Masterclasses

 

This masterclass will cover the Internet of Things by examining the applications, case studies and enabling technologies. It will start by addressing the enabling technologies, with appraisal of the different technologies, pricing and capability and limitations. Key providers of each technology and their progress will be covered. This will include:

 

 

The session will then assess the three main application areas of IoT by assessing the applications, key players, successes, failures and market size for each of the following:

 

 

Ten-year forecasts across a range of market segments will be provided with key trends and unmet needs covered throughout the session.

 

Designed for those who seek to understand the big picture to assess the challenges and opportunities in relation to printed, flexible and organic electronics, this masterclass will arm you with the latest knowledge of the applications and technology developments involving printed electronics. The class will cover:

 

 

 

 

Analysts will cover how each of the following technology options work; the advantages and disadvantages of each; market size and forecasts; case studies; suppliers; costs; technical and market challenges and opportunities:

 

 

 

 

This masterclass provides you with a full assessment of this complex and rapidly changing technology from analysts that have studied the topic since 2002.

 

Tumbling battery costs have gradually opened up portable electronics markets that simply did not exist a decade ago: the next logical step is large-scale vehicle electrification. IDTechEx has been following electric vehicles from their very inception, and it is clear that we will witness a revolution in the transport sector sooner than previously thought.

 

On the materials development side, the trend is towards faster, safer and more energy-dense batteries. These three factors are at odds with each other, meaning that battery makers will only adopt certain electrode or electrolyte chemistries once all of the underlying problems have been solved. This is the case of sulphur cathode and solid-state electrolytes, but also silicon-dominant anode materials.

 

In terms of manufacturing, there is a strong uncertainty over the reliable supply of some raw materials, like lithium and cobalt; others like graphite are experiencing a shift from natural to synthetic sources. After years of dominance in battery manufacturing by Japan and Korea, China is now leading in terms of added production capacity, with some companies claiming to be able to manufacture up to 100 GWh/year within the next few years.

 

While the spotlight is often on automotive vehicles, there are many more interesting markets undergoing a transition, including niche sectors like industrial vehicles, mining vehicles, drones, and marine vessels. Each market has different performance specifications, and LiBs will adapt to each case scenario.

 

What can beat Li-ion? Potentially disruptive energy storage technologies include lithium-sulphur batteries, which could enable pure electric airplanes and flying taxis, as well as long-range drones. Lithium-air batteries and drop-in technologies like sodium-ion and are also being investigated, but they are still at an early stage.

 

The printed electronics industry is largely being driven forward by innovation in materials. In fact, the material end of the value is currently where most of the action and value is. Every large material and chemical company in the world is involved and the business landscape is full of SMEs and start-ups hoping to commercialize their latest innovative materials.

 

The advanced material space is inevitably highly diverse and complex. On the technical side, printable materials must fulfil a variety of roles ranging from conducting to insulating, rigid to stretchable, transparent to light-emitting, screen to inkjet printing, thermal to photo-curing, etc.

 

On the commercial side, printable materials must satisfy the challenging performance and price requirements exacted by devices, applications, and markets that fall under the greater umbrella term of 'printed electronics'. This is a diverse and broad group that includes displays and lighting, photovoltaics, transistors and memory, smart packaging, etc

 

The materials business remains the most exciting, dynamic, and innovative part of the printed electronics industry. In this class, we have selected some of the most important and/or promising materials of the printed electronics industry. For each material, we will describe the business context within which it competes, the latest technological progress, the primary application requirements, and the critical technical and business challenges facing the suppliers.

 

 

 

 

For each material above, we will describe the technological as well as the commercial aspects. More specifically, the following will be assessed:

 

 

This session is based on IDTechEx research conducted on advanced functional materials since 1999, in addition to world class academic experts.

 

Structural electronics (SE) is one of the most important technological developments of this century. The topic involves electronic and/or electrical components and circuits that act as load-bearing, protective, or integrated structures. This can take the form of completely replacing "dumb" structures or having the electronics conformally placed upon them.

 

A key focus will be the competitive route into introducing electronics into 3D structures. This includes In-mold electronics (IME), molded interconnect devices (MID), 3D printing of electronics (3DPE), and aerosol jet printing. Each have differing complexity, players, and ultimately applications which will be explored within this class.

 

The class will expand into other areas that electronics can be included into structural or semi-structural applications, such as the use of smart skins in transportation, sensors for failure detection in the energy sector, opportunities for solar in windows, and full design rethinks as concepts like "massless energy" are explored.

 

 

 

Global trends and the market outlook is provided based on new IDTechEx research on the topic matter.

 

The arrival of global 5th Generation Wireless Systems (5G) is imminent. 5G will not only accelerate the growth and expansion of the telecom industry but it will also redefine and accelerate industries such as automotive, entertainment, computing, and manufacturing. How to benefit directly from the massive market opportunity of 5G is a key question for business leaders and those responsible for business innovation.

 

This masterclass will provide a holistic view of 5G from various perspectives, including:

 

 

In this forum we will identify the market opportunities in 5G by assessing the case study, key players, successes, failures and market size for each of the following:

 

 

Ten-year forecasts across a range of market segments will be provided with key trends and unmet needs covered throughout the session.

 

Since the first introduction by Sony in 1990s, lithium-ion batteries have become one of the most familiar and common battery technologies in our life. The involving technologies are relatively mature and the facilities are in place. With the expansion of existing manufacturing plants by battery giants such as Samsung SDI, LG Chem and Panasonic, economies of scale have been achieved.

 

However, with so many advantages, the improvement of lithium-ion batteries is slow compared with other electronic components, both in terms of performance and cost reduction. The liquid electrolyte used in the traditional lithium-ion batteries may cause serious safety concerns.

In addition, with the development of wearable devices, printed electronics, internet of things (IoT), robotics and electric vehicles, batteries with more features, more powerful performances and lower costs are required. Those factors have motivated players to find bigger opportunities.

Therefore, the battery industry is explored based on a number of different dimensions. Interests have been aroused in:

 

 

All the areas listed above indicate new opportunities. Those areas may be influenced by each other and may have some overlap. For instance, batteries with better technologies may be used in ESS and EV applications, providing better safety and better performance. A thin-film battery is also flexible, and can be made by printing, or based on all solid-state components, or be very small. Market growth of these areas is affected by the costs. Except the last one (ESS and EV applications), the others are also limited significantly by technology maturity.

 

This masterclass will focus on several angles from what are listed above: battery thickness, battery mechanical properties, battery manufacturing method and battery materials, especially on flexible, thin-film, printed and solid-state batteries. The following points will be addressed:

 

Graphene is billed as the wonder material of our time. It has received tremendous media attention and is the recipient of large sums of research and commercialization funds. Today, an army of researchers around the globe are advancing the technology, whilst numerous companies are now seeking to commercialize it.

 

In this class, we will look at the past, the present and the future of graphene commercialization, looking at the market complexity/fragmentation, pricing as well as investment/revenue/profitability trends, go-to-market strategies, grand technical and commercial challenges, and so on.

 

We will then examine the graphene technology itself, looking at the material characteristics of different graphenes, reviewing the different production processes, and assessing a big range of potential applications from electronic inks to battery materials, from various composite fillers to functional coatings, and so on. At all times, we will seek to highlight the latest prototypes and commercial launches, whilst making our application assessment as data-based and quantitative as possible.

 

Non-graphene 2D Materials are also now at the forefront of the next wave of research with many hoping that it will lead to the establishment of a diverse family of complementary 2D materials covering the full range of material characteristics. In this class, we will highlight some of the ways for making non-graphene 2D materials whilst reviewing the latest technical progress on a few select 2D materials.

 

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were also once billed as the wonder material of our time. They have therefore been there and done that, and interestingly, CNTs are now quietly making a commercial comeback after doing their time in the wilderness of the disillusionment period.

 

In this class, we will provide a historical perspective on how CNT commercialization has progressed in the past decade, and will consider its future demonstrating that it has finally entered into a major volume growth phase. Here too, we will provide a brief review of types of CNTs, of the different production processes, and of the key existing and emerging applications and market trends.

 

It is hoped that this class will give you strong understanding of the technology as well as the market potential and current commercial progress of these most famous of nanomaterials.

 

Wearable technologies has become the new hot topic. Indeed, it is estimated that the total addressable market will grow to $100 billion in the next decade. But while many are targeting healthcare applications, few have actually succeeded. In this context, it is necessary to have a critical look at the market trends, and to assess what it means in terms of growth and profitability.

 

On the technology side, most of the existing products leverage the components that have been developed over the years for the mobile phone industry. However, there are exciting new technologies coming up, from flexible displays to biometric sensors. This session will introduce the new materials and technologies that will enable future wearable devices.

 

 

 

This masterclass assesses the range of printing and non-printing manufacturing options for printed, organic and flexible electronics. Attendees will learn about the technology capabilities, market applicability, key players, trends and opportunities. The class will cover:

 

 

 

 

The following printing types will be covered:

 

 

 

 

 

 

This session is partly based on IDTechEx research of over 100 relevant suppliers.

 

 

The conductive ink and paste business is one of the largest in the printed electronics space. Indeed, conductive inks have commercially roared ahead whilst many more complex and higher profile forms of printed electronics devices/systems have struggled.

 

Conductive ink and paste technology is also wonderfully adaptive, enabling it to continually rejuvenate itself to stay relevant and enabling it to find markets in all manner of applications, from textiles to military equipment.

 

This is also a market where everything has changed since 2014. The market leadership in traditional volume markets has changed hands with previously low-cost low-quality suppliers rising to the top. The paste manufacturers are now all in search of new emerging markets in the hope that future growth in some will compensate for the decline or the loss of market share in the traditional sectors. Consequently, most paste makers have hugely diversified their product offerings addressing a diverse array of nascent markets each with a different set of technology and market challenges/opportunities. These are exciting times in the conductive ink business.

 

In our masterclass we will cover the main existing and emerging conductive ink and paste technologies such as firing-type pastes, PTFs, nanoparticle inks, particle free inks and silver substitutes such as various copper ink technologies.

 

We will then cover a broad range of conductive ink applications, giving our attendees a comprehensive understanding of core/existing and emerging markets. In particular, we will focus on applications which are most relevant to the themes of our conferences. These include:

 

 

This masterclass will assess the latest progress with this topic, covering functional materials and components suited for use with textiles, fabrics and stretchable electronics. Typical material choices by substrate type will be shared, including discussion of the challenges around washability, wear resistance, contact resistances etc.

 

In addition to these technology details this masterclass will cover application needs for wearable electronics - what end-users see as the minimum viable products, and will look at case studies of e-textiles today - covering cost, product functionality and market trends.

 

Key suppliers focussing on this area will be revealed in addition to market forecasts based on the latest IDTechEx research.

 

Flexible, Hybrid Electronics encompasses the combination of conventional electronic components and/or flexible/printed components onto flexible substrates. Often multiple components need to be integrated with different profiles, form factors and sizes. The use of flexible substrates also means that lower temperature attachment processes are preferred, but that can result in challenges around conductivity and reliability. All of these issues and the emerging solutions - from both a manufacturing and materials viewpoint - are covered in this masterclass.

 

The session opens with examples of flexible hybrid devices and their applications. It then provides a deep dive on the appropriate technology areas, covering:

 

 

Substrates bring robustness and can enable flexibility, but at the same time place substantial constraints on the manufacturing process (e.g., thermal budget, dimensional stability) in a way that they can largely determine device performance. Many plastic solutions are now being offered such as PET and PEN but also paper-based substrates are increasingly gaining attention. This session considers the main substrates for flexible hybrid electronics, with appraisal of their relative performance, cost, capabilities, limitations and current and intended applications.

 

 

Analysis of thinned, flexible silicon ICs and progress with other types of flexible ICs, including metal oxide semiconductor based devices is given. Manufacturing options are covered with examples of applications.

 

 

In this session the main types of component attach solutions are covered, including pick and place, flip chip, direct wafer-to-substrate assembly and other types. The applications for each are given, along with challenges and future progress. The key providers are listed.

 

 

This section appraises the key options used for component attach, from conductive adhesives to other emerging types including low temperature solder.

This class will look at the emerging technological trends enabled by next generation sensors in four areas. The class will focus on the key application areas that will undergo large-scale change over the next decade, with sensors as the key enabling technology. Whilst end results and applications are varied, the sensing technologies used in each of these sectors have inherent similarities. This class brings these topics together around their component-level building blocks, describing the broad application opportunities available to players in these fields.

 

The topics covered are:

 

 

This masterclass will provide an overview of key technologies used today in the above-mentioned areas, with particular focus on detection principles, commercial development status, market analysis and future trends. IDTechEx will detail the technologies, challenges, and opportunities in relevant applications. The following points will be addressed:

 

 

Energy storage technologies are the key stone of the future of sustainable energy systems. Supercapacitors are an emerging energy storage technology with exceptional high-power characteristics and longer useful lifetimes than mainstream energy storage technologies such as lithium batteries. The development of this technology has been progressing at a faster rate in the last 10 years. The transport industry is using them in trains, electric buses and cars. Smartphones may have supercapacitors in the near future in order to improve their energy efficiency and so on.

 

This masterclass will give you all the knowledge you need to understand this emerging technology, its market potential and its role in the energy storage space.

 

We will lead you from the basic technical concepts up to the most recent technology developments in the area and to understand applications in different industries.

 

Join us as we dive into this exciting emerging technology.

 

 

 

Transparent conductive films (TCFs) are used in a variety of applications including touch screens, OLED lighting, organic photovoltaics, smart windows, transparent LED films, heating, and so on.

 

In this class, we will learn about the different technology options. We will first consider the performance levels and merits, as well as the shortcomings of the incumbent technologies. Here, we will also consider how the threat of substitutes, price wars, technology transition towards embedded touch are reconfiguring the market.

 

Next, we will consider a series of emerging alternative technology options such as silver nanowires, metal mesh (photolithography, emboss/fill, print/etch, print/plate, screen printing, gravure printing, inkjet printing, etc), graphene, carbon nanotubes, PEDOT, and so on. In our discussions, we will examine the merits and challenges facing each technology option and review the latest technical and commercial progress from around the world.

 

Furthermore, we will also consider key applications areas, considering how trends at the application level are changing the requirements such as resistivity and flexibility, and how these requirement changes link to different technology options.

 

 

Many optoelectronic devices/materials such as OLEDs, OPVs, QDs are highly sensitive to moisture, requiring ultra-high-performance barrier or encapsulation layers. Glass is an excellent barrier, but is rigid, therefore potentially stripping away organic electronics of a key differentiating attribute, which is flexibility.

 

In this class we will consider the performance requirements for barrier layers by application. Here, we will consider the market drivers for each application and the latest trends in barrier requirements and implementation approaches. We will also consider why it has been so challenging to commercially achieve the required barrier technology.

 

Next, we will consider a variety of multi-layer barrier film technologies by different companies, considering the performance levels achieved, the production challenges faced, and the evolution of the deposition processes thus far.

 

We will then consider how the film approach has evolved towards direct thin film encapsulation (TFE). For TFE itself we will consider the commercial uptake so far and examine how various technology evolutions have enabled thinner and lower cost implementations.

 

We will then consider atomic layer deposition (ALD). Here, we consider how the switch towards spatial ALDs is helping boost productivity whilst achieving high performance with ultra-thin single layers. We then consider the challenges of this technology and cover some innovations that seek to address these challenges.

 

Finally, we will consider flexible glass. Here, we offer a detailed assessment of the merits of flexible glass. We will also outline some of the approaches pursued today to improve the flexibility of flexible glass and to enable better handling.

 

 

Biosensors are used prolifically across the global healthcare market for the diagnosis and monitoring of diseases and health conditions such as diabetes, cancer and infectious diseases. Due to the increasing global population, as well as a growing trend of decentralization and technological advancement, the total addressable market for medical biosensors is expected to grow markedly over the next ten years. This masterclass will detail these factors and draw conclusions on the impact they will likely have on the global medical biosensor market. Opportunities for capitalizing on current and upcoming trends will be outlined, including discussion of the likely areas of expansion in the addressable market for biosensors in healthcare.

 

 

 

 

This masterclass will provide a critical analysis of incumbent and emerging biosensor technologies in the context of the whole market, and how the competitive landscape is expected to change over the next decade.

 

The electric car market is at the start of an explosive stage of growth: plug-in passenger electrics alone are forecasted by IDTechEx to sell over 25 million units per year in 2029, making up at least 30% of total sales by that point. However, at the same time, overall passenger car sales will reach a tipping point, and may have already peaked last year, due to the mass movement of people into cities, decline in car ownership, mobility sharing and other trends.

 

As a result, companies throughout the value chain must look to profitable opportunities away from the imminent car shakeout. This masterclass will provide a detailed overview of multiple categories on land, sea, and air, with a view to transferrable technologies, potential for electrification, and the changing landscape of market incentives.

 

 

 

This masterclass will give an overview of sensors made with printed electronics processes. Participants will learn about the technology, target markets and value proposition of these devices. Areas where printing adds value will be outlined for each type of sensor (pressure, temperature, optical, touch, electrochemical, etc.). Advantages of flexible and stretchable sensors, as well as large-area sensors will also be covered and the leading companies in each segment will be presented.

 

During the session, IDTechEx will show the latest trends and identify the commercial opportunities. It will include:

 

1. The market size today and forecast

 

2. Detailed assessment of emerging printed sensor technologies including: capacitive, force, pressure, temperature, optical, gas and other sensor types. For each sensor type the following will be provided:

 

In the process of electrification of vehicles there is plenty of room for innovation. Petrol car components and systems have evolved during the last 100 years and whilst electric vehicles have been developed for the last 30 years or so, they are still far off being optimized. New materials have been developed recently that are opening new possibilities for new concepts for better performance components. This masterclass explores the evolution of these developments and what could be their impact on future automotive concepts.

 

Electric vehicles will need new components and new materials given that the energy source, drive trains, motors and control systems are completely different to conventional vehicles. This masterclass will explore the opportunities for new materials and components, covering each of the main categories as follows:

 

 

Attendees will learn about the requirements of vehicle makers based on their vehicle development roadmaps, current state of the technology, suppliers, development trends and areas of focus and under-supplied development areas

Flexible and foldable displays have finally arrived on the market. As a result we are witnessing the creation of a new product category. So far we have seen the very first products and many more product iterations can be expected in the years to come. Indeed, we are now right at the beginning of the commercialization journey.

 

At IDTechEx we have been analysing the technology and market trends leading to this point for the past ten years. In this talk, we will help you understand this emerging technology landscape, assessing technology challenges and solutions across all layers of flexible and foldable displays.

 

To this end, we have developed a comprehensive class that will cover all the technologies that are supporting, and will support, the transition of displays from rigid to plastic to flexible and foldable. The outline of the class is as follows:

 

 

By the end of this part of the class you will have developed an in-depth yet comprehensive understanding of the existing and emerging technology options that are likely to form part of the OLED-based flexible/foldable display ecosystem.

 

Subsequently, the class will give a brief overview of other displays technologies that are enabling, or might enable, flexible/foldable displays including LCDs and reflective displays.

 

Finally, we will give an overview of the progress of printed OLED displays, updating our audiences about the status of material performance, processing capability, and commercialization.

 

This session provides the complete picture of the RFID industry, including NFC to UHF (RAIN) RFID. The RFID market and use and potential use of printed electronics for smart packaging is explored in great depth in this session. The masterclass will cover:

 

 

 

 

 

This session is based on research conducted by IDTechEx on RFID since 1999. It will provide an exceptionally comprehensive assessment of the RFID sector.

Electronic skin patches have risen in popularity alongside the meteoric rise in interest around wearable devices peaking in 2014. However, the interest in the area has its own grounding, with several skin patch product areas experiencing significant growth and becoming markets worth billions of dollars each year.

 

This masterclass will cover the types of electronic skin patch which are in the market today, the technology behind them, and the future prospects for these devices within each of the markets they address. As a diverse product sector unified only by how they are worn, the picture involves a diverse landscape of different devices, markets and players.

 

For example, the two largest markets for electronic skin patches today are in cardiac monitoring and in diabetes management. This masterclass will discuss details of the skin patch products sold today, but also the wider device ecosystem within which they compete. This trend applies across each market sector for electronic skin patches; it is never the case that skin patches are the only possible product to address a certain market need, so in each case, understanding of the underlying market dynamic is required when discussing the prospects of the skin patch product.

 

Beyond diabetes management and cardiovascular options, this session will explore options for electronic skin patch products in a variety of other markets. This includes examples of their use in medical patient monitoring (both inpatient and outpatient), motion sensing, temperature sensing (e.g. fever monitoring, fertility tracking, etc.), drug and cosmetic delivery patches, smart bandages for wound care and more.

 

This masterclass will also deliver background information on the technology behind the products today. In order to make skin patches, the devices must have some degree of interface between usually rigid electronics and the flexible, stretchable human skin. As such, many companies with component and material options for stretchable and conformal electronics are exploring this product area. The masterclass will discuss some of these options and their progress.

 

On the technology side, most of the existing products leverage the components that have been developed over the years for the mobile phone industry. However, there are exciting new technologies coming up, from flexible displays to biometric sensors. This session will introduce the new materials and technologies that will enable future wearable devices.