Based on its recent analysis of the spintronics markets for sensor applications,
Frost + Sullivan recognizes Organic
Spintronics with the 2008 European Frost + Sullivan Technology Innovation
Award for its discovery of organic spintronics by combining organic semiconductors
with ferromagnetic materials.
Most of the research in spintronics is centred on the use of inorganic semiconductors
such as gallium arsenide, which are not suitable for room temperature operations.
Organic Spintronics innovatively used organic semiconductors to successfully
overcome this challenge.
Organic semiconductors are more feasible for the transport of spin polarization
because of their low-scattering rate compared to inorganic semiconductors. The
breakthrough discovery of organic spintronics is likely to enable real-world
implementation of devices such as spin-based sensors.
"The benefits of organic semiconductors are manifold and extend to sensitivity,
size, and power consumption of sensor systems," says Frost + Sullivan
Research Analyst Sharmishta S. "The technology could also find application
in memory elements, magnetic sensors, and logic elements such as spin field
effect transistors (FETs)."
The company has also invented a unique thin film fabrication technology. The
company has created a pulsed plasma deposition (PPD) system for the deposition
of a large variety of inorganic and organic thin films. This was made possible
by ablation of a target material using a fast pulse of electrons (100 ns) and
deposition of the material onto the substrate. The system has a wide range of
deposition rates and operation vacuum conditions that facilitate its use in
diverse conditions of growth of thin films.
"The uniqueness of the system is the ability to transfer the chemical composition
of the target to the film to enable the fabrication of the most complex thin
films," notes Sharmishta S. "This comes with the advantage of low-operating
temperatures that are conducive for the deposition on plastic substrates such
as polyethylene terephthalate (PET)."
Compared to pulsed laser deposition (PLD), PPD offers enhanced benefits in terms
of beam power density, repetition rate, and in particular, power efficiency
while being simple in construction. It also consumes less power and is economically
viable when there is a need to scale it to large area systems. All these characteristics
together with the low cost make the PPD suitable for industrial applications
contrary to PLD.
"Organic Spintronics has developed a wide area deposition PPD system that
uses multiple guns for the fabrication of thin films on 4 in. substrates,"
observes Sharmishta S. "Organic Spintronics also establishes thin film
deposition processes on demand and possesses a wide IP portfolio on PPD- based
thin film fabrication processes."
OS development of organic Knudsen cells enable thin film deposition of organic
semiconductors, which are finding greater use in plastic or flexible electronics
and optoelectronics industries. This application is expected to open up huge
markets in the future.
Each year, Frost + Sullivan presents this award to the company (or individual)
that has carried out new research, which has resulted in innovation(s) that
have or are expected to bring significant contributions to the industry in terms
of adoption, change, and competitive posture. This award recognizes the quality
and depth of a company's research and development program as well as the vision
and risk-taking that enabled it to undertake such an endeavor.
Frost + Sullivan Best Practices Awards recognize companies in a variety
of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and
superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation,
customer service and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare
market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis
and extensive secondary research in order to identify best practices in the
industry.
Posted August 3rd, 2009