Hybrid banknote with electronic indicia
A hybrid currency banknote includes a banknote having visible markings. One or more light-controlling elements and a controller are embedded in or on the banknote. The controller is electrically connected to the one or more light-controlling elements to control the one or more light-controlling elements. A power input connection is electrically connected to the controller, or one or more light-controlling elements, or both. A power source can be connected to the power input connection, for example a piezoelectric or photovoltaic power source. In response to applied power, the controller causes the one or more light-controlling elements to emit light. A value can be stored in a memory in the controller and displayed by the light-controlling elements. The value can be assigned or varied by a hybrid currency teller machine.
1. A method of making a hybrid currency banknote, comprising:
providing a flexible banknote having visible markings;
providing a ribbon or thread;
providing a light-emitting diode wafer having a plurality of micro-transfer printable inorganic light-emitting diodes connected by light-emitting diode tethers to the wafer;
providing a controller wafer having a plurality of controllers connected by tethers to the wafer;
micro-transfer printing at least one of the plurality of controllers and one or more of the plurality of inorganic light-emitting diodes from the controller wafer and the light-emitting diode wafer, respectively, with a stamp, thereby (i) fracturing each light-emitting diode tether that connected the one or more of the plurality of inorganic light-emitting diodes to the light-emitting diode wafer and each controller tether that connected the at least one of the plurality of controllers to the controller wafer and (ii) embedding the one or more of the plurality of inorganic light-emitting diodes and the at least one of the plurality of controllers in or on the ribbon or thread;
electrically connecting the at least one of the plurality of controllers to the one or more of the plurality of inorganic light-emitting diodes and to a power input connection; and
integrating the ribbon or thread in the flexible banknote.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the ribbon or thread or portions of the ribbon or thread are at least partially electrically conductive or include conductive wires.
3. The method of claim 1 , comprising providing a power source on the banknote and electrically connecting the power source to the power input connection.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the at least one of the controllers includes a memory and the method comprises providing the memory with a value.
5. The method of claim 1 , comprising providing one or more light pipes located in association with one or more of the micro-transfer printed inorganic light-emitting diodes.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the light pipes include portions that leak light at desired locations.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the one or more light pipes are disposed to form a graphic indicator.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the graphic indicator is any of one or more of a number, a letter, a pictogram, a value, a date, and a person.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the plurality of controllers controls the micro-transfer printed one or more inorganic light-emitting diodes to flash or flash sequentially.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the micro-transfer printed one or more inorganic light-emitting diodes include inorganic light-emitting diodes that emit different colors of light.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the different colors of light include red, green, and blue.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the micro-transfer printed one or more inorganic light-emitting diodes forms a display or a two-dimensional array.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the visible markings do not include a value.
14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the micro-transfer printed one or more inorganic light-emitting diodes are arranged to indicate a value.
15. The method of claim 1 , comprising protective layers disposed over at least one or more portions of the at least one of the plurality of controllers.
16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the plurality of controllers includes a circuit having a memory that stores a value and the circuit causes the one or more light-controlling elements to indicate the value or the memory stores an electronic serial number.
17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the memory is a read-only memory.
18. The method of claim 16 , wherein the memory is a write-once memory that stores multiple values in memory locations that are ordered in a sequential order.
19. The method of claim 1 , wherein the banknote is adapted to a teller machine that writes a value into the memory in a location sequentially after the previous written value.
20. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more light-controlling elements or the controller has a width from 2 to 5 μm, 5 to 10 μm, 10 to 20 μm, or 20 to 50 μm, a length from 2 to 5 μm, 5 to 10 μm, 10 to 20 μm, or 20 to 50 μm, or a height from 2 to 5 μm, 4 to 10 μm, 10 to 20 μm, or 20 to 50 μm.