Plastic may spell the end of the silicon microchip

UK Financial Times ^ | January 2, 2007 | Peter Marsh

[FairOpinion]

In 2000 Plastic Logic, a Cambridge-based start-up company, announced it was attempting to commercialise a form of plastic electronics that had developed from research at the laboratory.

By using a cheap and simple set of processing operations to build up layers of circuitry on plastic “substrates” – the material on which circuits are formed – rather than silicon wafers used in conventional microchips, the developments promised to slash the cost of making semiconductors.

What has given the science behind the company more substance is today’s announcement that Plastic Logic has attracted $100m (£51m) of investment that will fund a plant to make plastic semiconductors – the first of its kind in the world. The factory should be in operation in Dresden, Germany, by the end of 2008 and employ 140 people.

By 2009 the Dresden plant should be producing 2.2m units of A4-size semiconductor sheets a year. They will initially be used as flexible “control circuitry” for large displays the size of a piece of paper that can hold large amounts of information – equivalent to thousands of books.

[TChris]

Neat. I wonder why they chose Dresden?

AMD has one of its main semiconductor plants in Dresden. I don't know if that's relevant or not, but it may be.

[TChris]

As a chemist, I know how SHORT the useful life of most plastic products typically is--eco-propaganda to the contrary.

How many electronic devices are used beyond, say 20 years at the outside? ...especially computers? Most devices are obsolete in 5-10 years. I think long-term life is nearly irrelevant for the majority of consumer electronics.

[AntiGuv]

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[misterrob]

You have to look at the cost to produce these things. Foundry costs are hugely expensive whereas the cost to build PE circuits is rather low. Because you can make these things without huge capital costs the disposable aspect of these becomes more attractive.

[MosesKnows]

The potential is enormous.

Encasing the finished substrate with plastic instead of ceramic provided lower cost chips for lower ambient temperature applications. I do not understand the point that plastic is a lower cost substrate. Silicon is the most abundant element in the Earth's crust; second only to oxygen. Is there a shortage of silicon?

[r9etb]

The only place this stuff should be used is in "use it once and toss" products like RFID, given the fact that plastic ages and deteriorates so quickly. For "real" electronics, I think I'll stick with silicon.

That would depend on the properties of the plastic, wouldn't it? If (as it seems) the plastic itself is the semiconductor, I'd think that the aging properties, etc., would probably be different from your tupperware.

Plus which, it's generally things like UV that break down plastic -- and you can encase the circuits to sheild from that.

[r9etb]

Silicon is the most abundant element in the Earth's crust; second only to oxygen. Is there a shortage of silicon?

Abundant, but probably lots harder to work with than plastic.

[gaijin]

What was the name of the Japanese outfit? I speak fluent Japanese, live in CA, and have a huge interest in MEMS-related technologies.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

I think plastics can be made from corn also....

[SunkenCiv]

Maybe that explains why it goes all the way through undigested...

[Jedi Master Pikachu]

It's the process of making highly pure silicon that is expensive.

[Jedi Master Pikachu]

Some of the earliest plastics were made from cassein, from milk.

[Jedi Master Pikachu]

From the BBC (if people are still reading this thread):

• http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6227575.stm .
• .

Two articles, apparently it's sort of a British pride thing.

[Jedi Master Pikachu]

The second website: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6227455.stm.

[Wonder Warthog]

"Most devices are obsolete in 5-10 years. I think long-term life is nearly irrelevant for the majority of consumer electronics."

The problem is that I doubt "plastic semiconductors" can be made to last even 5 years. Plastics are NOT hugely stable (with some exceptions). They have to have all sorts of additives to stabilize them.

[Wonder Warthog]

"That would depend on the properties of the plastic, wouldn't it? If (as it seems) the plastic itself is the semiconductor, I'd think that the aging properties, etc., would probably be different from your tupperware."

Well, no. It's dependent on the "plastic system", which includes all the different possible chemistries of the polymer, plus its additives, plus whatever magic ingredients have to be added to give the plastic its semiconductor properties. Add all this up, and it turns out to be an EXTREMELY complicated matrix. It makes silicon look simple by comparison.

"Plus which, it's generally things like UV that break down plastic -- and you can encase the circuits to sheild from that."

UV is only one of the possible degradation mechanisms, others are HEAT, exposure to oxygen (or ozone). Like I said---REALLY complicated. And all these factors will work to shorten the operational life.

[Jedi Master Pikachu]

Silicon production is relatively simple; it is also tedious and expensive. If plastic microchips can be made cheaply and they remain basically stable, wouldn't that be a bonus?

If you look at the link in comment 34, it states that--at least initially--these plastic microchips are going to be used for more simpler things than the ones in many people's computers.

[misterrob]

http://blog.nanomarkets.net/blog/client/index.cfm/2007/1/3/Plastic-Logic-Gets-100-million--A-Happy-New-Year-for-All-of-Us

[CutePuppy]

Probably, government incentives (what do you think brought Infineon and AMD there?)

Infineon is a Siemens spinoff (memory and other small electronic chips manufacturer), AMD was inticed with cheap spare fab capacity at the time, that they sorely needed and R&D on good terms.

[Jaysun]

Infineon is a Siemens spinoff (memory and other small electronic chips manufacturer), AMD was inticed with cheap spare fab capacity at the time, that they sorely needed and R&D on good terms.

Thanks for the info guys. I'm sure that Infineon and AMD does have something to do with the Dresden choice. They're (Germany) in dire need of new business so I hope the company can take advantage of that fact. I wish them luck once they're planted there.