Xerox develops silver ink for printing electronic circuits on
flexible surfaces
13 November 2009
Xerox scientists have developed a new silver ink that will
pave the way for commercialization and low-cost manufacturing of
printable electronics.
Printable electronics offers manufacturers a very low-cost way to add
'intelligence' or computing power to a wide range of surfaces such as
plastic or fabric. This development will aid the commercialization of
new applications such as smart pill boxes that track how much medication
a patient has taken or display screens that roll up to fit into a
briefcase.
“For years, there’s been a global race to find a low-cost way to
manufacture plastic circuits,” said Paul Smith, laboratory manager,
Xerox Research Centre of Canada. “We’ve found the silver bullet that
could make things like electronic clothing and inexpensive games a
reality today. This breakthrough means the industry now has the
capability to print electronics on a wider range of materials and at a
lower cost.”
Until now, bringing low-cost electronics to the masses has been
hindered by the logistics and costs associated with silicon chip
manufacturing; the breakthrough low-temperature silver ink overcomes the
cost hurdle, printing reliably on a wide range of surfaces such as
plastic or fabric. As part of its commercialization initiatives, Xerox
plans to aggressively seek interested manufacturers and developers by
providing sample materials to allow them to test and evaluate potential
applications.
Integrated circuits are made up of three components — a
semiconductor, a conductor and a dielectric element — and currently are
manufactured in costly silicon chip fabricating factories. By creating a
breakthrough silver ink to print the conductor, Xerox has developed all
three of the materials necessary for printing plastic circuits.
Using Xerox’s new technology, circuits can be printed just like a
continuous feed document without the extensive clean room facilities
required in current chip manufacturing. In addition, scientists have
improved their previously developed semiconductor ink, increasing its
reliability by formulating the ink so that the molecules precisely align
themselves in the best configuration to conduct electricity.
The printed electronics materials, developed at the Xerox Research
Centre of Canada, enable product manufacturers to put electronic
circuits on plastics, film, and textiles. Printable circuits could be
used in a broad range of products, including low-cost radio frequency
identification tags, light and flexible e-readers and signage, sensors,
solar cells and novelty applications including wearable electronics.
“We will be able to print circuits in almost any size from smaller
custom-sized circuits to larger formats such as wider rolls of plastic
sheets — unheard of in today’s silicon-wafer industry,” said Hadi
Mahabadi, vice president and center manager of Xerox Research Centre
Canada. “We are taking this technology to product developers to enable
them to design tomorrow’s uses for printable electronics.”