GLEN ALLEN, VA - NanoMarkets, an analyst firm that covers markets for thin film and organic and printable electronics, has released the first of four reports derived from its Printed Electronics Materials Database.

The report provides a near-term outlook for the printed electronics materials business, and identifies business opportunities in five segments in printed electronics: conductive metallic inks, printed organic materials, printed silicon, nanomaterial ink, and substrate materials. The report also analyzes implications such as the increasing price of silver, R&D of organic materials and nanomaterials, the marketing of printed silicon and printed electronics on paper, and the requirement that raw materials used in the technology be available in commercial quantities in the near term.

The report identifies the growing number of materials being used for inks, bringing printing technology to more segments of the electronics industry. These include inks made from silicon, carbon nanotubes and hybrid materials such as silver-plated copper and dye sensitive photovoltaic materials.

According to the report, the printed electronics industry is taking its lead from the established semiconductor industry, using silicon inks as a viable way to create thin-film transistors, while transfer printing further allows the fabrication of more complicated silicon devices on flexible substrates. The report claims that nanosilicon inks may prove to be the best route to printed silicon, and that metallic nanoparticle inks promise higher conductivities and lower curing temperatures, while carbon nanotube inks open up new possibilities for ITO replacements, lighting and emissive displays.

WASHINGTON — Retail sales of consumer electronics and appliances rose 3% year-over-year in the May quarter, up from 1.5% sequentially, according to the US Census Bureau.

Furthermore, North American TV shipments rose 4% during the first quarter, says research firm DisplaySearch, with LCD shipments leading the way, rising 110%.

The boosts, coupled with a 19% spike in US notebook PC unit sales during the quarter, have led some analysts to suggest the US tax rebate is having an effect on consumer buying patterns.