Europe taking the lead in printed electronics
22 June 2007
Dr. Peter Harrop, Chairman of IDTechEx explains how Europe is taking global leadership in Printed Electronics
Surprisingly, Europe has been pulling ahead of the rest of the world in many aspects of printed and potentially printed electronics just lately. In 2007, Nanoident opened the world’s first printed semiconductor factory in Austria, initially making photodetector arrays. Plastic logic of the UK raised $100million to build the world’s first factory making displays with printed organic transistor backplanes. In Dresden, Germany, AMD develops thin film memory technology, having registered more patents on the subject than any other company. Thin Film Electronics of Sweden is another global leader developing printed memory. PolyIC of Germany is selling the first printed transistor organic RFID labels, and Professor Song of Manchester University has set a world recording highest frequency printed transistors, with a spin-off to sell them. European companies elumin8 and Pelikon are among those leading the commercialisation of electroluminescent displays. ACREO and Menippos in Europe are among the global leaders in printing electronics on paper.
-The first trade association and leading initiatives
It is in Germany that the world’s first trade association for organic electronics has been set up. The Organic Electronics Association (OE-A) is an information and communication platform and represents the whole process chain in organic electronics. It’s members are international companies and institutions, ranging from R&D institutes, component and material suppliers, equipment and tool suppliers to producers and system integrators and end-users. More than 65 companies from Europe and the US work together to promote the establishment of a competitive production infrastructure for organic electronics. The vision of OE-A is to build a bridge between science, technology and application. Nearly 3000 member companies from the engineering industry make its parent, VDMA, the largest industry association in Europe.
-Leadership in lighting
To pursue printed and thin film lighting, the OLLA project is a European Commission project led by Philips in the Netherlands. The aim of the OLLA project is to research and develop high brightness, high efficiency white OLEDs and demonstrate the use in general lighting applications. The UK Displays and Lighting Network is a vibrant central hub of activity for the displays and lighting community. Designed to stimulate innovation in the key technology sectors by promoting collaboration, best practice and knowledge sharing between industry and academia. BY encouraging partnerships and teamwork, UKDL aims to support science base through to end-users. Such government support for the new laminar lighting is not seen elsewhere.
-Major players, but tough competition
BASF in Germany shares leadership in printed electronic materials with Merck, H.C Starck, CIBA and other European companies though US companies, such as Plextronics, have been entering this scene rapidly of late, picking up many awards. Ink jet printing was first developed in Europe and it is one of the preferred methods of making printed electronics, with many European companies progressing new developments alongside leaders such as Fuji Dimatix. European names such as Xennia Technology, Xaar, Ixpressia and PixDro come to mind although there is also fine work being done by such companies as Imaging Technology International of the US and the UK and Soligie of the US is successful in providing total, integrated manufacturing solutions for printed electronics. Indeed, the US has huge military money being pumped into the subject and global leadership in many aspects.
-Strength in depth
Europe probably has the most robust vertical integration of effort in printed electronics. For example, Cambridge University discovered light emitting polymers, and it spins off many impressive startups in printed and thin films electronics, as does Johannes Kepler University in Austria, as well as institutes in Germany, Switzerland and elsewhere. The work of a large number of Fraunhofer institutes in Germany is impressive. The dye sensitised solar cell was invented in Switzerland and it is in Switzerland and Austria that some of the finest photovoltaic developments take place today.
Of course, Germany largely makes the world’s reel to reel printing machines and all these companies are also taking a keen interest in printing electronics. For once, it is the Europeans who have learnt not to be in perpetual R&D when it comes to printed and thin film electronics, though the Japanese giants and others are racing to catch up and NanoDynamics, NanoMas Technologies, Unidym and others in the US are often leading in the new wave of nano materials and engineering for printing electronics.
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