Xerox Scientists Develop "Silver Bullet" Needed to Replace Silicon Circuits with Low-Cost, Durable Plastic

Xerox to jump-start industry commercialization by providing printed electronics
materials that easily print on plastics, film and textiles
MISSISSAUGA, Ontario--(Business Wire)--
With the development of a new silver ink, Xerox scientists have paved the way
for commercialization and low-cost manufacturing of printable electronics.
Printable electronics offers manufacturers a very low-cost way to add
"intelligence" or computing power to a wide range of surfaces such as plastic or
fabric. This development will aid the commercialization of new applications such
as "smart" pill boxes that track how much medication a patient has taken or
display screens that roll up to fit into a briefcase.

"For years, there`s been a global race to find a low-cost way to manufacture
plastic circuits," said Paul Smith, laboratory manager, Xerox Research Centre of
Canada. "We`ve found the silver bullet that could make things like electronic
clothing and inexpensive games a reality today. This breakthrough means the
industry now has the capability to print electronics on a wider range of
materials and at a lower cost."

Until now, bringing low-cost electronics to the masses has been hindered by the
logistics and costs associated with silicon chip manufacturing; the breakthrough
low-temperature silver ink overcomes the cost hurdle, printing reliably on a
wide range of surfaces such as plastic or fabric. As part of its
commercialization initiatives, Xerox plans to aggressively seek interested
manufacturers and developers by providing sample materials to allow them to test
and evaluate potential applications.

Integrated circuits are made up of three components - a semiconductor, a
conductor and a dielectric element - and currently are manufactured in costly
silicon chip fabricating factories. By creating a breakthrough silver ink to
print the conductor, Xerox has developed all three of the materials necessary
for printing plastic circuits.

Using Xerox`s new technology, circuits can be printed just like a continuous
feed document without the extensive clean room facilities required in current
chip manufacturing. In addition, scientists have improved their previously
developed semiconductor ink, increasing its reliability by formulating the ink
so that the molecules precisely align themselves in the best configuration to
conduct electricity.

The printed electronics materials, developed at the Xerox Research Centre of
Canada, enable product manufacturers to put electronic circuits on plastics,
film, and textiles. Printable circuits could be used in a broad range of
products, including low-cost radio frequency identification tags, light and
flexible e-readers and signage, sensors, solar cells and novelty applications
including wearable electronics.

"We will be able to print circuits in almost any size from smaller custom-sized
circuits to larger formats such as wider rolls of plastic sheets -unheard of in
today`s silicon-wafer industry," said Hadi Mahabadi, vice president and center
manager of Xerox Research Centre Canada. "We are taking this technology to
product developers to enable them to design tomorrow`s uses for printable
electronics."

R&D samples of the materials including the new conductive silver ink are
available by contacting Xerox.

About Xerox

Headquartered in Norwalk, Conn., Xerox Corporation`s 54,000 people represent the
world's leading document management, technology and services enterprise,
providing the industry's broadest portfolio of color and black-and-white
document processing systems and related supplies, as well as document management
consulting and outsourcing services.

Customer Contact:

For information on the printable electronics materials and to obtain an R&D
sample, contact Fazila Seker, Xerox Research Centre of Canada (+1-905-823-7091,
Fazila.Seker@xerox.com) or Jeffrey Sokol, Xerox Corporation (+1-585-265-7559,
Jeffrey.Sokol@xerox.com).

For more information on Xerox innovation visit http://www.xerox.com/innovation
or call 800-ASK-XEROX.

Note: For more information on Xerox, visit http://www.xerox.com or
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Xerox® and the sphere of connectivity design are trademarks of Xerox Corporation
in the United States and/or other countries. Prices, features, specifications,
capabilities, appearance and availability of Xerox products and services are
subject to change without notice.

Media:
Xerox Corporation
Bill McKee, 585-423-4476
bill.mckee@xerox.com
or
Riedman Communications for Xerox
Laurie Riedman, 585-396-3100
laurie@riedmancomm.com

Copyright Business Wire 2009