Attach electronic circuits to money to counter counterfeit money

Researchers have successfully tested US dollar, Swiss franc, Japanese yen and the euro.

Modern banknotes have up to 50 anti-counterfeiting features, but the addition of electronic circuits designed to determine the authenticity of money is the most effective way to counter money, while simplifying paper tracking.

Picture 1 of Attach electronic circuits to money to counter counterfeit money
Image for illustrative purposes. (Internet source)

Silicon-based electronic circuits are now too thick to be inserted into fragile, paper-thin bills. However, organic semiconductor molecules offer reasonable alternatives. German and Japanese researchers have created thin-film transistor (TFT) networks by ingeniously placing organic molecules, aluminum oxide and gold on paper. The TFT layers overlap, forming a marker with a certain pattern.

All this work is done without the use of strong chemicals or high temperatures, two factors that can damage the surface of the paper, said a member of the research team, Ute Zschieschang. Ute Max Planck in Stuttgart, Germany).

The result is a discrete paper containing about 100 organic TFT layers, each of a thickness of less than 250 nanometers, and capable of operating at a voltage of 3V. Such small voltages can be transmitted wirelessly by external reading devices, such as those that interact with RFID tags that are currently mounted on a variety of products.