Advent of plastic electronics
'Plastic electronics', which behave like semiconductors, could become cheap, flexible alternatives to silicon-based electronics for certain products, according to Dutch scientists. These substitute semiconductors are based on polymers.
Researchers at Philips have demonstrated that simple electronic circuits could be made cheaply by using low-cost substrates such as glass or plastic. The technology could be applied in low-cost, high-volume markets such as simple liquid crystal displays and chip cards.