Ink & Ink Dispensers
Conductive Inks: PV, 5G, automotive, power electronics, and packaging
The conductive ink industry is inherently diverse, which has allowed the sector to rejuvenate itself time and again and to remain relevant, but this presents a market segmentation, evaluation, and prioritisation challenge for many small and large players across the world. IDTechEx’s research identifies and assesses existing and emerging markets, to gain deep insights into the business dynamics, key competitors and potential customers, and to understand market size, and future market potential
Forecasts, Technologies, Players.” It is based on more than eight years of research. The authors have had first-hand industry experience, and the information herein is based on extensive primary research. Indeed, more than 150 interviews, 35 conferences and tradeshows, multiple projects, etc. underpin the research. The report covers numerous existing and emerging applications. In this article, IDTechEx analysts discuss applications in automotive, 5G, conformal metallisation, and photovoltaics.
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5G TECHNOLOGY IDTechEx receive many enquiries about conductive ink opportunities in 5G. There are several interesting opportunities here. First lies in the filter technology, current filter technologies will need to stretch to meet requirements in sub-6GHz 5G and will fall short on mmWave 5G. A range of candidates are emerging, such as microstrip on PCB or ceramic as well as multilayer LTCC filters. The latter offers reasonable filter properties at mmWave while maintaining a small footprint, which is vital for mmWave 5G implementation where large closely spaced antenna lattices will be used to increase gain and to beam form. It is early days, but multilayer LTCC seems a potential front-runner candidate if tight tolerance can be achieved at high volume production. This would translate into significant paste opportunities.
22 May 2020
he global market research firm have captured this research in the report “Conductive Ink Markets 2020-2030:
Another important opportunity lies in highly thermally conductive die attach pastes, e.g. metal sinter or highly loaded epoxies. RF GaN power amplifiers (PAs) are likely to rise as current LDMOS technology will struggle at the required frequencies, even at sub-6GHz 5G. This trend will continue until such point where antenna arrays are large enough to allow Si-based technologies in. GaN is often attached using gold-based solders, i.e. AuSn, but sinter die attach, or metal (e.g. Ag) filled epoxies can achieve excellent results at a lower cost. Indeed, leading manufacturers have already qualified such AnSu alternative technologies. As such, this is a growth opportunity. There are, of course, further opportunities.
In particular, minimizing transmission loss at high frequencies calls for both low-loss materials and minimisation of distances. To realise the latter, more functions are likely to be integrated within a package. This will boost the need for conformal EMI shielding and in-package compartmentalization. Spray- and inkjet-based approaches are emerging to unseat sputtering.
AUTOMOTIVE The automotive sector has emerged as an important target market for conductive ink suppliers. The traditional applications include printed defrosters, especially on rear-windows. This has been a mature and notable business. A key trend here is to implement transparent and efficient large- area heating to eliminate the visible defroster lines. Here, printed metal mesh is
an excellent candidate, and is already advancing through the qualification process. Furthermore, transparent heating can have other applications, especially in defrosting of perception sensors used in highly-automated and autonomous driving, e.g. cameras or lidar. Furthermore, seat heaters are also a notable market with ample upside growth opportunity. Printed heating can further expand within the interior of vehicles. Printed occupancy seat sensors and other printed sensors are also an existing opportunity with strong potential upsides.
ELECTRIC VEHICLES AND POWER ELECTRONICS Furthermore, the emergence of electric vehicles is a growth opportunity. Printers are developing large-area battery pack heaters to help regulate battery temperatures, especially in cold environments. Importantly, metal sintering die attach pastes have already been commercialised in the EV power electronics. This trend will continue rapidly as higher power densities, partly boosted by the growing transition to wideband semiconductors, push the operating temperatures beyond the capabilities of many solders. Indeed, the competition here is intense, and many metal sintering material supplies are innovating to offer drop-in form factors, lower sintering time, pressure-less sintering, higher thermal conductivity, etc. There are, of course, other opportunities in vehicles. In-Mold Electronics (IME) is being
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