ISORG is paving the way to smart surfaces and interactive printed media Posté le Lundi 31 octobre 2011

Isorg’s organic photodetectors & image sensors






An organic photovoltaic technology capable of transforming light into
information is paving the way to ‘smart surfaces’ and interactive printed
media.

Isorg, a 2010 spinoff of France’s CEA-Grenoble
Nanomaterials Laboratory, is transforming plastic
and glass into “smart surfaces,” and working to
create a niche for itself with its high-performance and
large-area photodetectors and image sensors in
printed and organic electronics.
Although spun off from CEA, the two retain close ties
and, in fact, a strategic partnership. The lab works on
technology development, while Isorg’s role is to
develop it a product and produce it in high volumes.
Why pursue smart surfaces? Smart surfaces are
highly desirable for a wide range of applications that
include automated brightness controls capable of
detecting and adjusting to ambient conditions; touchfree
display screens that prevent bacterial
contamination in medical applications; asset
management for logistics; adding a third dimension
to multimedia and gaming; as well as navigation in
3D without contact.
Isorg’s photodetector technology embraces carbonbased
organic materials and boasts a low-CO2
manufacturing footprint. In short, the technology
involves a stack of different layers that are processed
in solution onto low-cost plastic or glass substrates
at ambient air pressure and temperature—as
opposed to using more costly vacuum and hightemperature
processes tapped by the semiconductor
industry. The fi rst layer is a transparent electrode.
This is followed by a blend of two organic
semiconductors (p-type and n-type) sandwiched
between electrodes to obtain high external quantum
effi ciency. Excitons generated by photons are then
separated into electrons and holes, which produces
an electric current. The final layer serves as an
electron collector when light is passed through the
transparent electrode.
“Basically, our technology operates on the same
premise as organic photovoltaics, but the biggest
difference is that we’re using the electrons as
information rather than to charge a battery,” says
Jamet.
Isorg is developing optical sensors, with the new twist
being that we’re not relying on silicon, explains
Laurent Jamet, business and development director
of Isorg, and one of its founders (along with CEO
Jean-Yves Gomez, and CFO Emmanuel Guerineau).
“Rather, we’re working with plastic and glass
substrates. The semiconductor we use is a liquid,
which is printed over the surface of the plastic or glass
with large-area equipment in very thin layers on the
order of a few tenths of a nanometer in thickness, and
it’s this layer that imparts intelligence to the surface.
Once it’s ‘smart,’ you can measure many things with
optical sensors—including light or shadows, color
changes, to name just a few properties,” he adds.
As an example of its multimedia 3D navigation
capabilities, the company created “Magic Pad,” a
smart surface with 100 sensors. Magic Pad is capable
of detecting users’ motion or hand position, and can
sense 3D activity in a range of 30 cm, with a resolution
of 100 pixels on an 80×80 mm active area. “It will be
interesting to see how this will drive product innovation
and design,” notes Jamet.
Starting out, Isorg is targeting simple products such
as smart packaging that can detect motion around a
sensor. For example, they’ve created posters that are
able of detecting people moving within its proximity.
These can be combined with lights triggered by
movement—an excellent way to attract attention in
tradeshow booths or supermarkets. Looking to the
future, the company intends to move to an image
sensor to increase pixels. But the overall goal is to
start simple and move gradually to increasingly
complex ones. This should help expand their
customer base and move them into new markets, one
step at a time.
What sets Isorg apart? Bottom line: Organic materials
and what they’re doing with them; no one else appears
to be pursuing manufacturing of smart materials at
the moment. Aside from CEA, the company also has
strong a partnership with a large chemical company
that develops materials for them, which Jamet cites
as another differentiating factor for their company.
“Very few companies are developing the capability
to print fully printed solutions,” he adds. “And the large
area optical sensor is a very specific business
development in that application space.”
In terms of manufacturing capabilities, Isorg’s Class
10,000, 450 m2 cleanroom fab is dedicated to
developing printing techniques for organic electronics
on plastic and glass substrates. The company is
currently busy preparing to prototype its organic
photodetectors on this line. According to Jamet, the
company’s plans are for this fab to be able to produce
thousands of 320×380 mm foils or glass plates by
2013.
Isorg is already in talks with customers about using
its technology in the food, beverage, and cosmetics
industries. Watch for their manufacturing pilot line to
become operational in small volumes by Q3 2012,
with full automation and large-volume production
slated for 2014.

Micronews, October 2011, issue 118
http://www.i-micronews.com/upload/telechargement/MicronewsN118-web.pdf
www.yole.fr




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