Electrochromic displays are a rapidly emerging technology in the field of visual interfaces owing to their design versatility and cost-effective production. The technology is ideal for use in smart labels, consumer electronics, logistics monitoring, medical devices, smart cards, retail, and point of service applications "The Ynvisible Segment Display is an electrochromic display. It is categorized as a reflective display - meaning that it reflects ambient light instead of using a backlight. All layers are screen-printed on a plastic substrate. The display stack consists of organic layers including a plastic substrate, an electrochromic material, an electrolyte, and an electrode for each segment. Additional layers such as graphical overlays and circuits may be added if required." "Evaluate the ultra-low-power, thin, and flexible Segment Displays. Each kit contains different display designs and includes a manual display driver as well as a display driver with an I2C interface. "Electronics engineers and enthusiasts alike can now buy Ynvisible displays in several online marketplaces, improving market accessibility to electrochromic display technology." Ynvisible Store: https://www.ynvisible.com/product/seg... Digikey: https://www.digikey.com/en/products/d... Arduino Store: https://store.arduino.cc/products/seg... For more information: https://www.ynvisible.com/product/segment-display-kit

Speaker: Andy Behr | Company: Panasonic Electronic Materials | Date: 11-12 May 2021 | Full Presentation This presentation will explore the mega-trends driving the development of pliable circuit technologies and survey current material and construction options. The speaker will provide an update on the development of a novel, thermosetting stretchable film technology that has the potential to enable future generations of conformable devices for use in industries like health, medical, automotive and aerospace. Andy Behr Senior Technology Manager @ Panasonic Bio Andy Behr is a Technology Manager with Panasonic Electronic Materials Business. He leads a multi-national research and marketing team based in Silicon Valley that develops leading-edge materials for electronic device fabrication and other emerging applications. Andy holds a bachelor’s degree in biology and a master’s degree in business administration. He has authored numerous technical papers and holds several patents. He has more than twenty-five years of experience in working with innovative electronic materials. Andy began his career in research and has subsequently held positions in marketing and business leadership. Join TechBlick on an annual pass to join all live online conference or online version of onsite conference access library of on-demand talks (600 talks + PDFs) portfolio of expert led masterclass year-round platform https://www.techblick.com/ And do NOT miss our flagship event in Berlin on 17-18 OCT 2023 focused on Reshaping the Future of Electronics. This event attracts 550-600 participants from all the world and offers a superb ambience and dynamic exhibition floor. To learn more visit https://www.techblick.com/electronicsreshaped To see feedback about previous event see https://www.techblick.com/events-agenda

A team of researchers at Seoul National University's Center for Nanoparticle Research has developed a foldable variant of an ultrathin quantum dot LED (QLED), inspired by the ancient art of paper folding known as origami, and published their work in nature electronics paper "Three-dimensional foldable quantum dot light-emitting diodes" "QLEDs use quantum dots (nanoscale semiconductor particles) for the emission of light. Thanks to their outstanding electroluminescence, they have attracted considerable attention as a candidate for the next generation of display technologies. QLED displays do not require any bulky components such as backlight units, potentially allowing them to be manufactured with ultrathin form factors." "The researchers endowed foldability to the conventional planar QLED via a new fabrication process that can partially etch the epoxy film deposited on the QLED surface without damaging the underlying QLED. Using a power-controllable carbon dioxide pulsed laser and the silver-aluminum alloy-based etch-stop layers, the etching depth can be precisely controlled. As the laser-etched part of the device is relatively thinner than the surrounding region, it is possible to etch out deformation lines along which the device can be folded like origami paper." "Based on the selective laser-etching technique, researchers were able to precisely control the radius of curvature down to less than 50 micrometers. Under such a small curvature radius, the fold line resembles a sharp edge with no visible curvature. By using mechanical stimulation to carefully engineer the device, researchers were able to minimize the strain loaded on the light-emitting components. The entire QLED including the crease region (a fold line) was able to maintain a stable light-emitting performance even when after it was repeatedly folded 500 times. The technology was applied to fabricate 3D foldable QLEDs with various complex shapes such as butterflies, airplanes, and pyramids." “We were able to build a 3D foldable QLED that can be freely folded just like a paper artwork,” said Professor Kim Dae-Hyeong of Seoul National University. “By fabricating the passively driven, 3D foldable QLED arrays composed of 64 individual pixels, we have shown the possibility of developing displays with greater complexity in the future.” Hyeon Taeghwan, the director of the Center for Nanoparticle Research, states that “Through the technology reported in this research, paper-like QLEDs that can be folded into various complex structures have been successfully fabricated. Who knows when the day will come when electronic paper with a display unit can replace real paper?” Source: https://compoundsemiconductor.net/article/113663/QLEDs_that_fold_like_origami https://eandt.theiet.org/content/articles/2021/09/ultrathin-qled-folded-into-origami-structures/

A group of researchers at the Institute of Microstructure Technology, Light Technology Institute & Thin Film Technology (TFT) at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology has published an RRL Solar article "Correlative In Situ Multichannel Imaging for Large-Area Monitoring of Morphology Formation in Solution-Processed Perovskite Layers" highlighting a novel method for measuring the quality of large-area thin films in a threefold manner: Reflectance, Photoluminescence (PL) intensity and PL emission wavelength in a fast and simultaneous way. "Optical (or IR) techniques have the advantages that they can be easily used for monitoring common solution processing methods such as spin coating or blade coating and that they can provide large-area information at low cost using cameras as imaging detectors, while the necessary large-area excitation can be provided by high-power light-emitting diodes. Luminescence and reflectance imaging on large areas—established already in other PV technologies as silicon, GaAs, CdTe, and CIGS—as well as luminescence microscopy, demonstrated to yield critical information on the perovskite thin-film quality and the performance of devices incorporating these films. However, to the best of our knowledge, there is currently no technique available combining both imaging capability on large areas and rapid real-time operation for analyzing the dynamics of the perovskite formation." "In response, we developed an in situ monitoring technique based on a commercially available scientific camera, an inexpensive ring light source, and a 3D printed rapidly rotating filter wheel that is able to generate sequences of images of reflectance, photoluminescence (PL) intensity, and an estimation of the central PL emission wavelength at a “frame-rate” of 3 fps each. This technique, which we call in situ multichannel imaging (IMI), enables the dynamic stages, I–IV, to be tracked in both space and time. To provide idealized conditions for testing the capability of IMI, we maintain full control of the airflow and temperature over the sample. With this idealized reference at hand, we will demonstrate that IMI would be useful in industrial-scale coating lines."

With the equipment of AFS Entwicklungs + Vertriebs GmbH, NORCOP demonstrates the significance of the surface chemistry of polymer substrates used in conductive ink screen printing, and how its modification by MOLECULAR COATING™ achieves low resistivity, defect-free, reliable, and compact flexible electrical circuits. "MOLECULAR COATING™ is a plasma-induced surface deposition technology allowing the deposition of transparent thin coatings on the surface of various 2D plastic, paper, and textile substrates. It performs exceptionally well in screen printing of conductive inks, while preliminary results using inkjet printing have been very promising. When the right ink-substrate pair has been identified and used, the main characteristics of these thin layers are surface roughness and surface chemistry control, which lead to perfect wetting (zero pinholes) and adhesion. These characteristics afford the printer the following benefits:" Absence of PINHOLES leads to increased conductivity in electrical circuits: often more than two times higher when compared to those printed on standard commercial PET. Surface Roughness Control, achieved by varying the thickness of the deposited film, impacts the adhesion of the ink due to modification of the ink-substrate interlocking mechanisms (@Van Der Waals interactions) Surface Chemistry Control, achieved by the introduction of carefully selected chemical functions on the surface of the substrate, ensures high energy covalent bonding between the MOLECULAR COATING™ and the resins present in the ink. These in turn affect: The adhesion of the MOLECULAR COATING™ with the base substrate (PET or other) Adhesion of the MOLECULAR COATING™ with the printed ink Adhesion of the MOLECULAR COATING™ with the dielectric varnish The resistance to deformation upon repeated bending (flexible organic coating) The resistance to heat defects which occur during circuit operation (hot spots) "The systems used in printing with metal-containing inks, circuits printed on NORCOP's substrates show narrow lines, 30-500 µm in width which is straight, with regular edges and constant interline spaces all along the tracks. In this way, the risks of circuit failure or short circuit formation are eliminated." For more information:

On Wearable Medical Sensors, E-Textiles and Printed Electronics TechBlick is delighted to announce a Free-To-Attend exhibition and selected end-user presentations on 14 October 2021 between 16:30 to 19:30 CEST in their popular networking lounge. This is a Free-To-Attend session, part of the larger member-only event featuring world-class speakers on Wearable Medical Sensors, Printed Electronics, and E-Textiles. To see the full agenda click here. The Free-To-Attend session includes the following global end-user speakers: Ypsomed: Printed/Flexible Electronics for Drug Delivery Devices - Drivers & Tradeoffs Ravensburger: Printed Electronics in the Board Game Industry Metronic: Tech Innovations in Insulin Delivery Siemens Healthcare: Perovskites: The Emergence of a New Era for High-Resolving and Ultra-Sensitive Flat Panel X-Ray Detectors GE Healthcare: Disposable, Adjustable Clinical Grade Vital Sign Monitoring Systems Wiliot: How to Scale the IoT to Trillions – Sensing as a Service with Sticker Sized Computers Robert Sauvé Research Institute for Occupational Health and Safety: Smart Protective Equipment. In addition to these presentations there is also a major exhibition for you to enjoy. Giving you the opportunity to meet colleagues and potential new customers. This is an extremely interactive event, giving the buzz and feel of an in-person event. To see how it works, please click on the link here To register for this ‘must attend’ event click here Places are limited and demand will be high, so register today to guarantee your place. Our exhibitors include the following. Many will be there to meet you TechBlick has 1000+ members. Its members and speakers include: GE Healthcare, Facebook, LG Electronics, Sony, ST Micro, Luxottica, Ford, Samsung, TCL, BOE, Panasonic, FIAT, Audi, Hyundai Motor, Mitsubishi Materials, Nissan Chemical, Evonik, Momentive, Asahi Glass Corp, Murata, AUO, Stabilo, Boeing, Analog Devices, Google, Microsoft, ARM, Corning, Infineon, SK Innovation, P&G, Coca Cola, Microsoft, DuPont, Jabil, Dyson, Avery Dennison, Nexperia, Eastman Kodak Company, Airbus, Solvay, Boeing, Lamar Advertising, Merck, Novo Nordisk, Waymo, Texas Instruments, ABB, Swarovski, Flex, Jabil, Intel, WL Gore, BASF, GE Research, JX Nippon, Aixtron, Imec, CEA, Dai Nippon Printing, Delo, Henkel, Identiv, Hoya, IP Group, Schott, Siemens, Tata Steel, Volvo, Wuerth, PPG Industries, JC Decaux, Roche, Medtronic, ArcelorMittal and many more Add to your Calendar iCalendar| Google Calendar | MicrosoftOutlook Calendar | Office 365 Calendar | Yahoo Calendar

Kontakt.io Inc., the industry leader in Bluetooth ® Low Energy (BLE) indoor IoT solutions launched the world's smallest BLE beacon, and the first disposable wearable Nano Tag - to solve for worker safety, patient and visitor experience use cases for the healthcare, hospitality and events industries. "Addressing size and unit cost limitations of older generation RFID tags, Kontakt.io's BLE tag technology makes it possible for end-users to deploy truly disposable beacons in a wearable form factor that makes a host of new use cases possible, including those for event delegates, sports fans, building visitors or healthcare patient localization and the applications that take advantage of such real-time data. Kontakt.io's open API-First delivery architecture, coupled with BLE's promise for an open wireless standard that is vendor agnostic, stands to rapidly increase adoption of advanced use cases such as:" In healthcare, Nano Tag is used by staff to prevent patient wandering and elopement, to monitor patient procedure wait times, and better orchestrate emergency department and operating suites workflows; For trade shows and in large music and sports events, Nano Tag wristbands are used for crowd safety, emergency management and to enable new experience use cases such as location-aware food services, find my friend and other indoor location experiences; In smart buildings, wearable lanyards and wrist Nano Tags make it possible to monitor visitor movements inside buildings, improving facility security and overall safety. "This amazingly small and waterproof (IP67) device measures just 0.9 in (23 mm) x 0.7 in x 0.3 in (5.3mm) and only weighs 0.07 oz (2g). The Nano Tag is powered by a Silver Oxide, a non-toxic battery that provides up to three months of battery life transmitting once every second (1Hz), extendable to a full operating year at a slower location update rate." "The Nano Tag is powered by Bluetooth 5.0 technology, making it compatible with iOS and Android mobile devices, Kontakt.io low-cost BLE gateways and inherently supported by Cisco WiFi 6 and Cisco Meraki access point equipped with a BLE radio. AI Cloud-managed" "Amazingly-Simple-IoT™ solutions from Kontakt.io make it possible for a wide range of organizations to harness the power of IoT without the need to deploy massive IT resources or prohibit financial costs to transform building operations 'Smart'." "Continuing our standing commitment to innovation, we are thrilled to announce the Nano Tag today, taking yet another step in driving cost reduction and environmentally friendly products," said Rom Eizenberg, CRO at Kontakt.io. "Servicing increasing demand from our customer base, the Nano Tag eliminates the need for Lithium batteries while providing a truly wearable BLE device that redefines what is possible in tag miniaturization and performance," added Mr. Eizenberg. Nano Tags are available from USD $7.99 to $4.99 unit price through the Kontakt.io store, channel network, and in the Cisco IoT Device Marketplace. Sources https://www.wearabletechnologyinsights.com/articles/24800/worlds-smallest-ble-beacon-and-first-disposable-wearable-tag?rsst2id=143&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kontaktio-launches-nano-tag-the-worlds-smallest-affordable-disposable--wearable-ble-tag-301380372.html

Toppan printing develops the world’s first flexible TFT to withstand million bending cycles to a one-millimeter radius of curvature. "Flexible electronics are seen in foldable smartphones and their application is anticipated for wearable sensors, medical devices, smart packaging, and more. Organic TFTs are lightweight and flexible, but disadvantages include low carrier mobility, reliability, and durability. Inorganic TFTs provide high carrier mobility and have an established mass production process, but flexibility needs improvement. There is consequently the demand for new TFTs combining outstanding carrier mobility, flexibility, and durability." "Toppan, a global leader in communication, security, packaging, décor materials, and electronics solutions, has developed a flexible thin-film transistor (TFT) with an unprecedented combination of flexibility, durability, and carrier mobility. The new TFT withstands a million bending cycles to a 1 mm radius of curvature and demonstrates advantages for practical application, such as an on/off current ratio of at least 10^7 with carrier mobility of 10cm^2/Vs or more." "Leveraging unique technologies and a new structure, Toppan has created the world’s first TFT with the flexibility to be wound around a mechanical pencil lead, the durability of a flexible printed circuit board, and carrier mobility exceeding 10 times that of amorphous silicon TFTs. Flex testing shows no variation in carrier mobility and other properties before and after a million bending cycles to a 1 mm radius of curvature. Toppan aims to advance manufacturing technology, enhance flexibility, durability, and carrier mobility, and target the development of flexible sensors." "We have achieved unprecedented flexibility and durability by combining existing TFT technologies,” said Manabu Ito, development manager at Toppan. “This breakthrough raises the potential for ultra-thin, unbreakable flexible sheet sensors and stretchable devices in the future.” Source:https://www.toppan.com/en/news/2021/03/newsrelease210329e.html

Phoseon Technology has announced a new FireJet and FireEdge NIR Explorer. Near-InfraRed lamps that are aimed at curable adhesives, 3D printing, and pinning on low migration applications. Phoseon’s latest LED lamp, the FireEdge Explorer, uses NIR for curing Phoseon has built its entire business on developing LED lamps though up to now the company has concentrated on ultraviolet lamps. Simon Reissmann, a technical marketing engineer for Phoseon, says that the company constantly extends its LED wavelength portfolio so it’s a natural step to implement LEDs that emit in the Near InfraRed range. The NIR spectrum starts at around 800nm, where the visible light spectrum leaves off. Reissmann says these lamps can be used for new NIR-curable adhesives, adding: “Further, this technology is showing potential in pinning and improving print quality on water-based and hybrid inks, used for low migration, in inkjet printing before the final curing stage.” These LED systems are not yet powerful enough to fully cure and dry water-based prints in the way that, for example, an Adphos NIR system can but Reissman says that the NIR LED lamps have been shown to help print quality through pinning. He adds: “Another area of interest is 3D printing and keeping printed models and substrates contactless at the desired temperature.” Reissman continues: “NIR LED will not compete against UV LED but rather complement it for materials and applications that have a different absorption spectrum. The main advantages of the NIR LED versus existing NIR systems are its instant on/off capability, with no warm-up time, and its efficient energy use that makes it a substantially greener technology. We expect the sales price to be similar to our existing UV-A LED solutions.” Of the two new lamps, the FireJet NIR Explorer offers high power in an air-cooled package. The 20mm wide window guarantees that the energy is spread wider for a larger dose and exposure time in high-speed applications. The FireEdge NIR Explorer is a smaller variation of the FireJet and offers roughly 1/5th the output power with a 10mm wide rod lens. It has a small form factor that combined with the more focused rod lens output should be ideal for delivering high intensity at 5-10mm working distance. Source:https://phoseon.com/in-the-news/phoseon-develops-nir-led-lamps/

The Sydney-based solar technology start-up "SunDrive Solar" has developed a commercial-size silver-free silicon PV cell that elevated the new world record for the efficiency at which its solar cells convert sunlight to electricity to 25.54%. "Silver is a core component in today’s solar panels. It is estimated solar panel manufacturing accounts for about 20% of the world’s annual consumption of the precious metal, with the volume expected to rise steeply as the next generation of high-efficiency cells currently being developed require up to three times more silver than their antecedents. Copper doesn’t have the same highly conductive properties as silver and does not adhere well to the surface of the solar cell but Allen, who along with former flatmate David Hu founded SunDrive in 2015, has found a solution. And a much more affordable one." "The result is a major shake-up for the industry with China-based solar cell manufacturers topping the efficiency records in recent years. Manufacturing giant Longi Solar held the previous top mark for a commercial-size monocrystalline hetero-junction (HJT) solar cell, achieving 25.26% during testing at ISFH earlier this year. While SunDrive celebrated the world record, the company’s technology – which replaces the expensive silver used in conventional solar cells with the cheaper and more abundant copper – could have greater ramifications, potentially lowering the manufacturing cost of solar PV panels." "In terms of our timeline, we're planning to have a commercial-sized module containing our solar cells at the end of this year, which is representative of what we could put on a roof or in a solar farm," Allen said. "We're also focused on building our pilot production line by end of next year with panels ready maybe by the first half of 2023." For more information, visit https://www.pv-magazine-australia.com/2021/09/10/australian-start-up-sets-25-54-efficiency-record-for-silicon-cell/ https://interestingengineering.com/australia-created-the-most-efficient-solar-cell-ever-with-no-silver

"The US battery R&D company Ionobell, awards FOM Technologies a contract for Slot Die coating equipment. The sale will be via our strategic partner in US M. Braun Inc." "FOM is happy to announce the sale of our flagship machine to the California-based company Ionobell. Ionobell is a battery R&D company with expertise in battery material and cell development. Ionobell is specialized in silicon battery manufacturing for the Automotive industry." CEO Michael Stadi states: “The sale underlines and supports the effort, we at FOM has put into designing products for the booming EV industry. As with all our customers, we’ll make sure that the science team of Ionobell, will get all our support and insight to our technology to create a long-term relationship.” Source: https://www.fomtechnologies.com/news/us-battery-rd-company-awards-fom-new-contract

"Xiaomi has developed a monochrome microLED screen for smart glasses to display the real-time translation of text and audio. An AI engine can translate text from pictures taken by a 5Mpxel camera and display them in real-time on the glasses." Xiaomi says it went with a monochrome MicroLED system because of its “higher pixel density and longer lifespan while having a simpler structure” when compared to OLED. According to Xiaomi, MicroLED “allows for a more compact display, as well as easier screen integration.” "MicroLED is a self-emissive display technology that is widely viewed as the natural successor to OLED. However, it remains prohibitively expensive and is yet to be deployed in more than a handful of commercial products." "The Xiaomi's smart glasses design has 497 components and weighs 51g. The monochrome display chip in the Xiaomi smart glasses measures 2.4mm x 2.02mm with 4μm individual pixels to fit within the frame of the glasses. To allow sufficient light to pass through complicated optical structures before reaching the eye even in harsh direct sunlight, the developers used a monochrome display with a peak brightness of 2 million nits." "By adopting optical waveguide technology which refracts lights at 180°, the MicroLED display accurately transmits light beams to the human eye through the microscopic grating structure of the optical waveguide lens. The grating structure etched onto the inner surface of the lens allows light to be refracted into the eye with multiple beams, allowing the eye to build up a complete image. This is performed in a single lens, instead of using complicated multiples lens systems, mirrors, or half mirrors. This reduces the device size and weight." "As well as the display chip, the 497 components include sensors, touchpad and communication modules, and a Xiaomi AI Assistant as the primary interaction method. The 5MP camera on the front of the glasses can also take photos and translate text into photos, which is highly convenient when traveling. Using the dual beamforming microphone with a proprietary translating algorithm, Xiaomi Smart Glasses can also transcribe audio into text with translations in real-time. Like the Facebook Ray-bans, The indicator light next to the camera will illuminate when the camera is in use to indicate that photos are being taken. The Xiaomi AI agent also selects and pushes the most important messages, such as smart home alarms, urgent information from office apps, and messages from important contacts." "The glasses use a quad-core ARM processor, battery, touchpad, Wi-Fi/Bluetooth modules, and Android operating system". "Xiaomi s reported to have at least 34 investments in semiconductor companies in China over the last two years to secure its supply chain in both design and manufacturing." Sources: https://www.eenewseurope.com/news/ai-translation-smart-glasses-drives-microled-display https://www.theverge.com/2021/9/14/22673144/xiaomi-smart-glasses-announced-microled-display-ar