Printed transistor announced
Silicon Valley based Kovio has unveiled what it says is the world’s first all printed high performance silicon thin film transistor. The company is claiming a mobility of 80cm2/Vs, and believes this ‘significantly exceeds’ the performance of previously reported all printed TFTs using either organic or inorganic semiconductors. The initial target application includes low cost RFID for item level tagging.
Kovio says it has printed the transistor for a fraction of the cost of a conventionally manufactured device. Its process takes advantage of nanotechnology and materials science, using the electronic equivalents of colour inks for graphics printing. These functional electronic inks include silicon, doped silicon, metals and insulators.
In a move to accelerate commercialisation of its technology, Kovio has signed development and supply agreements with Toppan Forms and Cubic Transportation Systems.
“This breakthrough in printed high performance silicon transistor technology provides our organisation with promising new business opportunities,” said Masanori Akiyama, Toppan’s president and ceo. “By combining our capabilities with Kovio, intelligence can be built into everyday items, enabling the integration of pervasive networked devices for information collection and distribution, a key requirement for the advent of the ubiquitous society.”
