Polymer semiconductor firm Plastic Logic is considering its manufacturing strategy, which includes the possibility of partnerships to support volume production.

“We will decide by the end of the year,” said CEO Stuart Evans. “If we do not, we are going to have customers and no factory.”

The firm’s intellectual property is in solution-processed polymer transistors, which it is currently combining with technology from US firm E Ink to make flexible displays.

Display technology start-ups have several ways to progress: from manufacturing in-house, to licensing their intellectual property to other firms which then do everything themselves. Between these extremes are many forms of joint manufacturing partnership.

“We are beginning to look at manufacturing partnerships working with a few companies very closely, rather than licensing to 20 companies around the world,” Evans told Electronics Weekly.

Solution processing allows displays to be printed. Although these printing techniques can be complex, a production line is likely to cost far less than a semiconductor fab. “The whole concept is a mini-fab,” said Evans. “One could be built for a couple of hundred million.”

At the end of last year, Plastic Logic received a funding boost with Silicon Valley investment firm Oak Venture Partners joining the ranks of the firm's VCs. This added to the $24m raised in November of 2005.

Plastic Logic’s displays, like those from Philips spin-out Polymer Vision which also use E Ink intellectual property, can hold their image with no power and are being aimed at e-books and e-newspapers.

Last year the firm unveiled a 10-inch SVGA (800 x 600 pixel) display using an inkjet printed flexible backplane.

E Ink-based displays are already in use, not necessarily in flexible form, in the Sony Reader as well as a flash drive from Lexar. Watch firm Citizen has demonstrated an E Ink flexible four-digit clock over a metre across.

E Ink
Plastic Logic