| Printed Electronics | ||
| some recent projects ¦ completed projects ¦ list of publications ¦ | ||
|
Only for a few years, academic research has been conducted on the material group
of conductive polymers. At the pmTUC the team around
Dr. Ulrich Hahn are concerned with
the structuring of electronic components consisting of electrically active
polymers which are available as liquids. This "liquid ink" is used to print electronics.
Although their performance parameters are still well below those of silicon based
electronics, their production by printing offers an enormous cost advantage.
International projects investigate amonst others the improvement of printing
technologies, the increase of preformance data and application possibilities. |
|
| Laboratory printing machine Laborman | ||
|
What this project aims at is the
development of a generic technology resulting in an entire product line ranging
from simple RF(ID) tags and RF communication devices to complex functionalities
like memories, sensor inputs, displays, etc ... |
|
|
| Printed source drain structure of a transistor | ||
|
The first applications ready for the market are anticipated within the next few years. |
||
 charged OFETs - Improvement of the capability of printed electronic devices by means of electrostatic charging |
| The project aims at producing printed, electrostatically charged, organic field effect transistors (OFETs). The project has to be assigned to the research field Organic Electronics (Polymer Electronics). The advantage of this technology is its potential to produce electronic devices in a cost-efficient and productive way, since the organic materials can be processed from solution. In comparison to inorganic field effect transistors, OFETs have various intrinsic disadvantages. By means of electrostatic charging, these disadvantages can be partly compensated and new functionalities can be realised. For example, the threshold voltage - an important characteristic of OFETs - can be controlled. Another possibility is the utilisation of this information (modified threshold voltage) for saving information. The research in this project focuses on producing the OFETs by means of highly productive printing methods and integrating means for electrostatic charging in the process. The project is carried out in close collaboration with the research partner H. Katz, working at the Johns Hopkins University (JHU), Baltimore, USA. This cooperation enables an interdisciplinary development of the necessary materials and the processing process. Contact person: Dipl-Ing. Daniel Höft |
| Electroconductive printing inks on the basis of nano particles for the field of mass printing methods (NanoINK 2) |
| Within the joint project, funded by the BMBF (German Federal Ministry for Education and Research), the pmTUC is responsible for the technological realisation of formulated inks. The project itself aims at developing a conductive ink based on nanoparticles and appropriate for mass printing. Focus is on using the printed structures in the field of nano sensors (application as basis of a temperature sensor). Building upon the previous project nanoINK, the main focus of this project is on gravure and offset inks. These formulations require a new approach with regard to binding and dispersing systems as well as the choice of solvents and nano particle size. The printed structures shall show good layer morphology, adhesion behaviour, abrasion resistance, and conductivity. These structures can be directly compared to results of the nanoINK project and printed structures based on organic functional polymers. Optimising of the inks, is mainly concerned with achieving low roughness and layer homogeneity, i.e. those qualities which are relevant to a nano sensor application. Project partners: GSB-Wahl GmbH (Aichwald); Gesellschaft für Mikroelektronikanwendung Chemnitz mbH (Chemnitz); Chemnitz University of Technology, Professorship Print Media Technology (Chemnitz) Contact person: Dr. Nora Wetzold |
| Flexible Multifunctional Bendable Integrated Light-Weight Ultra-Thin Systems |
| The EU IP project FLEXIBILTIY aims at advancing the competitiveness of Europe in the area of multifunctional, ultra-lightweight, ultra-thin, bendable organic and large area electronics (OLAE). A construction kit including different OLAE components, e.g. circuits, batteries, sensors, solar cells etc., is generated. Based on these devices, several complex demonstrators will be defined and investigated. For the realisation of these systems, the advantages of several flexible OLAE technologies, especially mass printing technologies, are combined, while keeping cost issues in mind. Project partners: TU Dresden, Professur Schaltungs- und Systementwurf (Dresden, Germany); Siemens AG (Munich, Germany); VARTA Microbattery GmbH (Ellwangen, Germany); Enfucell Oy (Finland); VTT Research Institute (Finland); ETH Zürich (Switzerland); Exodus A.E. (Greece); Data and Control Systems Ltd. (Greece); SMARTEX S.R.L. (Italy); KONARKA GmbH (Austria); TU Chemnitz, Professur Printmedientechnik (Chemnitz, Germany) Contact person: Dr.-Ing. Georg C. Schmidt |
| Innovative printing form concepts for polymer printing |
| Direct laser engraving opens up new possibilities for the production of gravure printing forms. The advantages include better edge defintion and precisely controllable, deep variable engraving. The project is devided into four subprojects: the first subproject focuses on the selection and adaptation of alloys suitable for laser engraving; the second part involves the optimisation of the laser process, the third project part concentrates on the development of a printing form layout that utilises the new possibilities, and the fourth subproject aims at the verification by means of printing experiments. The project's goals include direct engraving of gravure and flexo printing forms with printing form layouts, which have been optimised for direct engraving as well as functional printing, the development and testing of directly engraved surface systems for gravure printing forms, and the optimisation of the laser engraving process, especially with regard to the requirements of gravure and flexo printing form fabrication. Project partners: Institute for Print and Media Technology - Professorship Print Media Technology (Chemnitz University of Technology); Department of Mechanical Engineering / Precission Engineering (University of Applied Sciences Mittweida); Sächsische Walzengravur (Frankenberg) Contact person: Dr. Uta Fügmann |
| Integration of mass-printed carbon nanotube sensor elements into micro systems (CarboSens) |
| The goal of this scientific pre-project is to answer the fundamental question, whether it is possible to realise mass-printed chemical sensors based on conductive carbon nanotubes for the detection of reactive chemical gases (e.g. aliphatic hydrocarbons, NOx or NH3) and/or integration as exchangeable components into a micro system (micro fluidic cells) for the analysis of relevant biochemical substances, such as glucose. Accommodating the sensors industry’s high cost pressure, we aim to produce the CNT sensors as mass product, thereby reducing process costs. Further, we work on increasing the functionality of existing micro systems and creating new functionalities. The project is funded by the BMBF (German Federal Ministry for Education and Research). Project partners: TU Ilmenau, Institute for Micro and Nano Technology (Ilmenau); Fraunhofer ENAS, department Multi Device Integration (Chemnitz); Chemnitz University of Technology, Professorship Print Media Technology (Chemnitz) Monitoring partners: Future Carbon GmbH (Bayreuth); Federal Institute for Material Research and Testing (BAM); working group chemical sensors/sol-gel technology (Berlin); Umweltsensortechnik GmbH (Geschwende); SensLab GmbH (Leipzig) Contact person: Dr. Nora Wetzold |
| Joint Project PACU – Plastic Acoustics |
| Plastic Acoustics is a BMBF project within the programme "Organic Functional Systems for Micro Systems Technology". The aim of the project is to produce low-cost and mass-printed flexible acoustic systems on the basis of organic functional materials with special electric and piezoelectric properties. Due to the use of organic materials these systems are highly flexible, large-area and thin at the same time and characterised by their capability of being integrated and low production costs. At first, special attention is paid to the realisation of the acoustic active single components "loudspeaker" and "microphone". We need to manage the repeatable production by mass printing to get structured large-area as well as low-cost devices. For the final application in the area of array systems the project PACU provides a suitable system which connects the microphone and loudspeaker devices. This could be used for the directive release of sound in certain environments. This video shows the first loudspeakers produced at the pmTUC: Project partners: Robert Bosch GmbH (Stuttgart); H.C. Starck Clevios GmbH (Leverkusen); X-SPEX GmbH (Berlin); TU Chemnitz, Institut für Print- und Medientechnik (Chemnitz); Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Angewandten Forschung e. V. (München), Einrichtung für Elektronische Nanosysteme Chemnitz (ENAS, Chemnitz) Contact persons: Maxi Bellmann M.A., Dipl.-Ing. Georg Schmidt |
| Growth Core |
| The Growth Core "printronics" is an alliance of five medium-sized companies and two research institutions located in Chemnitz and the southwest Saxon region. True to the slogan "printed electronics everywhere", the cooperating partners aim at establishing a market leadership for mass-printed electronics products within the next ten years. To realise this vision, the project is organised along nine sub-projects. The Institute for Print and Media Technology contributes to six of these sub-projects: pressOE: Printing press concepts for printed electronics, ap-relia: Reliability of fully printed organic electronics, LEPP: Laser micro shaping of continuously printed polymer electronics, PF: Passive functions, OEqual: Quality assurance systems for printed electronics, and PSens: Development of printed sensors. The Growth Core project will be funded with a total sum of approximately 5.3 million Euros by the BMBF (Federal Ministry of Education and Research) within the initiative "Entrepreneurial Regions" in the first three years. Contact person: Dipl.-Wi.-Ing. Conny Schuhmann |
| Innovation Alliance Carbon Nanotubes - subproject CarboInk |
| The project CarboInk focuses on the production of printable inks and pastes on CNT basis for the application in the photovoltaics industry. Major interest is on providing for the discharge of the generated electrons by means of quickly printable, thin and low-cost conductive paths. The potential is extremely high, because so far the conductive paths are still printed with silver pastes. By substituting or supplementing silver pastes with CNT inks, cost - and consequently - competitive advantages can be achieved. Main goal of the pmTUC subproject is the printing of the CNT formulation. Project partners: Bayer MaterialScience AG, Bayer Technology Services GmbH, Chemnitz University of Technology, Q-Cells AG Project management: Dr. D. Rudhardt, Bayer MaterialScience AG Contact person: Dr. Nora Wetzold |
| LoCostix - Low cost smart labels for logistic processes in the retail industry |
| The project aims at developing smart label technology that is, compared to conventional technologies, mainly characterised by extremely low production costs (well below 10 cents). In this regard, smart labels is the umbrella term for transponders, which basically enable contactless identification of goods and automatic supervision of inventories. LoCostix investigates new and promising approaches based on silicon chips as well as polymer electronics. This project considers the complete process ranging from circuit and protocol design, mass production methods and tag placing to business software data processing. Thus, a consortium has convened. The partners of the consortium complement one another with regard to expertise in the relevant research areas. The prototypes developed during the project will be tested at an early stage in a practical real-world scenario for the retail industry. The consortium has set itself the ambitious aim to develop a technology which enables the application of smart labels at item level. The pmTUC develops methods of resolution for the integration of tag placing into the packaging printing process. In addition, it cooperates with project partners in research concerning the development of new radio protocols, which can also be applied for polymer transponders. Projekt partners: SAP AG, Philips Semiconductors GmbH, MAN Roland Druckmaschinen AG, dm-drogerie markt, PDS GmbH, Universität Karlsruhe (TH) Contact person: Dipl.-Wi.-Ing. Maik Dinter |
| Mass-printed organic paper solar cell - MOPS |
| The aim of the project, which is funded within the BMBF initiative "Organic Photovoltaics" of the programme "Optical Technologies", is the development of a simple solar cell with very low energy payback times on a paper substrate. In comparison to conventional solar cells, no rigid substrates and no time-consuming vacuum processes are used, but flexible, recyclable substrates, like paper. The solar cells are applied by means of mass-printing processes, which enable highly efficient coating of large areas. Thus, it is not only possible to produce solar cells at low-costs, but also solar cells with shorter energy payback times than silicon solar cells. Project partners: Papiertechnische Stiftung (München), BU Wuppertal, Macromolecular Chemistry and Institute for Polymer Technology (Wuppertal), Chemnitz University of Technology, Institute for Print and Media Technology (Chemnitz), U Würzburg, Experimental Physics VI (Würzburg) Contact person: Dipl.-Ing. Bystrik Trnovec |
| Mass-Printing of Organic Solar Cells using Novel Water-Based Functional Materials |
| The aim of the BMBF project is the production of organic large-area solar cells and modules by means of mass printing technologies. The project combines the expertise and facilities of the chair Print Media Technology in the field of printed electronics, with those of the Centre for Organic Electronics of the University of Newcastle in the field of organic electronics. As a result of the project, prototypal solar modules are printed, using conventional polymer blends as well as water-based nano particle materials. The project shall allow for a first optimisation and evaluation of suitable printing technologies in terms of used materials. Furthermore, it shall establish as a basis for close cooperation between both institutions. Project partners: University of Newcastle, Centre for Organic Electronics (Callaghan, Australien); Chemnitz University of Technology, Professorship Print Media Technology (Chemnitz) Contact person: Dipl.-Ing. Tino Zillger |
| nanoINK - Research into electrically conducting printing inks on the basis of nano particles |
| The projet nanoINK, which is carried out in cooperation with the GSB-Wahl GmbH and the printed systems GmbH, aims at researching and formulating electrically conducting printing inks on the basis of nano particles, which are to find their application in the field of printed electronics. The main objective is to open up a new application field for nano technology. Possible application fields are, for example, "intelligent packaging" or so-called smart labels, wich could be employed in access systems, in logistics or as copy and plagiarism protection. On the one hand, past research in the field of conducting printing inks dealt with silver pastes, mainly employed in screen printing. On the other hand, research concentrated on printing materials made of organic function polymers, which can be applied by means of gravure or flexographic printing. The project nanoINK exclusively focuses on printing materials used with so-called mass printing technologies: flexographic printing, offset printing, and later also gravure printing. These technologies are characterised by a high productivity. Moreover, the resolution that can be achieved with the above-mentioned technologies is considerably better compared to the widely-used technologies inkjet and screen printing. Thus, smaller structures can be generated leading to a higher integration density. Contact person: Dr. rer. nat. Nora Wetzold |
| PEP - New printing process technology for the industrial manufacture of polymer electronics |
| The aim of the PEP (Polymer Electronic Printing) project is the development of a new printing method suitable for the industrial manufacture of polymer electronic products, esp. oFET applications. |
| POLITAG (Polymer Electronic Identification Tags) |
| Development and characterisation of technical and functional parameters of a new printing method for polymer electronics |
| POLYAPPLY |
| The application of polymer electronics towards ambient intelligence Contact person: Dr. rer. nat. Heiko Kempa |
| Printed intelligent metal components |
| Aim: Application of a flexible deformable thermosensor on shape memory boards for the determination of the surface temperature for systematic control of reformation processes. Brief description: By means of screen printing, two conducting structures made of different metal pastes, which overlap on one side, shall be applied to a plate of memory board alloy. Insulation to the conducting ground is realised with an organic lacquer coat. Due to the Seebeck effect, temperature differences in the structures lead an almost proportional potential difference at the open ends. This thermoelectric voltage shall be used as measure of the temperature difference. Project partners: Institute for Print and Media Technology (Chemnitz University of Technology), Institute for Machine Tools and Production Technology, Professorship for Machine Tool Design and Forming Technology (Chemnitz University of Technology), Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology (department Mechatronics) Contact person: Dipl.-Ing. Thomas Schöder |
| Production of polymer electronic devices and integrated circuits on paper as |
| The project aims at producing polymer electronic devices and integrated circuits on paper as "bulk goods" with all consequences concerning price formation for such products. In order to achieve this objective, substrate and printing material have to be adapted to each other and used in a modified printing process. The project is carried out in cooperation with the Paper Technology Specialists (PTS) München and the University of Wuppertal. The main task of the pmTUC is to test the suitability of different papers for polymer electronics by means of printing tests (offset printing, gravure printing, flexographic printing and modified new printing methods). If necessary, the pmTUC is to formulate further new requirements. Initial research focused on printing function polymers on various papers, developed by the PTS, by means of the institute's laboratory printing presses and analysing the applied structure with regard to its electrical properties. Based on these results, coated paper samples are developed. Base paper, coating composition, coating application technology and paper treatment (smoothing and pressing) are dependent on the identified property profile. Afterwards, all project partners will collaborate to optimise the process parameters in order to develop general economic solutions for papers, function printing materials and printing technologies, and,thus, suggest concepts for the economic production of electronic devices on paper substrate. Contact person: Dr. Ulrich Hahn |
| ProPolyTec |
| Production technology for polymer electronics (ProPolyTec) |
| Realisation of polymeric devices by means of surface tension modified printing |
| Scientific problem: For several years now, research at the pmTUC has been focusing on the fabrication of polymer electronic devices by means of highly productive mass-printing methods. Besides conventional methods, like offset, flexo and gravure printing, modified processes have been analysed and completely new processes have been developed. However, the results that have been achieved so far still deserve considerably improvement concerning structure sizes, homogeneity and reproducibility to improve the efficiency of printed electronic devices and use them in commercial applications. Approach: The project, which is funded by the SMWK and ESF as so called "Federal State Innovation Doctorate", focuses on the new development of a highly productive printing method. The central idea behind the new technology is the modification of the surface properties of a substrate on which the polymer electronic devices (especially field effect transistors) are prepared. The properties (channel lenght, layer thickness and homogeneity) of these devices shall be considerably better than the properties of electronic devices produced by means of conventional printing methods. Contact person: Dipl.-Ing. Georg Schmidt |
| Smart Objects Production - Printed Electronics for the Production of Smart Objects |
| Supported by the Stiftung Industrieforschung in Cologne, the aim of the research project is the development and evaluation of technologies for the production of smart objects. The planned application-oriented research activities focus on the integration of electronic additional functions in various everyday objects which thus become so-called Smart Objects. The production of such smart objects poses a new challenge to the electronics to be integrated that are marked initially by a comparatively low functionality. New low-cost dimensions have to be reached compared to conventional electronics. Furthermore the use of everyday objects results in previously unknown dimensions of mass production. These demands require the development of new production technologies that enable the integration in the manufacturing process. Great potential promises the approach of printed electronics. Different approaches of printed electronics will be analysed for the integration of electronic additional functions in everyday objects. The present project focuses on simple cost-effective products in great quantities. Contact person: Dipl.-Ing. Karin Weigelt |