Industrial Application of
Nanotechnology:
Bringing our Business to the next
Level
CRANN Nanoscience Institute and German Irish
Chamber of Industry and Commerce
13th November, 2013
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Content
Introduction
Strategic Focus
Markets
Process
Products
Automation Engineering
Nanoscience Program
Properties of Nanomaterials
Potential Applications
Q&A
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Introduction
AmaTech was founded in 2007 by David Finn in
Ireland and Germany.
The core competencies lie in transformation of
innovative ideas into products and their
automation for cost effective production.
•
Product Manufacturing in a class 10,000
cleanroom at its facility in Spiddal Co. Galway,
Ireland
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Many of the engineers and management are
veterans of the RFID industry, with particular skill
sets in product development, machine engineering
and mass production of radio frequency devices.
•
Machine Engineering (mechanical design and
software development) as well as machine
assembly in Füssen/Allgäu, Germany
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Strategic Focus
Our Business is developing Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) enabled products,
producing automation machines to manufacture the RFID products and providing technology
and production platforms under license to customers in financial payment and secure
credential markets.
Our Customers are semiconductor companies, smartcard manufacturers and secure
printers.
Our collaboration partners:
 National Center of Laser Application (NCLA) in Galway
 Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) and
 CRANN
Our mission is to become a global trusted provider of innovative Radio Frequency
IDentification (RFID) solutions used in the manufacture of Bank Cards, National eID’s and
electronic passports.
AmaTech - Intelligence in Contactless Communication
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Markets
Secure Access and Financial Payment Cards
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Markets
Personal Identification and National Identity Cards
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Markets
Electronic Passports
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Markets
Security Features in RFID enabled Products
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Process
Process Technology: High Frequency (13.56 MHz) Transponders
Embedded Antenna
Chip Module
(Packaging of the silicon device)
Leadframe
TRANSPONDER
RFID chip
connected to an
antenna
Mould Mass
Antenna
Contactless Credit Card
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Products
Next Generation of Financial Payment Cards (Debit/Credit)
AmaTech’s Reactive Coupling Technology is
the solution!
•
Reactive Coupling eliminates the physical
connection between the IC module and the inCard antenna
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Products
The Technology - Dual Interface Card Construction
EMV Financial Payment
Smart card (Dual Interface)
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Products
Government - Identity & Security
Product Range
AmaTech offers a comprehensive range of
electronic inlay products for secure credential
documents.
Electronic Passport e-Cover (HF)
Our products have been qualified according to
market technical specifications (ICAO, ISO, FIME).
• 1up, 2up and 3up formats available
National ID Inlay (HF)
• 3 x 8 format, other formats on request
Electronic Passport Datapage (HF)
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Automation Engineering
Core Competencies: Product Development and Machine Engineering
Machine engineering know how is the key to superior product quality and production
performance, reduced cycle times and ultimately manufacturing cost. By increasing the level
of automation for products, the requirement for low cost manual labour at offshore production
sites is reduced.
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Automation Engineering
Scribing wire into synthetic material to create an array of RFID Antennas
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Automation Engineering
Interconnecting the wire ends of an Antenna with an RFID Chip Module
using Thermo-compression Bonding
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Automation Engineering
Laser Ablation of Polymers
The micromachining of polymers with laser
radiation is an important step in the development
of secure documents.
The application of laser ablation in the RFID
industry is:
• The creation of pockets in a polymer to accept
an IC Module such as a transponder chip
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Nanoscience Program
Submergence in a Postgraduate Course of Study at Trinity College
In March 2011, I decided to attend a series
of postgraduate courses on nanoscience
under the guidance of Prof. Jonathan
Coleman
My primary interest was to understand the
science of nanotechnology, the possible
applications, and whether the technology
could be applied to secure documents and
financial payment cards
Engineering meets Physics!
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Properties of Nanomaterials
Silver Nanoparticles
New Physical and Chemical Properties compared to Bulk
•High surface to volume ratio
Melting point of nanomaterials is suppressed compared to bulk
GOLD:
~ 3 nm -> 500°C
> 100 nm -> 1064°C
SILVER:
~ 3 nm -> 120°C
> 100 nm -> 960°C
Improved energy storage capability (e.g. Batteries and supercapacitors)
•Liquid phase suspensions
in use in suntan lotions, cosmetics, surface coatings on keyboards or windows
•Transparent electrically conductive networks
•Difficult to counterfeit devices made of nanomaterials – an inherent complexity
A lot of novel physics properties yet to find application ..........
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Potential Applications
Graphene – a special nanomaterial
•Nobel prize committee:
a hypothetical 1-metre-square hammock of perfect
graphene could support a 4-kilogram cat. The
hammock would weigh 0.77 milligrams — less than
the weight of a cat's whisker — and would be virtually
invisible
200 nm
Inkjet printable –
electrically conductive
tracks and antenna
structures
500 nm
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Potential Applications
Use of nanomaterials and nanostructures in secure RFID Products
Interconnection Technology
•
Low temperature bonding
Coating of Flexible Temperature Sensitive Substrates
•
Shielding of an electromagnetic field to prevent phishing
•
Reducing the attenuation of an electromagnetic field to enhance communication at high
baud rates
Passive Devices
•
Antenna structures
•
RLC circuits to form bits of information
Anti-counterfeiting measures
•
Combining nanomaterials with legacy printing technology
Electronic ink to replace barcode
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Potential Applications
Covert Security Features: Transparent Nano Networks
•
Transparent circuits can be formed using nanotechnology
•
This covert security feature is virtually impossible to counterfeit and yet is easily authenticated.
•
Nano-Network circuits can be added to secure credentials – eID’s, ePassport data pages, eVisa’s and
government issued tax stamps.
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Potential Applications
Passive circuits: Laser etched silver nanowire circuits
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Potential Applications
Magnetography
•
AmaTech uses ferrite spheres for selective placement on flexible substrates
•
Uses in RF shielding – enabling NFC in mobile telephones
•
Works with range of magnetic materials – performance enhancement in RFID
AMBER collaboration
Combine Magnetography with Nanotechnology
Move nanoparticles with magnets ??
Exploit nano-magnetic materials ??
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Potential Applications
Magnetography – how it works
•
Magnetic particles attracted to magnetized domains on a drum – transferred to a
given substrate
Ferrite flakes
Flake wave
Magnetic scavenger
Flake sump
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Q&A
Questions ...
... and ...
... Answers
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Contact Details
AmaTech Corp
European Contact Details:
Unit 7, Spiddal Industrial Estate,
Baile an tSagairt, Spiddal,
Co. Galway
Ireland
Telephone: +353 87 9677335
Fax: +353 91 553267
Email: david.finn@amatechcorp.com
US Contact Details:
PO Box 13133
Akron OH, 44334
Telephone +1 602.321.8434
Email: dennis.ryan@amatechcorp.com
www.amatechcorp.com
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