Counterfeit counterfeit technology

German experts have created a type of semiconductor device that can print directly to paper money to counter counterfeits. In the past, banks have always wanted to install silicon semiconductors on bills, but the technology was not available at the time.

Picture: Max Planck Institute

Thus, the invention of the Max Planck Institute has been warmly welcomed by banks, although this is only the first step in anti-counterfeiting technology. With the help of colleagues in Stuttgart and Japanese experts, Hagen Klauk's team has been able to produce thin-film semiconductor components such as films that can be glued to the paper at thermal conditions. Normal in closed rooms that do not release toxins.

The team used a special drying method to produce semiconductors from aluminum and gold alloys, each of which was only 250 nanometers thick and operated with small currents at 3 volts. Film - The semiconductor is thin enough to be glued to uneven surfaces, according to a report in Advanced Materials. In the laboratory, the film - semiconductor is printed directly to the dollar, euro, Swiss franc, Japanese yen. The next step is to print the semiconductor component into the money.