Thin Film Electronics ASA (Thinfilm) announced a partnership with PST Sensors (pty) Ltd to jointly develop a printed temperature sensor system that will monitor the temperature of perishable goods such as food and pharmaceuticals.
The printed sensor system will be able to monitor individual packages to ensure that their contents have been kept at a safe or optimal temperature. The first demonstration prototype is expected in 2012.
Thinfilm provides roll-to-roll printed, rewritable non-volatile memory products. The company recently demonstrated the first working prototype of a printed non-volatile memory device addressed with complementary organic circuits, the organic equivalent of CMOS circuitry. Thinfilm Addressable Memory combines Thinfilm’s polymer-based memory technology with PARC’s transistor technology using complementary pairs of n-type and p-type transistors to construct the circuits. The addressable memory can be integrated with other printed components to create fully printed systems for interaction with everyday objects.
PST Sensors, affiliated with the University of Cape Town NanoSciences Innovation Center, is a developer of ambient processed printed silicon electronics with a focus on physical sensors. Recently PST demonstrated a portfolio of prototypes including decorative large-area temperature sensors and thermal imaging arrays. PST’s temperature sensors are based around a core technology of a printed silicon NTC thermistor, a device whose electrical resistance decreases when it is heated. Being both printable and electronic, the sensors can be fully integrated with Thinfilm’s memory and with complementary organic circuits.
“The combination of our printed addressable memory and a PST temperature sensor creates a new category of integrated system—inexpensive, intelligent, and able to offer information on temperature on a per item basis—something not currently possible due to manufacturing and material cost restrictions,” said Davor Sutija, chief executive officer, Thinfilm. “These systems, as thin as a strand of hair, will let healthcare professionals know that a drug has been kept at the right temperature. Participants across the perishable food chain will also know that a piece of meat or carton of eggs has been correctly refrigerated. Ultimately, these devices may even tell consumers how fresh their food is.”
Access www.thinfilm.no for more information.
