FlexTech Alliance Announces 2012 FLEXI Award Winners

FlexTech Alliance announced the recipients of the 2012 FLEXI Awards. Thin Film Electronics, PARC, Western Michigan University, and the Georgia Institute of Technology were recognized for significant contributions to innovation, R&D, and leadership in education. Awards were presented at the recent 11th Annual Flexible Electronics and Displays Conference.

ThinFilm Electronics and PARC, a Xerox Company, were the combined recipients of the FLEXI Innovation Award. Entries for this award were considered based on the most innovative flexible and/or printed electronics product announced in the last 12 months.

In 2011, the two companies announced a working prototype of the world’s first printed, rewritable memory addressed with complimentary organic circuits, combining Thinfilm’s polymer-based memory technology with PARC’s transistor technology. Designed for commercial production, Thinfilm Addressable Memory is the first step in integrating Thinfilm memory with other devices such as sensors, displays, power sources and antennas. The award was accepted by ThinFilm Electronics’ vice president, North America, Jennifer Ernst and PARC’s Ross Bringans, vice president, Electronic Materials and Devices Laboratory.

The Center for the Advancement of Printed Electronics (CAPE) at Western Michigan University was the recipient of the FLEXI R&D Award. Entries for this award were considered based on world-class research, technologically outstanding and original product development, and new significant commercial potential for implementation into flexible or printed electronics.

CAPE is an application driven research group comprised of Ph.D.’s in chemical, electrical, mechanical, paper and material engineering. For printing and deposition, CAPE offers a variety of R2R and sheet techniques including gravure, inkjet, screen, flexography, spin coating and various CVD techniques. Their research groups are also actively building analytic tools to model the printed electronics world. The award was accepted by Dr. Erika Rebrosova, assistant professor, Department of Paper Engineering and Imaging at Western Michigan University.

The Center for Organic Photonics and Electronics (COPE) at the Georgia Institute of Technology was the recipient of the Technology Leadership in Education Award. This award recognizes and honors outstanding contributions to the flexible and printed electronics industry through education.

The Center for Organic Photonics and Electronics fosters research, education, and innovation in the field of organic photonics and electronics. COPE offers several interdisciplinary courses in organic chemistry, materials and optoelectronics. More than 90 students have graduated from these programs and now work at some of the leading research institutions and photonics and electronics companies in the world. The award was accepted by Dr. Bernard Kippelen, director of the Center for Organic Photonics and Electronics.

“FlexTech Alliance is proud to honor ThinFilm Electronics, PARC, Western Michigan University, and the Georgia Institute of Technology for their contributions to the flexible, printed electronics and displays industries,” said Michael Ciesinski, CEO of FlexTech Alliance. “These organizations are helping address technology gaps and drive the development of innovative products to the marketplace.”