Konarka Demonstrated Inkjet Printed Solar Cells
Konarka Technologies, Inc., an innovator in development and commercialization of Power Plastic, a material that converts light to energy, has successfully conducted a demonstration of manufacturing solar cells by highly efficient inkjet printing.

“Demonstrating the use of inkjet printing technology as a fabrication tool for highly efficient solar cells and sensors with small area requirements is a major milestone,” said Rick Hess, president and CEO at Konarka.
 
Inkjet printing is a commonly used technique for controlled deposition of solutions of functional materials in specific locations on a substrate and can provide easy and fast deposition of polymer films over a large area. The demonstration confirms that organic solar cells can be processed with printing technologies with little or no loss compared to “clean room” semiconductor technologies such as spin coating. The most popular printing tool for organic electronics, inkjet printing could become a smart tool to manufacturer solar cells with multiple colors and patterns for lower power requirement products, like indoor or sensor applications. Inkjet printing is considered very promising because the polymer devices can be fabricated very easily because of the compatibility with various substrates and it does not require additional patterning.

Mouser Electronics and NXP Semiconductors Ink Sign Global Distribution Agreement

Mouser Electronics, Inc., known has signed a global distribution agreement with NXP Semiconductors, a supplier of semiconductors, system solutions and software.  NXP products deliver better sensory experiences in mobile phones, personal media players, TVs, set-top boxes, identification applications, cars and a wide range of other electronic devices.

According to the agreement, Mouser’s inventory includes a variety of NXP products from microcontrollers, power management, RFID ICs, discretes and real time clocks to RF Mixer ICs, RF Amplifier ICs and Modules, as well as RF Transistors and Transmitters. 

Shrinking Electronics Infrastructure Increases Competitive State of SMT Placement Equipment Market

The Surface and Mount Technology Group at Frost & Sullivan has announced its 2008 Quarterly Analyst Briefing Presentation on the SMT placement equipment market to be held at 10 a.m. (PDT) Tuesday, March 18, 2008.

Eminent demand for integrated SMT solutions increase as the shrinking of printed circuit boards (PCBs) sizes and the miniaturization of components ensue. Therefore, SMT placement equipment manufacturers compete to supply reliable equipment to their end-users through a low cost solution strategy.

This briefing will benefit SMT assembly equipment manufacturers, electronic manufacturing service (EMS) providers, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), semiconductor package developers and semiconductor capital equipment manufacturers.
Highlights of the briefing include: an analysis of SMT placement equipment market trends, end-user segment analysis as well as coverage on key industry challenges.

“Since small components and packages tend to be of fragile and fine-pitch characteristics, the majority of placement equipment is likely to experience handling capability issues and therefore results in PCB component defects,” said Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Julian Harris. “However, with technology evolution of chip shooters and fine pitch pick and place machines, minimal defects and low lead counts for small components will result and increase vitality for the SMT placement equipment market.”

Printing Can Help Thin-Film Photovoltaics Serve More Purposes

According to a new NanoMarkets report, printing will serve as a key manufacturing strategy to help thin-film photovoltaics (TFPV) serve purposes that cannot be created easily with traditional photovoltaics (PV).

NanoMarkets said in Printable Electronics Outlook: Photovoltaics that printed photovoltaics will make the most difference where its distinct physical characteristics:  flexibility, lightness, and ability to function in artificial light, make a difference. Solar battery chargers, building systems and billboard power sources are examples of applications that could utilize TFPV to make the products more portable and durable. In all of these cases, printing as a manufacturing strategy could make the difference in reaching price points and in creating novel products, said NanoMarkets. If these technologies are utilized, NanoMarkets projects that the market for printed photovoltaics could reach $2.5 billion in the next eight years.

About the Report
The value proposition of thin-film and organic photovoltaics is all about low-cost materials. One of the ways of achieving this is through utilizing printing. Printable Electronics Outlook: Photovoltaics analyzes and forecasts the opportunities that are emerging for printed PV of all kinds; silicon, CIS/CIGS, CdTe, organic and hybrid organic/inorganic (dye cell). In addition to coverage of printing the main photoactive material, this report also examines printing of other materials used in PV, such as transparent conductors. It also takes a look at the various applications for printed PV including building integrated systems, consumer electronics and military/homeland security. Included is a discussion of how the markets and technologies have changed over the past year and an eight-year revenue forecast for printed PV.

Ciba Develops Long-Lifetime Phosphorescent Material for Novaled’s OLED Technology
Ciba has developed a deep red phosphorescent OLED emitter that functions in combination with the Novaled PIN OLED technology, delivering a lifetime of 50,000 hours at an initial brightness of 1,000 cd/sqm. The new material supports the market trend toward high-performance, low-voltage OLED devices for display and lighting applications.

“We want to provide the market with efficient phosphorescent materials,” said Rolf Drewes, global head of Business Line Electronic Materials at Ciba. “In this project, we are developing the full color range of emitters compatible with Novaled’s proprietary OLED technology. Our deep red, the first to become commercially available, offers customers not only long-lifetime performance but also excellent thermal stability. Green and blue are now in progress.”

“Phosphorescent emitter materials together with low-voltage devices are mandatory for the future of the OLED industry, and Novaled is very pleased to see a key industry player developing such materials,” said Gildas Sorin, CEO of Novaled AG. “This deep red phosphorescent material provides a long lifetime at a lowest operating voltage of 3.3 V as well as good power efficiency of 8.1 lm/W, making it suitable for displays as well as for completely new lighting applications. OLED technology even has potential to surpass the efficiency of energy-saving bulbs.”

Made of thin organic material layers only a few nanometers thick, OLEDs are semiconductors that emit light in a diffuse way to form an area light source. In 2006, Ciba and Novaled entered an industrial collaboration to create organic dopant and transport materials for the Novaled PIN OLED technology, which enables highly power-efficient OLED performance.

Trident Launches 256JET- D Inkjet Printhead for Variety of Direct Write, Printable Electronics Applications

Trident, a company focused on inkjet printhead and ink production for commercial applications, has released its new, versatile 256Jet-D inkjet printhead. Available worldwide, the 256Jet-D features a durable, serviceable design and stainless steel construction which allows for printing of a wide variety of direct write, printable electronic applications with up to five times higher resolution than possible with screen printing. Trident’s 256Jet-D inkjet printhead can be used for printing traces, contacts, embedded passives and components (resistors, capacitors, inductors, etc.) on printed circuit boards as well as for the printing of flexible photovoltaics, fuel cells and batteries among other applications.

The 256Jet-D features a durable, serviceable design. Previously, agglomeration of printing materials during the deposition process meant that printhead nozzles would clog and printheads needed to be discarded and replaced, the serviceable nozzle plate of the 256Jet-D can simply be removed, cleaned and reassembled.  In fact, end users can purchase multiple interchangeable nozzle plates in order to print distinct drop volume sizes with the same printhead. The 256Jet-D is available in two models enabling the printing of two distinct drop volume ranges: 5 to 40 picoliters and 50 to 80 picoliters in size.

The inert stainless steel construction of the 256Jet-D printhead is resistant to the corrosive, aggressive alkaline and acidic materials often used in the deposition of printable electronic components. With the ability to be heated to 70°C and to jet fluids up to 30 cps, the 256Jet-D can print materials with twice as much viscosity as traditional inkjet systems, giving users wider flexibility in material loading and fluid formulation. Its rugged industrial design gives the 256Jet-D printhead an industry-leading lifespan of 90 billion firings.

Along with the 256Jet-D Trident offers a high-performance “Precision Drive Controller” (PDC) which simplifies customer integration by providing the electronics and software drive control of each of the printhead’s 256 jets with drop volume precision of plus or minus 2 percent. The 256Jet-D‘s 256 individually controllable jets allow a greater number of drops to be deposited in one area, thereby increasing productivity.

Trident’s 256Jet-D inkjet printhead also has several application-specific benefits:

• Printed Circuit Boards: The ability to print small components such as traces, resistors and capacitors with small drop volume and high resolution makes it possible to increase circuit density, or to reduce the real estate and weight of the circuit board. This high-resolution, direct write printing also saves in process steps, speeds set-up time, improves reliability through the elimination of solder joints, shortens electrical connections, reduces cost through automation, and enables non-contact printing for sensitive substrates. It is also possible for users to print larger components with screen printing followed by printing of smaller, more precise elements with the 256Jet-D inkjet printhead which is capable of 20 mil resolution print (5 times higher resolution than the 100mil resolution possible with screen printing).
• Batteries:  Inkjet printing enables layering of key materials needed to print very small batteries.
• Photovoltaic:  When printing solar cell contacts it is necessary to minimize contact widths so that light is not blocked. Inkjet printing of photovoltaic contacts allows for the smallest possible high-resolution contact printing.

Lexar Media Announces Special Edition Crucial Ballistix Tracer Red 2GB Memory Modules

Lexar Media, a provider of memory products for digital media, has announced the availability of Special Edition Crucial Ballistix Tracer Red 2 GB DDR2-800 memory modules. The new modules feature two rows of red activity-indicating light emitting diodes (LED), red ground-effects LEDs and a red printed circuit board (PCB) stylishly covered with a striking red heat spreader with a raised, diamond-cut logo and clip-less design.

Crucial Ballistix Tracer Red memory modules offer latency timings of 4-4-4-12.

Asymtek Features Calibrated Process Jet Dispensing of Catalyst Ink on Fuel Cell Membranes

Asymtek, a Nordson company focused on dispensing and jetting technologies, has announced its Mass Flow Calibration (MFC) jet dispensing of catalyst ink on fuel cell membranes.

Asymtek’s coating and dispensing technologies apply catalyst inks onto membranes in electrode assemblies (MEA) of proton exchange /direct methanol fuel cells. One of the difficulties in coating a membrane is to control the metal loading. This control is easily done with Asymtek’s integrated balance scale. The amount of ink is software controlled by entering the weight needed for the MEA into Asymtek’s Fluidmove for Windows XP software. Asymtek will present several types of dispensing and coating technologies for increased flexibility: discrete dot dispensing, large area coating and pulse spray coating.  Any of these coating technologies will automatically calibrate themselves.

Discrete dot dispensing uses the DispenseJet DJ-9000 valve to create specific patterns with high edge definition and exact placement of these expensive inks. The DispenseJet DJ- 2200 non-contact jet coats in tight spaces and can dispense lines just 3 mm wide (0.125 in.). The pulse spray coats both large and small areas. Asymtek offers the combination of these technologies to give the customer a highly flexible, high throughput coating system.

Register for the 2008 Magnetics Conference by April 4th and Save $200!
This two-day conference is a leading global event within the magnetics market, bringing together worldwide magnetics experts. This is a once-a-year opportunity for professionals in the magnetics market to assemble and discuss the latest magnetics developments.
The 2008 Magnetics Conference will focus on the latest advancements in magnetic applications, technology and materials. Serving OEM developers of products that utilize magnets and magnet systems, design engineers, OEM developers involved in EMC technology and magnetic effects, magnetics manufacturers and integrators, and material suppliers in the magnetics industry.
• Register by April 4, 2008 - $795   • Register after April 4, 2008 - $995
Attend the 2008 Magnetics Conference to see industry-leading companies such as:
Advanced Magnet Lab, Alliance LLC, AR, Big Horn Valve, Inc., CMS Magnetics, Crane Aerospace & Electronics, Daido Electronics Co., Ltd., Dexter Magnetic Technologies, Electron Energy Corp., GMW Associates, Hitachi Metals, Ltd., Infolytica Corp., Magnequench International, Inc., Magnetic Power, Inc., MAGSYS magnet systems, Metrolab Technology, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Ozenbaugh Engineering, PolarisREM, LLC, Quadrant Technology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, SuperPower, Inc., TarnoTek, Vector Fields Ltd., Walter T. Benecki LLC, WebMagnetics, Inc., West Coast Magnetics
Register Now!

Webcom Presents Multiple Industries Patent Workshop
~ at the 2008 Magnetics Conference in Denver, Colo., May 14, 2008 ~

Intellectual Property Issues for New Product Development
May 14, 2008 (1 p.m. to 5 p.m.) - Beverages and Course Materials Provided

The workshop will start with an overview of the various types of intellectual property, including patents, trademark, copyrights, trade secrets, non-competes and publishing. It will feature a detailed discussion of patents, including type of patents, what is patentable, patent laws and rules, the patenting process and patent strategy. Also covered will be the integration of the patenting process with the new product development process and discussion of critical patent strategy issues. It will conclude with a practical training session for writing technical disclosures for patenting purposes.

For more details about what attendees can expect to learn from this workshop or for more information on the instructor click here.

• Register before April 4, 2008 - $395
• Register after April 4, 2008 - $495

Register Now!

March
11-13 10th Annual US Flat Panel Display Conference, La Jolla, Calif.

24-28 Materials Research Society Spring 2008, San Francisco, Calif.

April
1-3 IPC Printed Circuits Expo, APEX and the Designers Summit, Las Vegas, Nev.

8-9 Printed Electronics Europe 2008, Dresden, Germany

14-15 Ink Jet Academy: Theory of Ink Jet Technology, Denver, Colo.

14-15 Ink Jet As A Manufacturing Process Symposium, Denver, Colo.

14-15 Conference on Compound Semiconductor Manufacturing , Chicago, Ill.

16-18 Ink Jet Technology Suppliers' Showcase 2008, Denver, Colo.

19-24 2008 51st SVC Annual Technical Conference, Chicago, Ill.

21-23 Organic Photovoltaics 2008, Philadelphia, Pa.

CS Mantech
April 14-17, 2008
Chicago, IL

2008 International Conference on Compound Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology, April 14-17 2008, Westin Chicago Northshore, Chicago, Illinois

The 23th Edition of the International Conference on Compound Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology will be held in Chicago, Illinois, USA.  The program includes practical Technical Sessions including Invited Papers presented by technologists from around the world; an intensive multi-topic Workshop; and an Exhibit featuring leading equipment, substrate, epitaxy, process chemical vendors and special service providers.  The Interactive Forum gives attendees the chance to have informal discussions with Technical Session authors and the popular Rump Sessions enable small groups with like interests to convene and converse in a friendly setting.  The Exhibits Reception and International Reception round out what is sure to be an excellent CS Mantech 2008!

For information on registration, the Advance Program or exhibiting, please visit www.CSMANTECH.org

NOTE:  The deadline for the amazing reduced room rate is the 21 March - from current rates this means the rates might double so hurry and book your accommodation today!!

Organic Photovoltaics
April 21 – 23, 2008
Philadelphia, PA

IntertechPira's second annual Organic Photovoltaics conference is set for April 21 – 23, 2008 in Philadelphia, PA, US.

Register in the Early Bird option and receive 10% off the regular registration fee!

Hailed as the 'first focused OPV event', this conference will provide a unique venue for industry experts, researchers, customers and investors to address the opportunities and most critical challenges for the commercialization of OPV technologies with 18 experts from the OLEDs, printed electronics and organic photovoltaics communities addressing these challenges and providing key market, technology and applications insights. 

Don’t miss this three day conference to network with industry leaders, learn about the latest technologies and strategies in OPV and prepare to succeed in this growing and competitive market!

http://www.intertechpira.com/blog.asp?step=3&blogID=275

Meeting of The Electrochemical Society (ECS)
May 18-23
Phoenix, Ariz.

Register now for the 213th Meeting of The Electrochemical Society (ECS) to take place at the Phoenix Convention Center May 18th- 23rd. The program for the Phoenix meeting contains a full range of technical symposia, and is expected to attract over 1,500 scientists and engineers, from a broad range of private and public sector institutions. Technical symposia will include electrochemical and solid-state research ranging from batteries and fuel cells to semiconductors and everything in between. The advanced registration deadline is April 18, so don't delay.

http://www.electrochem.org/sponsorship/exhibits/213/exhibit_213.htm

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