Visitors were able to see and test two demonstrator devices developed within the project: a RFID tag with 13.56 MHz and a 4 bit ROM memory reader.

Examples of roll-to-roll printed
transistors and circuits at the PolyApply stand.

The PolyApply project participated in this year’s annual Organic Electronics Conference and Exhibition (OEC-07) on 24th - 26th September 2007 at Frankfurt am Main, Germany. The OEC is one of the most important international event for scientists, engineers, manufacturers and investors in organic semiconductor technologies and organic electronics. At the PolyApply stand visitors were able to see and test live two demonstrator devices developed within the project: a RFID (radio frequency identification) tag working at the standardized high frequency (HF) of 13.56 MHz and a 4 bit ROM memory reader.

It consists of single devices made by 9 partners of the consortium: an antenna, a resonance capacitor, a rectifier, a ring oscillator and a modulator. All single devices were made on the basis of organic semiconductors, conductors and dielectrics. For the first time a working RFID system based on devices made on flexible substrates and with inline compatible processes was demonstrated by an organic electronics technology consortium - a significant result towards the realization of low-cost high-volume organic RFID tags. It also demonstrates that various material classes and processes developed by the consortium, from evaporated molecules to printed polymers, are suitable for use in the new organic electronics technology.

From the European Commission, Ms Rosalie Zobel (Director for Components, Subsystems and Applications", DG Information Society, left), visited the PolyApply stand and tested the project demonstrators.

The memory reader demonstrator showed an organic circuit capable to read 4 bit ROM memory cells. Within PolyApply, Philips developed a ROM memory consisting of patterned metal conducting lines on polymer substrates. When the connection between two contacts is done by a conducting line, the memory is in the “0” state and when the conducting line is broken, e.g. by applying a high current pulse, the memory is in the “1” state. Fraunhofer IZM-M has then further developed this technology and realized a roll-to-roll process to produce this type of memories. These memories were provided to PolyIC, who developed electronic circuits based on polymer semiconductors in a clean room process to read out the memories. The chip has been realized and demonstrated as part of the “additional functionalities” of the demonstrator. The memories can be exchanged on the demonstrator and are read out safely, and the signal can be shown on an oscilloscope. Thus, the memory chip setup was demonstrated on the OEC-07, which shows one more time the capabilities of organic electronics.
Until the end of 2007 the consortium aims to improve the second generation RFID tag continuously to achieve higher performances and a higher integration on a flexible setup.

PolyApply is funded in FP6 by IST No. 507143. The project duration is from January 1st, 2004 to March 31st, 2008.