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Ube Industries Licenses Future Ink to Begin Providing Samples of N-Type Organic Semiconductor Material for Printed Organic Integrated Circuits

February 14, 2017

TOKYO, February 14, 2017 - Ube Industries, Ltd. (president: Yuzuru Yamamoto) today announced that it has reached a licensing agreement with Future Ink Corporation (president: Shizuo Tokito), a start-up launched from Yamagata University, concerning an n-type organic semiconductor material *1 that is soluble in organic solvents. The n-type organic semiconductor material was jointly developed by Ube Industries and a research group at Yamagata University led by Shizuo Tokito, Distinguished Research Professor at the Research Center for Organic Electronics.

Future Ink will begin providing samples of the n-type organic semiconductor material for a fee in April 2017. The widespread provision of samples will significantly accelerate the practical application of technology for manufacturing electronic devices by printing integrated circuits (ICs) on flexible components and materials with only a modest capital investment. These devices include sensors whose potential is being highlighted for Internet of Things (IoT) and wearable sensing, as well as radio frequency identifier (RFID) tags and displays.

The n-type organic semiconductor material is stable for a long time in air and can be deposited from its solutions. The material achieves a high electron mobility *2 of 3cm2/Vs or more in transistors, making it highly suitable for this application. No other n-type organic semiconductor material that is widely available in the marketplace today achieves the same combination of excellent stability and electron mobility.

About the Development of Organic Devices

Research results on organic IC prototypes that use the n-type organic semiconductor material and performance demonstrations have been presented at exhibitions, at The Japan Society of Applied Physics, and in scientific journals by the Tokito Laboratory of the Flexible Organic Electronics Laboratory (at the Research Center for Organic Electronics of Yamagata University), the Takeya Lab of the Department of Advanced Materials Science (at the School of Frontier Sciences of The University of Tokyo), and the Flexible Electronics Research Center of the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology. The researchers have achieved results that demonstrate the potential for practical application of the n-type organic semiconductor material in organic devices such as sensors and tags. The provision of samples will encourage more user companies to consider developing organic devices, which will further accelerate the practical application of the n-type organic semiconductor material.

Background and History

Existing n-type organic semiconductor materials display inferior transistor properties to p-type organic semiconductor materials. By comparison, the n-type organic semiconductor material to be provided by Future Ink delivers transistor performance equal to that of p-type organic semiconductor materials, which is a significant step toward the realization of organic devices made by printing complementary ICs using a combination of p-type and n-type organic semiconductor materials. Complementary ICs are essential to further reducing the power consumption and size of devices. Furthermore, high-level integration of complementary ICs enables the manufacturing of sensors and other electronic devices whose promise is being highlighted for IoT and wearable sensing, as well as other devices such as RFID tags and displays.

Future Plans

Future Ink will begin providing samples of the n-type organic semiconductor material in April 2017.

Future Ink will showcase the n-type organic semiconductor material at its booth at the Printable Electronics 2017 show taking place starting February 15, 2017 at the Tokyo Big Sight convention center. The material will also be showcased at the Sixth Cross-Industry Exchange of the Research Group on Electrical and Electronic Properties of Polymer and Organics, Society of Polymer Science, Japan, which will take place on March 9, 2017 in Yonezawa City, Yamagata Prefecture. The latest research results on the practical application of the n-type organic semiconductor material for organic devices will also be presented at the 64th Spring Meeting of the Japan Society of Applied Physics to be held from March 14, 2017 at the Pacifico Yokohama convention center.

About Future Ink Corporation

Future Ink Corporation was established in April 2016 as a venture firm to develop business for printed electronics technologies.

Future Ink Corporation

Future Ink CorporationHP:http://www.futureink.co.jp/

About Future Ink Corporation

*1 N-type organic semiconductor

An n-type organic semiconductor is made from organic compounds, unlike conventional semiconductors that are made from inorganic materials such as silicon. Electrical current flows by the movement of negative charges (electrons) within the n-type semiconductor. The positive charge (electron holes) is able to flow in the opposing p-type semiconductor. The two can be combined to make various devices.

*2 Electron mobility

Electron mobility indicates the level of ease with which electrons move though a semiconductor. The higher the value, the faster the signal-switching performance will be. With LCDs, for example, using a semiconductor with high electron mobility enables the representation of smooth movement. With conventional n-type organic semiconductors, mobility of up to about 1-2.5cm2/Vs has been reported. The mobility of amorphous silicon used in general LCDs and other applications is about 0.5-1cm2/Vs.

Contact

For inquiries please contact
  • Ube Industries, Ltd.
  • General Affairs & Public Relations Group
  • Seavans North Building, 1-2-1 Shibaura, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-8449
  • Phone : +81-3-5419-6110
  • Contact us by Internet.
  • Ube Industries, Ltd.
  • Organic Specialty Materials Research Laboratory
  • Phone : +81-436-23-5163
  • Future Ink Corporation
  • Phone : +81-90-7800-4472