Thinfilm Addressable Memory Design Completed

Thin Film Electronics ASA (Thinfilm) announced that together with PARC, a Xerox company, they have completed the design of a 128 bit Thinfilm Addressable Memory.

“This is an important step towards creating compact higher-density printed memories for new markets and applications, including integration with other printed elements, such as sensors, power sources, and antennas,” said Davor Sutija, Thinfilm CEO.

The design combines Thinfilm’s memory technology with transistor technology developed by PARC, and includes CMOS circuitry to significantly reduce the number of contact pads necessary to control the Thinfilm Memory.

Thinfilm’s current product is a contact-based 20 bit memory and memory controller for advanced interactive toys and games. Addressable Thinfilm Memory products will allow integration to create fully printed systems, such as ID tags, sensor tags, and disposable price labels.

“There are significant horizontal markets, markets that meets the needs of a wide variety of industries, waiting for this technology to be ready,” said Sutija, mentioning the rapidly growing adoption of item-level RFID tagging in the retail industry, and the launch of NFC-enabled phones able to read RF tags. “A large wave in consumer applications involving mobile communication with embedded electronic tags is soon here.”

Memory is a key component in electronics. “We have a unique position in printed electronics with our low-power rewritable memory that meets the standards and cost-targets of this new industry,” said Sutija.

Thinfilm and PARC announced in October that they are working to provide next-generation memory tags using printed electronics, and is now developing prototypes of the addressable memory. These prototypes will be ready later this year. Transfer to production is expected in 2012.