3M

IDTechEx report back from SID - Day two

As the interest in electronic paper technologies continues some of the major developers where present in the exhibition.

3M partners with NREL to develop thin film solar energy technology

3M has teamed up with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to develop technology for the creation of low-cost thin-film photovoltaic modules. The $7.33 million partnership will also include concentrating solar power and biofuel technology development.

IDTechEx exhibiting at SID later this month

Visit IDTechEx at our booth at SID (1309), where you will have a chance to speak with the IDTechEx team as well as the opportunity to discuss specific developments with our analysts.

NREL and 3M sign agreement on renewable energy research

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has announced a series of Cooperative Research and Development Agreements with 3M, the Minneapolis based technology company.

The truly integrated circuit is printed and flexible

For 40 years, so called integrated circuits have integrated little more than transistors, diodes and sensors onto one piece of material but now there are much more integrated circuits arriving where most electrical and electronic components are co-deposited on flexible substrates. Those flexible substrates are key, because this new electronics will be affordable and desirable on everything from apparel to human skin and electrical and consumer packaged goods, where surfaces are only rarely flat.

Printing large batteries

170 years ago, Faraday appreciated the different electrical properties of nano gold over bulk metal in electrical devices, so applying nanotechnology to these things is scarcely new. However, the huge sums now being applied to improvement of lithium traction batteries in particular are now leading to work on a much larger scale and thin film technology, nanotechnology and printing are in increasingly important part of this.

Lithium vehicle traction batteries and harvesting

The conference of about 40 people "Lithium Battery Technology and System Development" in London 9 March 2010 was concerned with "breaking barriers for electric vehicles".

MuTracx secures additional Lunaris project funding of US$11.3M

MuTracx BV, a technology spin-out from Océ Technologies, have secured additional funding of US$11.3M for the Lunaris project. Lunaris is an industrialized solution for the jetting of etch resist for Printed Circuit Board (PCB) inner layers. The additional funds have been raised from multiple sources and bring the total post spin-out funding to US$17.5M.

Intel teams up with Glasgow University

Intel teams up with Glasgow University to facilitate the design of future nanoscale memories A European taskforce has been set up to investigate how to design the next generation of tera-scale computer memory systems.

Highlights from the 2010 Flexible Electronics and Displays Conference

Chris Giacoponello introduced NTERA's concept of "printegration", the possibility to integrate a display, a sensor and a battery by using successive printing steps. NTERA's technology is based on viologen inks that change colour upon accepting electrical charge. Without a need for a transparent conductor, they can be directly deposited on any opaque substrate (e.g. paper, PCB) with better reflectivity and lower cost (avoiding costly ITO).Company demonstrators include RF-powered displays (co-operation with poly-IC), solar powered ones (co-operation with Plextronics) and a device comprising a printed display & battery stack, demonstrated in June 2009.

SID low power displays & touch screen technologies conference - day 2

Dr Harry Zervos, IDTechEx's Technology Analyst concludes his observations at the 2nd day of the SID conference focusing on touch panels and overlays.

Scientists predict the unpredictable to guide future nano-chip design

Scientists at the University of Glasgow, in collaboration with colleagues from Edinburgh, Manchester, Southampton and York universities, have developed technology, which will help microchip designers create future integrated circuits.

DuPont boosts effort on CIGS and other photovoltaics

In July, it was announced that DuPont, the global science-based products company that is one of the largest chemical companies in the world, will receive $3m in funding from the US Department of Energy for a solar research program.

Inorganic printed electronics employs new compounds

There are huge opportunities for companies providing inorganic chemicals to printed and potentially printed electronics. Here, Dr Peter Harrop, Chairman, IDTechEx, summarises some of the findings from the new IDTechEx report "Inorganic and Composite Printed Electronics 2009-2019."

Aistrup Consulting launches new strategic marketing service

Aistrup Consulting launches new strategic marketing service at Printed Electronics Europe '09 to help printed electronics companies exceed revenue goals and drive better business decisions

OLEDs to be rescued by inorganic chemistry?

The largest potential market for OLEDs is for mass produced, flexible, low cost versions, particularly wide area types with long life because they enable many exciting new product concepts to be realised rather than replace existing displays in familiar devices.

The new chemistry of printed electronics

Things have now become really exciting with a huge range of new chemicals, nanotechnology and printing technology brought to bear and sophisticated thin film deposition techniques other than printing being tailored to play a part.

A major milestone - white OLED technology exceeds 100 lm/W

Steven V Abramson, CEO of Universal Display says that through this record milestone, white OLEDs are moving a significant step closer to becoming a key participant in the $100 billion per year lighting industry.

Motorola printing wide area sensors

Like 3M and Illinois Tool Works, Motorola has had many activities involved in printed electronics and they have often been independent.