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INDUSTRY NEWS

Optical profilers that measure the layer thickness of materials are among the quality assurance tools used at the new Nanoident fab in Linz, Austria.

An Austrian company that develops and manufactures printed semiconductor–based optoelectronic sensors has opened what it claims is the world’s first manufacturing facility for printed electronic devices. The Organic Fab (OFAB) can manufacture printed electronic products quickly and at a fraction of the cost of silicon-based semiconductor plants, according to Nanoident Technologies AG (Linz, Austria).

By applying its proprietary platform technology to the production process, the firm hopes to provide customers in the life sciences and other industries with new opportunities to create innovative products that otherwise would be cost-prohibitive, says the company.

The process involves the use of liquid nanomaterials and additive production techniques. Electronic circuits can be printed on a range of substrates in a matter of hours for prototype as well as high-volume applications. They can have application-specific spectral and electronic properties and can contain light sources and light detectors as well as electronic circuits.

The process is extremely fast. Traditional chip manufacturing can take approximately 2 to 3 months. By contrast, the OFAB process can be completed in hours or days. Prototypes and volume production can be run on the same equipment, allowing for highly customized devices. Production capacity can be scaled as needed by adding more equipment.

For more information, contact Nanoident Technologies AG, Untere Donaulaende 21-25, A-4020 Linz, Austria; phone: +43 732 90240017; Internet: www.nanoident.com.