This report analyzes and forecasts all the applications in which printable electronics (PE) is being used or is likely to be used in the next eight years. It is based on NanoMarkets ongoing primary and secondary research in this rapidly growing area and will be essential reading to materials and equipment firms, as well as technology developers and investors considering their future in this rapidly emerging sector.

Printed Electronics is attracting serious and growing attention from VCs and leading firms in the materials, specialty chem., semiconductor, consumer electronics and other sectors. New firms are springing up. Substantial investments are being made by both strategic investors and VCs. Factories are being built. And the first products are appearing.

NanoMarkets has been analyzing and forecasting the PE sector since the sector's birth. We firmly believe that within the next couple of years PE will become an industry addressing huge applications markets with sophisticated products, much as the semiconductor industry does now. However, we have also concluded that the opportunities in this sector will vary considerably from application to application.

Within each application, we see the most valuable opportunities arising in different parts of the supply chain. For some applications the best opportunities lie in materials. In others it's the basic devices; TFTs, memories, OLEDs. In yet others, the money, we believe, will be made at the applications level; in specific RFID, display, or photovoltaic products for example.

This report tracks all the applications to which printed electronics is being applied and shows where the opportunities lie. It also shows how opportunities in PE are likely to shift over time as improved manufacturing equipment and materials become available. Some firms, long committed to printing as a manufacturing technology, have found current functional printing technology hard to scale up to full production. How and when will that change? This is just one of the many questions that this report answers.

Other questions that this report tackles: What will be the impact on PE applications of the new inorganic conductive inks beginning to make it to the market? What are the likely timetables in each of the applications areas considered for products to shift to the more sophisticated and useful? And how are business models in each application likely to change over time?

Key points from this report:

• Printed electronics products are now in full-scale production. E-paper displays and RFID antennas are being routinely printed and such products are expected to generate $5.6 and $12.6 billion in revenues respectively by 2015. E-paper, in particular, has emerged as something of a killer application for printed electronics, demonstrating that printing technology can produce complex electronics products that can generate real revenue. NanoMarkets analysts also expect that as improved manufacturing equipment and materials become available further product opportunities will emerge.
  
  
• Printing also seems certain to have a major role in the manufacturing of next-generation photovoltaics with novel CIGS and nanoparticle inks being used to create low-cost, high efficiency solar panels on flexible substrates. Projected sales for printed solar panels will reach $2.5 billion by 2015. Printed electronics will also make a contribution to energy savings through printed OLED lighting, an emerging cost effective approach to solid state illumination. This type of lighting is expected to reach $1.7 billion in sales by 2015.
  
  
• Printing is no longer viewed as a wholesale fabrication technology. Instead, It is increasingly seen as an essential tool for manufacturing the new generation of flexible and large area electronics products. As products move from the lab to the fab, manufacturers are combining fabrication technologies, printing certain layers while using more conventional, sputtering, deposition and even optical lithography approaches on other layers.

Table of Contents

Executive Summary

E.1 The Evolution of Printed Electronics Technology and the Birth of an Industry
E.1.1 Materials and Production Issues: Improvements and Outstanding Issues
E.1.2 Mega-Drivers for Printable Electronics
E.1.3 How Printed Electronics Can Save the Electronics Industry
E.1.4 Dawn of an Industry?
E.2 Printed Displays and Signage
E.2.1 Current Opportunities in E-Paper and Printed Backplanes
E.2.2 Printed OLEDs: Still On Their Way
E.2.3 The Future Uncertain in Printed Backplanes
E.3 Printed Lighting
E.3.1 EL Lighting Does Not Shine
E.3.2 OLEDs: Lighting of the Future?
E.4 Printed RFID
E.4.1 Antennas: First Opportunity
E.4.2 Printing RFID Chips
E.5 Printed Sensors
E.5.1 Current Uses for Printing in the Sensor Industry: Tactical and Strategic
E.5.2 Future Uses of Printing in the Sensor Industry: Tactical and Strategic
E.6 Printed Batteries and Smartcards
E.6.1 A Note on Batteries, Printed Electronics and Smartcards
E.7 Printed Photovoltaics
E.8 Movers and Shakers in Printed Electronics Business
E.9 Where the Money is Coming From
E.10 Summary of Eight-Year Forecasts of Printed Electronics Markets

Chapter One: Introduction

1.1 Background to this Report
1.1.1 Displays, Signage and Printable Electronics
1.1.2 Printable Electronics as Greentech
1.1.3 Printable Electronics and the Next IT Wave
1.2 Objectives and Scope of this Report
1.3 Methodology of this Report
1.4 Plan of this Report

Chapter Two: Printed Displays and Signage

2.1 Introduction
2.2 OLEDs
2.2.1 Advances in Materials
2.2.2 OLEDS and Printing
2.2.3 Performance Requirements for OLEDs
2.2.4 OLEDs and Flexible Substrates
2.2.5 OLEDs and Encapsulation
2.2.6 Markets for Printed OLEDs
2.3 E-Paper
2.3.1 E Ink
2.3.2 SiPix
2.3.3 Bridgestone
2.3.4 Electrochromic Displays
2.3.5 Color E-Paper
2.3.6 Markets for E-paper
2.4 Printed Backplanes
2.4.1 OTFT Backplanes
2.4.2 Plastic Logic
2.4.3 Polymer Vision
2.5 Mobile Phone and Handheld Markets
2.5.1 Sub-displays and MP3 Displays
2.5.2 Mobile Phone Main Displays
2.6 Book Readers
2.7 Computer Displays
2.7.1 OLEDs in Computer Displays
2.7.2 OLEDs, Computing and Flexible Displays
2.8 Signage
2.8.1 Point-of-Purchase Displays and Electronic Shelf Labels
2.8.2 Information Displays and Signage
2.9 Smartcards
2.9.1 Aveso
2.9.2 Siemens
2.9.3 SiPix
2.10 Eight-Year Forecasts of Printed Display and Signage Markets
2.10.1 What Has Changed in the Past Year
2.10.2 Eight-Year Forecasts of Printed Display Markets
2.11 Key Points from this Chapter

Chapter Three: Printed Lighting

3.1 Types of Printed Lighting
3.1.1 OLEDs in Lighting
3.1.2 Electroluminescent Lighting
3.2 Current and Future Applications for Printed Lighting
3.2.1 Solid-State Lighting
3.2.2 Backlighting for Consumer Electronics and Vehicles
3.2.3 General Illumination
3.2.4 Architectural Lighting
3.2.5 Games, Toys and Novelties
3.2.6 Other
3.3 The Firms that are Shaping the Printed Lighting Market
3.3.1 United States
3.3.2 Europe
3.3.3 Asia
3.4 Eight-Year Forecasts of Printed Lighting Markets
3.4.1 What Has Changed in the Past Year
3.4.2 Summary of Forecasts
3.5 Key Points from this Chapter

Chapter Four: Printed Sensors

4.1 Introduction
4.2 What Parts of the Sensor Can Be Printed?
4.2.1 Jetted Sensors
4.2.2 Screen Printed Sensors
4.3 Current and Future Applications for Printed Sensors
4.3.1 Medical Diagnostics
4.3.2 Genetic and Proteomic Research and Testing
4.3.3 Environmental Monitoring
4.3.4 Smart Skins
4.3.5 Electronic Noses and Tongues
4.3.6 Smart Packaging
4.3.7 Smart Textiles
4.3.8 Military and Homeland Security Applications
4.4 The Firms that are Shaping the Printed Sensor Markets
4.5 Eight-Year Forecasts of Printed Sensor Markets
4.5.1 What Has Changed in the Past Year
4.5.2 Summary of Forecasts
4.6 Key Points from this Chapter

Chapter Five: Printed RFID

5.1 Introduction: Why RFID is Important to Printed Electronics
5.2 RFID Technology
5.2.1 Active and Passive Tags
5.2.2 Generations of RFIDs
5.2.3 Frequency Issues
5.2.4 Failure Rate
5.2.5 Privacy
5.3 The Value Proposition of Printing RFID
5.3.1 Arguments for Printing RFID
5.3.2 The Limits of Printing RFID and Arguments Against It
5.4 RFID Pricing
5.5 Printed RFID Technology
5.5.1 Antennas
5.5.2 Tags
5.5.3 Memory
5.6 Current and Future Applications for Printed RFID
5.6.1 Palette-level Tagging
5.6.2 Item-level Tagging
5.6.3 Animal and People Tracking
5.6.4 Other Applications
5.6.5 The PRISMA Project
5.7 Firms and Research Institutes to Watch in the Printed RFID Space
5.7.1 GSI Technologies: Printed Antennas
5.7.2 IMEC
5.7.3 Kovio
5.7.4 Motorola
5.7.5 ORFID
5.7.6 OrganicID
5.7.7 Philips
5.7.8 PolyIC
5.7.9 Printed systems
5.7.10 RSI ID Technologies
5.7.11 Semprius
5.8 Eight-Year Forecasts of Printed RFID Markets
5.8.1 What Has Changed in the Past Year
5.8.2 Summary of Forecasts

Chapter Six: Printed Photovoltaics

6.1 Printed Photovoltaics Technology
6.1.1 Silicon and Printed PV
6.1.2 CIS/CIGS and Printed PV
6.1.3 CdTe and Printed PV
6.1.4 Organic and Hybrid PV and Printing
6.1.5 Printing, PV and TCOs
6.1.6 Other Materials
6.2 Current and Future Applications for Printed Photovoltaics
6.2.1 The Basic Value Proposition of Printed PV
6.2.2 TF PV, Geography and Public Policy
6.2.3 Ability to Create New Products with Printable PV
6.2.4 Central Generation and Large Projects
6.2.5 Building Integrated Systems
6.2.6 Consumer Electronics
6.2.7 Military and Homeland Security
6.2.8 Other Applications
6.4 Eight-Year Forecasts of Printed Photovoltaics Markets
6.4.1 What Has Changed in the Past Year
6.4.2 Forecasts of Printed PV Market
6.5 Key Points from this Chapter

Chapter Seven: Printed Batteries

7.1 Introduction: Printed Battery Chemistries
7.1.1 Carbon-Zinc Batteries
7.1.2 Zinc Manganese Dioxide
7.2 Current and Future Applications for Printed Batteries
7.2.1 Printable Batteries vs. Conventional Batteries
7.2.2 New Technology Alternatives to Printed Batteries
7.2.3 RFID
7.2.4 Smartcards
7.2.5 Medical Devices
7.2.6 Sensors
7.2.7 Displays and Consumer Devices
7.2.8 Military and Homeland Security
7.2.9 Other Applications
7.3 The Firms that are Shaping the Printed Battery Market
7.4 Eight-Year Forecasts of Printed Battery Markets
7.4.1 What Has Changed in the Past Year
7.4.2 Summary of Forecasts
7.5 Key Points from this Chapter

Chapter Eight: Summary of Forecasts of Printed Electronics Markets

8.1 Forecasting Methodology
8.2 Eight-Forecasts of Printable Electronics Markets
8.2.1 Analysis of Current Market Opportunities
8.2.2 Growth Patterns
8.2.3 Printed Electronics in 2015

Acronyms and Abbreviations Used in this Report

About the Authors

List of Exhibits

Exhibit E-1: Major Economic Drivers for Printed Electronics
Exhibit E-2: Industry Sector Crises and How TOP Electronics Can Help
Exhbit E-3: Firms Involved in Printed RFID
Exhibit E-4: Firms Shaping Printed Sensor Area
Exhibit E-5: BASF Partners in Organic and Printed Electronics
Exhibit E-6: Government Funding of TOP Electronics
Exhibit E-7: Summary of Eight-Year Projections of Printed Electronics Applications Markets ($ Millions)
Exhibit 2-1: CDTs Licensees and Technology Partners
Exhibit 2-2: Selected Firms Supplying the OLED Industry
Exhibit 2-3: Emitting Materials for OLEDs
Exhibit 2-4: Paper Technology vs. Computer Technology
Exhibit 2-5: Selected E-paper Firms Shaping the Printed Displays/Signage Market
Exhibit 2-6: Applications of E-Paper
Exhibit 2-7: Will Flexible OLED Displays Catch On?
Exhibit 2-8: Comparison of Display Technologies for Cell Phones
Exhibit 2-9: Book Reader Products
Exhibit 2-10: Advantages of E-paper for Smart Shelves
Exhibit 2-11: Characteristics of OLED Signage Markets
Exhibit 2-12: Performance Data on the Seiko Epson 40-inch OLED Television
Exhibit 2-13: Summary of Printed OLED and E-Paper Forecasts ($ Millions)
Exhibit 2-14: Summary of Printed Display Backplane Forecasts ($ Millions)
Exhibit 3-1: OLED Lamps vs Competing Technologies
Exhibit 3-2: Power Drain by Lighting Technology
Exhibit 3-3: Backlight Technologies Compared
Exhibit 3-4: Evolving OLED Requirements for General Lighting
Exhibit 3-5: U.S. Companies Shaping the OLED Lighting Market
Exhibit 3-6: DOE OLED Awards by Year
Exhibit 3-7: The OLLA Consortium
Exhibit 3-8: European Firms Shaping the Printed Lighting Market
Exhibit 3-9: Asian Companies Shaping the Printed Lighting Market
Exhibit 3-10: Summary of OLED and Printed Lighting Markets ($ Millions)
Exhibit 4-1: Printable Electronics-Generated Opportunities in Sensing
Exhibit 4-2: Roadmap for Adoption of Sensors in Smart Packaging
Exhibit 4-3: Companies Involved in Printed Sensors
Exhibit 4-4: Summary of Eight-Year Market Forecasts for Printable Sensors
Exhibit 5-1: TFEs Partners
Exhibit 5-2: TFEs Printed Memory Specs
Exhibit 5-3: Selected RFID Applications
Exhibit 5-4: Forecast of Printed RFID Revenues ($ Millions)
Exhibit 6-1: Claimed Advantages of Thin-Film Approaches
Exhibit 6-2: List of Materials Used for PV
Exhibit 6-3: Forecast of Printed Photovoltaics by Application
Exhibit 6-4: Forecast of Printed Photovoltaics by Application
Exhibit 7-1: Companies Shaping the Printed Battery Market: Applications Targeted
Exhibit 7-2: Selected Power Paper Partners
Exhibit 7-3: Thin-Film and Printable Batteries Market by Manufacturing ($ Millions)
Exhibit 8-1: Eight-Year Projections of Printed Electronics Applications Markets ($ Millions)