Printing Electronic Chips or Smart Cards with a Roll Printer

For many years, plastics have been used as good insulators, such as insulation boards for circuit boards. However, nowadays there is the emergence of conductive plastics, which are regarded as the future of microelectronic devices or optoelectronic devices. The 2000 Nobel Prize for Chemistry was awarded to scientists in this field.

The application of polymers in electronic devices is approximately 95%. Including the protective layer used as a sensitive chip, coating of circuit boards, molds, adhesives for multilayer circuit boards, etc. However, nowadays, the basic composition of polymers as electronic devices has also become a reality.

Two years ago, the Fraunhofer Microelectronics Device Consortium evaluated Germany's market potential for polymers in electronic devices and introduced the new term "PolyTronics" to become a leading player in this field. It is not a competitor of silicon technology because conductive polymers are limited by load activity and can only produce low-speed chips, which are often only one percent of silicon-based chips.

Neh's IZM

Dr. Karhan Metz, head of PolyTronics' system department, described the future of this new product: "Not to replace silicon chips, but to develop new uses in parallel with silicon chips for thin and flexible or inexpensive circuit needs. What is more important is that for the first time, mass-produced, transparent types can be used to manufacture low-cost chips.” That is, the use of offset, gravure, or ink jet printing methods, rather than corrosion of the coating film, necessitates cleanliness of the semiconductor production. IZM also introduced the "reel-to-reel" method of production, in which a multi-layer coating and a structural layer are printed on the base of a web film by a web-type printing press until the final molding ( Include closed). The company started with screen printing as a test. Then, in July 2002, with the support of the Bavarian government, a roll-to-reel production center was established. It provides test bases for some medium-sized companies and also provides bases for developing new systems for some equipment manufacturers.

The next phase of the Fraunhofer researcher's goal is to develop a fully polymerized transponder with a great potential for wireless identification systems, such as logistics systems, product identification, access or access control systems, etc., as well as smart labels. , can replace the light scanning bar code identification for automatic identification of the cash register. In the periphery of polymer electronic devices, organic flexible display screens and thin-film batteries can also be added. They can be used to make greeting cards, toys or chip cards or tickets with display functions, packaging materials or special fabrics, and even to film cassettes. Counters and other new applications can also be continuously developed.