Grant: Idea to Innovation

Anti-counterfeiting technologies are limited by the need for sophisticated and expensive decoding equipment. In addition, the inability to see patterns with the naked eye stresses the need for user training on highly sophisticated equipment, thus limiting the applicability of this technology for public users in daily operations. To overcome these limitations, we have developed a simple fabrication method to create unlimited patterns/motifs in millimetric hydrogel thin films. The patterns/motifs can be displayed under visual light and can be seen with the naked eye using a simple magnification tool. More importantly, the technology has the ability to generate optically-tuned microscale patterns/motifs within a hydrogel frame to exhibit swelling-induced opacity change and shape transformation, which are not typically seen in anti-counterfeiting applications.In its final form, our proposed technology would incorporate an automated microfluidic process, capable of high throughput production of millimetric hydrogel taggants, integrable with a range of industry manufacturing processes and logistics chains. Our first industry and application we will focus on will be to utilize the technology to help mitigate the use of counterfeit components in the global semiconductor space. Chip manufacturers, like TSMC, Analog Devices, Texas Instruments and IBM, will be able to integrate the unique hydrogel taggants into their packaging, and contract manufacturers, like Foxconn and Celestica, will be able to validate the taggant to confirm the parts are legitimate. Our proposed technology aims to offer various kinds of millimetric hydrogels with embedded motifs or micropatterns which undergo a change in optical properties when a drop of solvent such as water or ethanol is dropped. These millimetric hydrogels with micro-scale features and strong anti-copy properties offer enhanced security protection to the electronic parts. The funding requested will allow the team to develop the production methods to align with the volume required to serve the semiconductor industry and scale with demand.