Organic electronics, or plastic electronics, is a branch of electronics that deals with conductive polymers. It is called 'organic' electronics because the polymers are carbon-based. This is as opposed to traditional electronics which relies on inorganic conductors such as copper or silicon.

The combination of a special type of polymer materials with low cost, large area fabrication processes (such as printing) enables thin, lightweight, flexible and low cost electronics. This means integrated circuits, sensors, displays, memory, photovoltaic cells or batteries can be made out of carbon.

Applications

• Printed RFID
• Printed organic memory
• Flexible organic photovoltaic cells
• Flexible displays, batteries
• TFT Backplanes
• Smart windows
• Electronic pape

Are a few examples and represent a future multibillion market.

SLN Technologies is working with printed systems for Organic Electronics applications.

printed system:

printed system is amongst world’s foremost companies to step into the field of organic electronics.

Printed systems was founded 2003 as a spin-off of Chemnitz University of Technology and is located in Chemnitz. printed systems was started with an outstanding idea: the conjoining of paper – the most important cultural medium of our civilizations since 2000 years - and modern information technology.

Today they print new functional plastic materials on paper. With this innovative technology they bridge the border between real and virtual world. printed systems is able to mass-produce paper electronics in industrial volumes at low costs. They open up totally new application fields with electronic intelligence in marketing, entertainment, medicine and in everyday life.

printed systems produce paper electronics also known as organic electronics, cost-efficiently and in short time. By means of specialized mass printing processes the company prints new types of functional plastics on paper, cardboard or foil. These plastics are electronically active polymers and enable electronic devices, such as memory units.

 On the basis of paper electronics (Organic electronics), printed systems developed CROSSLINK. This system forms an outstanding interface between the real world and the internet. It is the basis for a new category of real-virtual products and applications. Electronic cards and printed paper boards are the first market-ripe products with CROSSLINK. printed systems offers complete service for paper electronics – the printing of paper electronics as well as providing its clients with the necessary hardware, software and consulting services.

Due to the worldwide unique process innovation printed systems are able to print data memory and touch-sensitive sensors with conductive plastics on standard paper.
Paper electronics bridge paper and electronic media and are the basis for various innovative print products with additional electronic functionalities.
We use CROSSLINK – a new crossmedia system consisting of print product with paper electronics, hardware and interface to the internet server. It is an easy and fast access to high-involvement contents – a haptic “link” to the internet. Thanks to an integrative technology all applications are compatible for maximized customer’s benefit.

The products manufactured by printed systems are

• Paper cards
• Paper pads
• Packaging
• Sheet cards

Paper cards:
	Paper cards include the NF-IPtag (Near Field - Intelligent Paper tag), the printed plastic data memory, which is imprinted between two paper layers in the inner side of the cards. Thus the electronic is protected against outer environmental effects. Moreover the paper cards can be designed with any colour print layout conform the customer’s wishes. The data are read by low-cost reading device to plug into the PC or laptop. The reader is identified automatically by the operating system. To read the information the paper card is simply inserted into the reader. The browser is opened and you will be directed to a deep link promptly or even a download or streaming of media files can be started.
Paper pads:
	Due to the unique production technology we produce paper pads cost- and time-efficiently. The pads include printed plastic touch-sensitive sensors imprinted between two paper layers.  The pads enable up to 36 key buttons, which position and digital function is customized to each application. The paper pad is plugged to the PC or laptop with our special developed USB-cable. When you push a button you are directed to deep links, start downloads or streaming.
Packaging:
	Their paper electronics makes packages intelligent. The core of their technology is the plastic data memory, which is printed directly on to the package or is attached to the product by a card. To read the information of the imprinted data from the outside of the package it is laid on a flatbed-reading device.
Sheet Cards:
	Electronic paper cards can be either delivered as single cards or integrated directly into high-innovative printing products. They offer them as a sheet, a novel format of up to ten cards to be detached by a perforation line. The sheet can be inlayed into print magazines. Their CROSSLINK  system enables the crossmedia link of printed ads or articles into the internet. In addition the sheetcard provides a practicable format to mail sets of up to ten cards.
Hardware:
Low-cost reading device for the NF-IPtag
	The NF-IPtag is read using near field technology. Therefore they offer reading devices appropriate for the particular format of the paper electronic product:
For electronic paper cards they provide the low-cost readers, which are connected via USB to the laptop or PC. The cards are inserted into the reader and you are directed to the correspondent internet content. For the electronic paper pads a specialized USB-connecting cable for the PC or laptop is needed. After plugging in and activating of the pad via the start button the pads are ready for use – the keys can be pushed just like at ordinary computer key pads. The desired content is displayed promptly. In case the NF-IP tag is integrated in packages they offer a specialized flatbed-reader, on which the package is laid for reading.  For more information contact www.printed-systems.de