PolySecure research project

Integration of flexible OLEDs into smart cards
After close to 15 months of intensive research and development work, Bundesdruckerei presented in August 2007 the final report on the "PolySecure" innovation project sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).

The aim of the project was to demonstrate the possibilities of integrated polymer-electronic systems and technologies via concrete function specimens, thereby examining the general possibility to transfer the latest results of polytronics to paper-based products, such as ID documents or banknotes. With the function specimens presented as a result of the project work, three major milestones for polymer electronics were achieved in the context of ID security concepts:

1. Silver-filled polymeric paste enabled for the first time the manufacture of printed antennas with resistance values of less than 10 ohm by way of silkscreen printing.
2. First function specimens were built with fully functional polymer-electronic transistors and tested at process temperatures of <150°C. As a result, it was proven that it is generally possible to integrate organic and/or polytronic components into smart cards.
3. The examination of the possibilities for integrating flexible, electroluminescent polymeric emitters (OLED - organic light emitting diode) into smart cards proved for the first time the general feasibility of the process and at the same time laid the basis for innovative products, such as the multi-colour display and sensors and memories based on polymer electronics.

In summary, Bundesdruckerei has a very positive view of the results achieved with the PolySecure sponsored project, part of which was demonstrated at CeBit 2007: It was possible for the first time to produce fully functional specimens of innovative ID documents with printed polymer-electronic components. The strain limits of materials and processes currently available were also identified in this context.

On this basis, Bundesdruckerei, which has set up a dedicated polytronics working group in its Systems House business area, will push ahead the integration of polymer-electronic components into security documents. First successful trials with organic thin film transistors (OTFT) support the results of the PolySecure project and show that the integration of organic electronics into innovative ID system solutions can mean enormous innovation leaps in high-security technology.

Facts and figures of the PolySecure research project:
Sponsored: within the scope of the "polymer electronics" key area of promotion of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
Project support: project sponsor at the German Aerospace Center DLR (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V.) Project coordinator: Bundesdruckerei GmbH
Sub-contracts: Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration (IZM), Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research (IAP)
Project term: 1 September 2005 to 31 December 2006