Projects

• Project ORICLA

  The companies and research institutes PolyIC, Evonik Industries, TNO and IMEC have announced the launch of a new EU-sponsored alliance project called ORICLA to advance the development of high-performance printable Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags for mass applications. The project started in January 2010 in the Framework Programme FP7 (IST) by the European Community.

  The funding project ORICLA will be the world’s benchmark for RFID performance with Organic and Large Area Electronics (OLAE). RFID is an important technology e.g. in logistics, to transmit an identification code by radio waves (at high frequency “HF” or ultra-high frequency “UHF”) between a transponder and a reader. The Electronic Product Code “EPC” protocol has been developed for use in high volume RFID logistic applications. EPC tags are widely used today on pallet level, and will later be used for packages and ultimately on item level. The printed tags are nowadays limited in performance and do not support the EPC protocol.

  The ORICLA partners will realize new OLAE chip technologies, based on complementary logic with organic and oxide semiconductors and the scaling up on patterning technology that can provide suitable dimensions. This unique combination will lead to demonstration of OLAE chips and tags with EPC-like performance.

  PolyIC is the first company which demonstrated RFID tags produced by roll-to-roll printing. During this project, PolyIC will analyze the performance of printed electronics by means of the needs of the market and will also develop the integration of the tags into relevant infrastructure.
  EVONIK develops unique oxide semiconductor materials for these electronic chips.
  IMEC and TNO recently made an OALE chip with the largest memory (128 bits) and a rectifier working at ultrahigh frequency. They will develop and realize circuits during ORICLA.

• Project Polytos (OSS1) of the top cluster Rhine-Neckar

  Merck KGaA (Darmstadt, consortium leader), BASF SE (Ludwigshafen), SAP AG (Walldorf), Pepperl+Fuchs GmbH (Mannheim), Robert Bosch GmbH (Stuttgart) as well as the University of Heidelberg, the Technical University of Darmstadt and Mannheim University of Applied Sciences have announced the launch of a new German Federal Ministry of Education & Research (BMBF)-sponsored alliance project called Polytos.

  The aim of the project Polytos (OSS1) within the framework of the top cluster Rhine-Neckar Forum Organic Electronics is the development of sensor printed boards based on organic electronics components. This incorporates the development of new concepts and manufacturing procedures for printed organic boards with additional functions (e.g. sensors) for applications in the packaging and textiles area. These systems are also called smart labels, smart tags or smart objects. Within the framework of the sub-project Organic printed boards with sensors, PolyIC is developing organically based integrated printed boards and printable sensor elements for the recognition of threshold values of important external parameters such as temperature or moisture.

  The cluster partners are aiming to complete the first fundamental prototypes after three years. The overall costs for Polytos will reach around 15.1 million. The partners own share of the industry costs will be around 7.3 million.