 | Professor Aimin Song from the School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering (EEE) is one of only eight people to receive a 2007 Brian Mercer Feasibility Award from the Royal Society. Electronics engineer predicts fantastic plastic future An engineer from The University of Manchester who is pushing boundaries in the field of nanotechnology has been recognised with a prestigious award. |
Plastic electronics arguably came to real prominence after three scientists won the 2000 Nobel Prize for their contribution to the discovery and development of conductive polymer plastics.
The technology opens up the possibility for very flexible, high-tech devices - such as information screens that you can roll up and put in your pocket - being developed.
But while the rise of plastic electronics has brought potential, it has also brought some problems; conventional multi-layered transistors made from polymer plastics offer relatively slow conductivity speeds and involve a complex and costly manufacturing process.
With support and funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), Professor Song has pioneered a way to make single-layered planar plastic transistors and diodes using a fast and simple printing technique.
Professor Song is confident he can push the speed of his organic plastic semiconductors to around 100Mhz - way beyond the 20 Megahertz (Mhz) he has so far achieved.
In the past, multi-layered transistors made from plastic have generally worked at Kilohertz (KHz) speeds or below.
Plastic components such as semiconductors and diodes could be used to create drivers for flexible displays, Radio Frequency Identification Tags (RFIDs) and intelligent disposable sensors.
Professor Song believes this could ultimately lead to the production of information displays that can be rolled up and put into your pocket, and also changeable electronic wallpaper.
Other potential applications include intelligent tickets for public transport systems or road charging schemes and electronic stamps for letters and packages.
Due to the high level of commercial interest in Professor Song's breakthrough technology, he has formed a company called Plastic ePrint Ltd with support form The University of Manchester Intellectual Property Ltd (UMIP).
The firm is now seeking venture capital funding and is also working on creating demonstration versions of plastic radio frequency (RF) smart cards and developing plastic components for use in flexible displays.
Professor Song, who works in the Microelectronics and Nanostructures group at The University, said: "In the film The Graduate, the character played by Dustin Hoffman is famously advised that the future is plastics. From many points of view, this prediction is quite true and I think that plastics will bring a revolution for the second time in history.
"The components we have developed are simpler and potentially much cheaper to produce and much faster than previous organic electronic devices.
"These advantages come from the simplicity of the single layer, planar structures, rather than the multi-layer vertical structures of conventional semiconductor devices.
"There is still much work to be done, and this prestigious award will help us continue to drive our work forward. However, I am confident the development of plastic electronics will lead to a new-generation of exciting products coming into our everyday lives."
Dr Richard Price from UMIP said: "Professor Song's technology has the potential to be at the cornerstone of the plastic electronics revolution - the nanodevices are so simple, yet extremely elegant.
"Initial applications will have relatively modest functionality in comparison to today's silicon technology, but as materials and processes continue to develop there should be no reason why high-performance products cannot be realised in the future."
Professor Song is one of two academics from The University of Manchester to receive a Brian Mercer Feasibility Award this year.
Professor Andre Geim from The School of Physics and Astronomy also received the honour for his discovery and development of two-dimensional materials - including graphene - that are only one atom thick.
Photographs of Professor Song are available on request. For more information please contact Alex Waddington, Media Relations Officer, University of Manchester on 0161 306 3983.
Industry experts forecast the market for plastic electronics could be worth billions of dollars within just a few years.
Nanotechnology involves studying and working with matter on an ultra-small scale. One nanometre is one-millionth of a millimetre and a single human hair is around 80,000 nanometres in width.
Such is the potential of Professor Song's work, that an EPSRC assessment panel recently commented that if successful, "the generic technology would seem to have unlimited potential". The panel also said it considered his innovation to be "one of the star pieces of technology being developed in the UK".
Aside from polymer plastic components, Professor Song has also developed InAs compound semiconductor self-switching devices, which have been operated at frequencies up to 110Ghz at room temperature and up to Terahertz (THz) frequencies at low temperature.
Professor Song has been working with the University of Manchester Intellectual Property Ltd (UMIP) on the commercialisation of his technology. Please see the UMIP website for more information.
The Brian Mercer Feasibility Awards were established by the Royal Society in 2001 as the result of a generous bequest received from the late Dr Brian Mercer. Dr Mercer was an enthusiastic inventor and entrepreneur and the awards aim to encourage these qualities in the next generation of scientists.
For more information please see The Royal Society website.
The School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE) is part of the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences. For more information please see the EPS website. 28 Mar 2007
Technorati Tags: nanofibers or Nanoscientists and Nano or Nanotechnology and nanoparticles or Nanotech and nanotubes or nanochemistry and nanoscale or nanowires and Nanocantilevers or nanometrology and University of Manchester or organic plastic semiconductors and Royal Society or Radio Frequency Identification Tags
No comments:
Post a Comment