Printable electronics may be defined as the use of printing technologies to create electronic circuits and devices. Both conductive organic polymer inks and nanometallic inks are being used and the printing processes being deployed are either traditional ones -- such as gravure and offset -- or industrial strength ink-jet printing.

Printable electronics is gaining considerable attention as a business opportunity at the present time, for three reasons. It promises new kinds of products. It promises improved economics for certain kinds of circuitry. And it promises new business models which could reshape some areas of the semiconductor industry. Inevitably each of these areas also presents important challenges:

The analysis in the report builds upon the work contained in two previously released studies that examined and forecasted the opportunities for applications providers and suppliers of inks, materials and substrates for printed electronic circuits. This new report will provide detailed unit and revenue forecasts of PE application areas along with materials requirements. The report will answer important questions about the commercial future of inks and substrate materials, it will address key issues surrounding production and manufacturing processes and it will discuss company strategies, market drivers and key trends.

This report is of great value to applications providers, suppliers of inks and substrates, manufacturers of production equipment, specialty chemical companies, electronics manufacturers and investors. The report will address issues important to senior executives and managers of R&D, sales and marketing, technology.

• Executive Summary
  • E.1 Introduction
  • E.1.1 The Joys of Printability
  • E.1.2 Printable Electronics, Its Limits and Moore's Law
  • E.2 Summary of Main Opportunities and Strategies
  • E.2.1 Short-Term Opportunities
  • E.2.1.1 Printable Display Products
  • E.2.1.2 Printable RFID Cards
  • E.2.1.3 Other Near-Term Products
  • E.2.2 Emerging Products
  • E.2.3 Impact on the Printing Industry
  • E.2.4 Impact on the Existing Semiconductor and Electronics Industry
  • E.2.5 Leading Firms Active in the Printable Electronics Sector
  • E.3 Summary of Forecasts
  • E.4 Coda: Hype and Glory
• Chapter One: Introduction
  • 1.1 Background
  • 1.2 Objectives of this Report
  • 1.3 Scope of this Report
  • 1.3.1 Products and Technologies Covered
  • 1.3.2 Printable, Flexible and Plastic Electronics-They are Not All The Same
  • 1.4 Methodology of this Report
  • 1.5 Plan of this Report
• Chapter Two: The Technology of Printable Electronics
  • 2.1 Introduction: Open Questions for Printable Electronics
  • 2.1.1 The Limits of Printable Electronics
  • 2.2 Conventional Printing Methods and Printable Electronics
  • 2.2.1 New Opportunities for the Printing Industry
  • 2.3 Ink-Jet Printing: Current Status and Future Directions
  • 2.3.2 Other Firms
  • 2.3.6 The Dearth and Price of Production Level Machines
  • 2.4 Nano-Imprint Lithography
  • 2.5 The Role of Laser Imaging
  • 2.6 3-D Printing Technologies
  • 2.7 Materials for Printable Electronics
• Chapter Three: New Products Enabled by Printable Electronics
  • 3.1 Introduction
  • 3.2 Displays, Flexibility and Electronic Paper
  • 3.3 RFIDs
  • 3.4 Photovoltaic Arrays, Batteries and Fuel Cells
  • 3.5 Sensors
  • 3.6 Smart Cards, Tickets and Other Disposables
  • 3.7 Membrane Keyboards
  • 3.8 Toys, Novelties and Greetings Cards
  • 3.9 Lighting Products
  • 3.10 Memory, Logic and Processors
  • 3.10.1 Can We Make Faster Plastic Transistors?
  • 3.10.2 Are Memories an Opportunity?
• Chapter Four: Market Forecasts for Printable Electronics
  • 4.1 Forecasting Philosophy
  • 4.2 A Roadmap for Printable Electronics
  • 4.3 Eight-Year Forecasts
• List of Exhibits
  • Exhibit E-1: The Advantages and Disadvantages of Printable Electronics
  • Exhibit E-2: Paths to Success in Printed Electronics
  • Exhibit E-3: Novel Products Enabled by Printable Electronics
  • Exhibit E-4: Selected Firms Active in the Printable Electronics Segment
  • Exhibit E-5: Summary of the Printable Electronics Market Forecasts
  • Exhibit 2-1: Printable Electronics: Opportunities and Challenges for the Printing Industry
  • Exhibit 3-1: Alternative Kinds of Printable Display Products
  • Exhibit 3-2: Impact of Printable Electronics on Display Products
  • Exhibit 3-3: CDT's Licensee's and Technology Partners
  • Exhibit 3-4: Alternatives for Mobile Power
  • Exhibit 3-5: Uses for Smartcards with Printable Displays
  • Exhibit 4-1: A Roadmap For Printable Electronics
  • Exhibit 4-2: The Market for Printable Displays: 2005-2012
  • Exhibit 4-3: The Market for Printable RFIDs: 2005-2012
  • Exhibit 4-4: The Market for Printable Photovoltaics
  • Exhibit 4-5: Other Markets for Printable Electronics