David Savastano, Editor07.20.11
For the field of printed electronics to continue to grow, there needs to be further advances in the material technologies. One area of research is organic semiconductors, which have the ability to be printed using conventional processes.
Organic semiconductors have numerous advantages. In particular, they are much less expensive to produce than their silicon counterparts. They can also be printed at low temperatures, which means that low-cost substrates such as flexible polymer films and even paper can be used.
SmartKem, Ltd., a Wales-based materials company specializing in flexible electronics technology, believes they are on the right track when it comes to organic semiconductors. SmartKem’s technology enables flexible, foldable and disposable electronics, and greatly simplifies electronics manufacturing processes while reducing carbon and chemical impact compared to conventional electronics processing.
“When we looked at the market back in 2007, we saw there was a need to work on synthesizing organic materials for semiconductors, and worked on the project for the next three years, focusing on transistor applications and organic displays,” said Steve Kelly, SmartKem’s CEO. “We saw there was a need for niche producers to enter the market, and felt we had an advantage coming in more recently, because we knew we had to develop materials that could be adapted for production.”
Kelly said that Northwest Great Britain has a strong organic semiconductor heritage. The company brought in a leading organic semiconductor scientist from Avecia, and built a team to develop products for the market. As a result, SmartKem has valuable niche expertise in the fields of organic semiconductors and high-tech printing.
“Our materials have very high electron mobility and very good performance at short channel lengths,” Kelly said. “We have specifically formulated our materials to be optimized by the entire stack. This can offer a competitive advantage in the field. Our materials also offer very good stability in air. You don’t need a vacuum, and they can be wet processed, either coated or printed.”
SmartKem has earned honors for its advances in the field. Most notably, the company was awarded gold at the Venturefest 2010 Best of British Innovation Award, part of Venturefest’s annual technology showcase that identifies three of the most exciting new technology businesses in the UK and showcases them to the country’s foremost investors, innovators and entrepreneurs.
Investors are taking notice. In January 2011, the Welsh Assembly Government awarded the company a grant to further develop its flexible printed electronics solutions. In April 2011, SmartKem received investment funding from the Porton Capital Group and Finance Wales Investments Limited.
SmartKem’s most recent technical advance came in July 2011 when, working together with CPI's National Printable Electronics Technology Centre (PETEC), SmartKem’s advanced semiconductor materials achieved results “better than amorphous silicon,” including an impressive thin film transistor (TFT) mobility rating that was higher than other traditional organic equivalents. For the tests, SmartKem's semiconductors were incorporated in ambient air into flexible TFT panels.
“PETEC is great to work with,” Kelly noted. “They are specialists in organic transistors, and we were able to get test data that means something to the market. After we received our results back from PETEC, we then sought out 10 experts in the field, and the response we got from them invariably was that our products are in the leading edge.”
Kelly noted that SmartKem’s organic semiconductor materials are now in the sampling process, with an eye toward approaching the Asian display market.
“We have started the sampling process in the UK and Europe, and the early results are excellent,” Kelly said. “We want to get our materials in the hands of the major display manufacturers in Asia later this year.”
Kelly sees roll-to-roll printing of disposable flexible devices on thin films as the greatest market opportunity for printed electronics, with strong potential also for lightweight solar panels, electronic skin patches and intelligent packaging.
“In the mid-term, we see the OLED displays field becoming a juggernaut in both frontplane and backplane technology, and if the iPad switches to OLED, it will drive the field further,” Kelly concluded. “Longer term, in perhaps five to 10 years, roll-to-roll processing composed of advanced materials should open the application scope to many new markets as well as open up the manufacturing base.”
For more information, please visit www.smartkem.com.
Organic semiconductors have numerous advantages. In particular, they are much less expensive to produce than their silicon counterparts. They can also be printed at low temperatures, which means that low-cost substrates such as flexible polymer films and even paper can be used.
SmartKem, Ltd., a Wales-based materials company specializing in flexible electronics technology, believes they are on the right track when it comes to organic semiconductors. SmartKem’s technology enables flexible, foldable and disposable electronics, and greatly simplifies electronics manufacturing processes while reducing carbon and chemical impact compared to conventional electronics processing.
“When we looked at the market back in 2007, we saw there was a need to work on synthesizing organic materials for semiconductors, and worked on the project for the next three years, focusing on transistor applications and organic displays,” said Steve Kelly, SmartKem’s CEO. “We saw there was a need for niche producers to enter the market, and felt we had an advantage coming in more recently, because we knew we had to develop materials that could be adapted for production.”
Kelly said that Northwest Great Britain has a strong organic semiconductor heritage. The company brought in a leading organic semiconductor scientist from Avecia, and built a team to develop products for the market. As a result, SmartKem has valuable niche expertise in the fields of organic semiconductors and high-tech printing.
“Our materials have very high electron mobility and very good performance at short channel lengths,” Kelly said. “We have specifically formulated our materials to be optimized by the entire stack. This can offer a competitive advantage in the field. Our materials also offer very good stability in air. You don’t need a vacuum, and they can be wet processed, either coated or printed.”
SmartKem has earned honors for its advances in the field. Most notably, the company was awarded gold at the Venturefest 2010 Best of British Innovation Award, part of Venturefest’s annual technology showcase that identifies three of the most exciting new technology businesses in the UK and showcases them to the country’s foremost investors, innovators and entrepreneurs.
Investors are taking notice. In January 2011, the Welsh Assembly Government awarded the company a grant to further develop its flexible printed electronics solutions. In April 2011, SmartKem received investment funding from the Porton Capital Group and Finance Wales Investments Limited.
SmartKem’s most recent technical advance came in July 2011 when, working together with CPI's National Printable Electronics Technology Centre (PETEC), SmartKem’s advanced semiconductor materials achieved results “better than amorphous silicon,” including an impressive thin film transistor (TFT) mobility rating that was higher than other traditional organic equivalents. For the tests, SmartKem's semiconductors were incorporated in ambient air into flexible TFT panels.
“PETEC is great to work with,” Kelly noted. “They are specialists in organic transistors, and we were able to get test data that means something to the market. After we received our results back from PETEC, we then sought out 10 experts in the field, and the response we got from them invariably was that our products are in the leading edge.”
Kelly noted that SmartKem’s organic semiconductor materials are now in the sampling process, with an eye toward approaching the Asian display market.
“We have started the sampling process in the UK and Europe, and the early results are excellent,” Kelly said. “We want to get our materials in the hands of the major display manufacturers in Asia later this year.”
Kelly sees roll-to-roll printing of disposable flexible devices on thin films as the greatest market opportunity for printed electronics, with strong potential also for lightweight solar panels, electronic skin patches and intelligent packaging.
“In the mid-term, we see the OLED displays field becoming a juggernaut in both frontplane and backplane technology, and if the iPad switches to OLED, it will drive the field further,” Kelly concluded. “Longer term, in perhaps five to 10 years, roll-to-roll processing composed of advanced materials should open the application scope to many new markets as well as open up the manufacturing base.”
For more information, please visit www.smartkem.com.