds like perylene and rubrene are often used. Very recently, Dr. Kim J. et al.^[12] at University of Michigan reported a pure organic light emitting crystal, Br6A, by modifying its halogen bonding, they succeeded in tuning the phosphorescence to different wavelengths including green, blue and red. By modifying the structure of Br6A, scientists are attempting to achieve a next generation organic light emitting diode. Devices based on small molecules are usually fabricated by thermal evaporation under vacuum. While this method enables the formation of well-controlled homogeneous film; is hampered by high cost and limited scalability.^{[13] [14]}
Polymer light-emitting diodes (PLEDs), similar to SM-OLED, emit light under an applied electric current. Polymer-based OLEDs are generally more efficient than SM-OLEDs requiring a comparatively lower amount of energy to produce the same luminescence. Common polymers used in PLEDs include derivatives of poly(p-phenylene vinylene)^[15] and polyfluorene. The emitted color can be tuned by substitution of different side chains onto the polymer backbone or modifying the stability of the polymer. In contrast to SM-OLEDs, polymer-based OLEDs cannot be fabricated through vacuum evaporation, and must instead be processed using solution-based techniques. Compared to thermal evaporation, solution based methods are more suited to creating films with large dimensions. Zhenan Bao.^[16] et al. at Stanford University reported a novel way to construct large-area organic semiconductor thin films using aligned single crystalline domains.

Organic field-effect transistor

Rubrene-OFET with the highest charge mobility

An Organic field-effect transistor is a field-effect transistor utilizing organic molecules or polymers as the active semiconducting layer. A field-effect transistor (FET) is any semiconductor material that utilizes electric field to control the shape of a channel of one type of charge carrier, thereby changing its conductivity. Two major classes of FET are n-type and p-type semiconductor, classified according to the charge type carried. In the case of organic FETs (OFETs), p-type OFET compounds are generally more stable than n-type due to the susceptibility of the latter to oxidative damage.

Discovery of the OFET

J.E. Lilienfeld^[17] first proposed the field-effect transistor in 1930, but the first OFET was not reported until 1987, when Koezuka et al. constructed one using Polythiophene^[18] which shows extremely high conductivity. Other conductive polymers have been shown to act as semiconductors, and newly synthesized and characterized compounds are reported weekly in prominent research journals. Many review articles exist documenting the development of these materials.^{[19][20][21][22][23]}

Classification of OFETs and current research

Like OLEDs, OFETs can be classified into small-molecule and polymer-based system. Charge transport in OFETs can be quantified using a measure called carrier mobility; currently, rubrene-based OFETs show the highest carrier mobility of 20–40 cm²/(V·s). Another popular OFET material is Pentacene. Due to its low solubility in most organic solvents, it's difficult to fabricate thin film transistors (TFTs) from pentacene itself using conventional spin-cast or, dip coating methods, but this obstacle can be overcome by using the derivative TIPS-pentacene. Current research focuses more on thin-film transistor (TFT) model, which eliminates the usage of conductive materials. Very recently, two studies conducted by Dr. Bao Z.^[16] et al. and Dr. Kim J.^[24] et al. demonstrated control over the formation of designed thin-film transistors. By controlling the formation of crystalline TFT, it is possible to create an aligned (as opposed to randomly ordered) charge transport pathway, resulting in enhanced charge mobility.

Organic electronic devices

Organics-based flexible display

Five structures of organic photovoltaic materials

Organic solar cells could cut the cost of solar power by making use of inexpensive organic polymers rather than the expensive crystalline silicon used in most solar cells. What's more, the polymers can be processed using low-cost equipment such as ink-jet printers or coating equipment employed to make photographic film, which reduces both capital and operating costs compared with conventional solar-cell manufacturing.^[25]
Silicon thin-film solar cells on flexible substrates allow a significant cost reduction of large-area photovoltaics for several reasons:^[26]

1. The so-called 'roll-to-roll'-deposition on flexible sheets is much easier to realize in terms of technological effort than deposition on fragile and heavy glass sheets.
2. Transport and installation of lightweight flexible solar cells also saves cost as compared to cells on glass.

Inexpensive polymeric substrates like polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or polycarbonate (PC) have the potential for further cost reduction in photovoltaics. Protomorphous solar cells prove to be a promising concept for efficient and low-cost photovoltaics on cheap and flexible substrates for large-area production as well as small and mobile applications.^[26]
One advantage of printed electronics is that different electrical and electronic components can be printed on top of each other, saving space and increasing reliability and sometimes they are all transparent. One ink must not damage another, and low temperature annealing is vital if low-cost flexible materials such as paper and plastic film are to be used. There is much sophisticated engineering and chemistry involved here, with iTi, Pixdro, Asahi Kasei, Merck & Co.|Merck, BASF, HC Starck, Hitachi Chemical and Frontier Carbon Corporation among the leaders.^[27] Electronic devices based on organic compounds are now widely used, with many new products under development. Sony reported the first full-color, video-rate, flexible, plastic display made purely of organic materials;^[28][29] television screen based on OLED materials; biodegradable electronics based on organic compound and low-cost organic solar cell are also available.

Fabrication methods

There are important differences between the processing of small molecule organic semiconductors and semiconducting polymers. Small molecule semiconductors are quite often insoluble and typically require deposition via vacuum sublimation. While usually thin films of soluble conjugated polymers. Devices based on conductive polymers can be prepared by solution processing methods. Both solution processing and vacuum based methods produce amorphous and polycrystalline films with variable degree of disorder. "Wet" coating techniques require polymers to be dissolved in a volatile solvent, filtered and deposited onto a substrate. Common examples of solvent-based coating techniques include drop casting, spin-coating, doctor-blading, inkjet printing and screen printing. Spin-coating is a widely used technique for small area thin film production. It may result in a high degree of material loss. The doctor-blade technique results in a minimal material loss and was primarily developed for large area thin film production. Vacuum based thermal deposition of small molecules requires evaporation of molecules from a hot source. The molecules are then transported through vacuum onto a substrate. The process of condensing these molecules on the substrate surface results in thin film formation. Wet coating techniques can in some cases be applied to small molecules depending on their solubility.

Organic solar cells

Bilayer organic photovoltaic cell

Compared to conventional inorganic solar cell, organic solar cells have the advantage of lower fabrication cost. An organic solar cell is a device that uses organic electronics to convert light into electricity. Organic solar cells utilize organic photovoltaic materials, organic semiconductor diodes that convert light into electricity. Figure to the right shows five commonly used organic photovoltaic materials. Electrons in these organic molecules can be delocalized in a delocalized π orbital with a corresponding π* antibonding orbital. The difference in energy between the π orbital, or highest occupied molecular orbital(HOMO), and π* orbital, or lowest unoccupied molecular orbital(LUMO) is called the band gap of organic photovoltaic materials. Typically, the band gap lies in the range of 1-4eV.^[30][31][32]
The difference in the band gap of organic photovoltaic materials leads to different chemical structures and forms of organic solar cells. Different forms of solar cells includes single-layer organic photovoltaic cells, bilayer organic photovoltaic cells and heterojunction photovoltaic cells. However, all three of these types of solar cells share the approach of sandwiching the organic electronic layer between two metallic conductors, typically indium tin oxide.^[33]

Illustration of thin film transistor device

Organic field-effect transistors

An organic field-effect transistor device consists of three major components: the source, the drain and the gate. Generally, a field-effect transistor has two plates, source in contact with drain and the gate respectively, working as conducting channel. The electrons move from source to the drain, and the gate serves to control the electrons’ movement from source to drain. Different types of FETs are designed based on carrier properties. Thin film transistor (TFT), among them, is an easy fabricating one. In a thin film transistor, the source and drain are made by directly depositing a thin layer of semiconductor followed by a thin film of insulator between semiconductor and the metal gate contact. Such a thin film is made by either thermal evaporation, or simply spins coating. In a TFT device, there is no carrier movement between the source and drain. After applying a positive charge, accumulation of electrons on the interface cause bending of the semiconductor and ultimately lowers the conduction band with regards to the Fermi-level of the semiconductor. Finally, a highly conductive channel is formed at the interface.


 sign in plastic electronic  :
Plastic electronics encompasses the materials science, chemistry and physics of molecular electronic materials and the application of such materials to displays, lighting, flexible thin film electronics, solar energy conversion, sensors, communications, smart textiles and biomedicine.


                                             

                                                 


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