NANOIDENT Technologies AG, the world leader in printed
semiconductor-based optoelectronic sensors, today announced it has
opened the world's first manufacturing facility for the delivery of
printed semiconductor-based optoelectronics. The NANOIDENT ORGANIC FAB
(OFAB) GmbH, located in Linz, Austria, supports high-volume production
and will use the company's SEMICONDUCTOR 2.0 Platform to deliver
printed semiconductor-based products for the NANOIDENT Group of
companies, which includes NANOIDENT Technologies AG, NANOIDENT
Biometrics GmbH, NANOIDENT Biometrics SAS and BIOIDENT Technologies,
Inc. With its environmentally friendly production process, the OFAB
can produce printed electronic devices quickly and at a fraction of
the cost of a traditional silicon-based semiconductor fab.
"Just as we can't imagine our lives today without electronic
devices that rely on silicon-based semiconductors, in the near future
the same will apply to printed electronics-based applications," said
Craig Cruickshank, principal analyst at cintelliq. "NANOIDENT's OFAB
opening is a significant step forward to making the vision of printed
electronics a reality with the first of what will be a growing number
of printed electronics facilities worldwide."
With the company's SEMICONDUCTOR 2.0 Platform technology (see
today's related release: NANOIDENT SEMICONDUCTOR 2.0 Platform Drives
Printed Semiconductor Development) and OFAB production facility,
NANOIDENT is enabling new, innovative solutions in a wide range of
markets, including consumer, industrial, life sciences and security,
that were previously cost-prohibitive or simply not able to be created
due to the physical constraints of silicon. Moreover, expensive masks,
wasted material and dangerous acids used for etching are not needed
with printed electronics. Toxic materials are not used in the OFAB,
making it a green production process.
"The OFAB opening marks a major industry achievement by bringing a
new class of printed electronics from the lab to the fab," said Klaus
G. Schroeter, CEO, NANOIDENT. "Printed semiconductor-based
optoelectronic devices created by the OFAB will usher in an era of new
application types -- traditionally not well-suited for silicon --
which will improve healthcare, enhance personal and homeland security,
as well as drive new industrial applications. These applications are
just the beginning, as we look forward to driving continued
advancements for printed devices that will enhance peoples' lives."
NANOIDENT's OFAB is fitted with a class 100 cleanroom (less than
100 half-micrometer particles per cubic foot). To produce printed
electronics at the OFAB, nanomaterials are deposited onto a substrate
using advanced printing methods. The process is extremely fast. For
example, traditional chip manufacturing takes approximately two to
three months. In the OFAB, the entire process can be completed in
hours or days, depending on the application. Prototypes and volume
production can be run on the same equipment, which allows for highly
customized devices. Production capacity can easily be scaled as needed
by adding more equipment.
The NANOIDENT OFAB workflow includes:
-- Design - Printed electronics uses many of the same electronic
design automation (EDA) tools as conventional integrated
circuit (IC) design. The finished layout is translated into
files that are read by the printing equipment.
-- Materials Management - All materials are subjected to a
variety of sophisticated chemical, electrical and mechanical
tests.
-- Ink Formulation - The "printing inks" used in the OFAB consist
of conducting and semiconducting conjugated polymers and/or
other nanomaterials that are formulated into solvents, which
serve as the functional layers for the printed electronic
device.
-- Substrate Preparation - Before printing, the substrate must be
cleaned and treated to promote adhesion. Printed electronics
can use virtually any substrate, including glass, plastic
foil, ceramic or even silicon for a complex hybrid system. The
substrate can have a variety of mechanical properties - rigid
or flexible, flat or curved, thick or as thin as 20
micrometers (one-fifth the thickness of standard paper).
-- Functional Layer 1 - n - Printing is done one layer at a time
(semiconductor, conductor, insulator, resistor and
dielectric), each deposited using an advanced printing system.
With feature sizes as small as 10 micrometers, the layers must
align precisely for the device to function properly, so the
substrate is mounted on an X-Y table, a precision instrument
with high-speed linear motors enabling precise control with
sub-micrometer accuracy.
-- Curing - Each layer must be dry before subsequent layers are
printed.
-- Dicing - Just as in a silicon fab, many devices can be printed
on one substrate. Once all layers have been printed and cured,
a computer-controlled laser or glass dicing system precisely
cuts the individual pieces apart. All devices then go through
an automated electrical/optical test.
-- Assembly (optional) - If needed, other components such as a
microcontroller, can be attached for complex hybrid systems.
-- Packaging - Printed electronics do not generally require
traditional, molded plastic chip packaging. In many
applications the substrate is the component packaging.
OFAB Webcast
The company will conduct a live Webcast about the OFAB opening
today at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time. To join the live Webcast or to view a
recording following the event, please visit
http://www.nanoident.com/NewsCenter/webcast.php
For artwork, please visit
http://www.nanoident.com/Siteservice/Download_Images.htm
About NANOIDENT Technologies AG
NANOIDENT is the world leader in the development and manufacture
of printed semiconductor-based optoelectronic sensors. The company's
core technology merges the latest breakthroughs in materials science
and nanotechnology with modern printing techniques to create a new
class of semiconductor devices. The revolutionary SEMICONDUCTOR 2.0
Platform is the basis of the world's first commercial printed photonic
sensors, enabling a whole new generation of applications in the
industrial, biometric and life science markets.
NANOIDENT's high-speed, environmentally friendly manufacturing
process utilizes liquid nanomaterials and additive production
techniques. These liquids are used to print electronic circuits on a
wide variety of surfaces, producing products in mere hours for
prototype as well as high-volume applications. The company's printed
semiconductor devices can be bendable, disposable, light, ultra-thin
and large area. They have application specific spectral and electronic
properties and can contain light sources and light detectors as well
as electronic circuits. These unique characteristics enable
cost-effective, custom designed devices for applications such as
industrial, chemical, biological, biometric and X-ray sensors, printed
OLED displays for smart packaging and electronic signage.
Privately held, the company is headquartered in Linz, Austria,
with subsidiaries in Menlo Park, California and Grenoble, France.
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NANOIDENT Technologies AG
Ulrike Kaiser
Untere Donaulaende 21-25
A-4020 Linz, Austria
Tel.: +43 732 9024 0000
e-Mail: press@NANOIDENT.com
www.NANOIDENT.com
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