SDK and NovaCentrix to Cooperate in Printed Electronics
Tokyo, Apr 11, 2011 - (JCN Newswire) - Showa Denko K. K. (SDK) and NovaCentrix, of the United States, have agreed to cooperate in the promising area of printed electronics. SDK will manufacture and sell conductive inks developed by NovaCentrix through a licensing agreement, and jointly develop conductive inks to be used with NovaCentrix’s Photonic Curing(TM) process technology. It is also agreed that Shoko Co., Ltd., SDK’s consolidated subsidiary, will start serving as sales agent for NovaCentrix in Japan and part of Asia as from this month concerning NovaCentrix’s PulseForge(R) Photonic Curing tools and Metalon(R) conductive inks.
The term "printed electronics" refers to the technology to manufacture electronic devices through printing. Compared with conventional methods of separately forming layers of semiconductors, metals and insulating materials, the printed electronics technology enables substantial simplification of manufacturing processes. The technology is expected to find wide-ranging applications, including displays, solar cells, and organic EL lighting.
NovaCentrix is a privately-held company in the United States with notable accomplishments in the area of wiring technology, which constitutes an essential part of the printed electronics technology. In printed electronics, conductive wiring is formed through printing with metallic-particles-containing inks (conductive inks), and sintering of those metallic particles with heat treatment. Because of the necessity of heat treatment, it is generally considered that application of printed electronics to plastic substrates is difficult. However, NovaCentrix’s proprietary technology involves high-speed sintering with visible-light flash lamps, restricting the rise in temperature and enabling the use of plastic substrates. Furthermore, the system uses films as plastic substrates, enabling production with the efficient roll-to-roll process.
SDK will fully utilize its metal, inorganic and organic material technologies in its joint development, aiming to develop conductive inks optimized for NovaCentrix’s Photonic Curing(TM) system. SDK will aim to improve the performance of existing conductive inks, thereby achieving durability and conductivity equal to those of conventional copper foils and other bulk products.
Conductive inks are now used in some of the components for smart phones and solar cells. While its market is estimated at JPY 30 billion at present, the market is expected to grow to JPY 100 billion by 2020. With the tie-up with NovaCentrix, SDK will accelerate R&D for the growing printed electronics market.
SDK and NovaCentrix will participate in the 1st Printed Electronics Fair, which will start at Tokyo Big Sight on April 13 as part of the 21st FINETECH JAPAN.