Partnership to target low power solutions for IoT & wearables

The technology will enable product designers to develop stylish, more ergonomically-friendly devices in several emerging industrial segments, including flexible AMOLED and other displays for mobile and Wearables and the Internet of Things,- markets which are forecast to be worth $12Bn by 2020 (IHS 2013 report) and $1.9 trillion across all sectors (Peter Middleton, research director, Gartner) in 2020 respectively.

Plastic Logic’s revolutionary technology is based on an organic transistor that can be printed on plastic substrates using only low temperature processes (<100˚C). Since the transistor is the foundation of all electronic devices, this enables the fabrication of a wide range of applications on standard engineering plastics with exceptional manufacturing efficiency. Plastic Logic has already manufactured and delivered organic transistor arrays to drive flexible electrophoretic displays, flexible AMOLED displays, and read-out circuitry for high density image sensors.
Solvay Specialty Polymer has introduced a range of electro-active polymers, being marketed as solvene® EAP, that have an intrinsically high dielectric constant, which enables high charge at low applied electric fields. Integrated with Plastic Logic’s transistor technology this creates a step change in the voltage requirements for electronics devices. The improved low power performance coupled with extreme flexibility and durability makes the combined technology ideal for wearable and ubiquitous sensor technologies.

“It is gratifying to know that Solvay’s innovative polymers are contributing to the development of organic transistors and advancement of flexible display technology," said Jens Hoeltje, Director of Strategy and Marketing from Solvay Specialty Polymers.

Indro Mukerjee, CEO of Plastic Logic, welcomed the partnership, saying ‘Flexible electronics is now a reality and forms an important foundation for the rapidly growing Internet of Things and Wearables markets. Plastic Logic has been working with leading companies to enable the supply chain for these markets and we are pleased to now be able to also partner with Solvay to deliever very low power solutions’.