Our Microbattery Technology
Copyright 2005-2010, Enable IPC Corporation
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When we compare the products from Enable IPC's technology portfolio with similar products aimed at the same market, we believe our product will: | |
How Our Batteries Work At a fundamental level, batteries consist of three parts: an anode (the - pole), a cathode (the + pole) and an electrolyte. When a connection is made between the + and - poles, a chemical reaction creates power. Many companies and research institutions are working on "thin film" batteries. These are batteries that are created using many of the same techniques used to create integrated circuits (ICs). They start with a wafer (a flat disc that may be made of silicon, glass, ceramic, or other material; see figure 1). It could be 2" or as much as 8" or larger in diameter. The thin film battery manufacturer will then deposit battery materials on the wafer in special configurations. A simple diagram is shown in figure 2. The amount of energy the battery can produce is determined by the mass of the anode and cathode (that is, the more material there is, the more atoms there are, therefore, the more electrons are available to provide power) and the chemical reactivity of the materials. The surface area between the active material (anode and cathode) and the electrolyte, however, is like the doorway for the current flow. The larger the surface area, the lower the battery internal resistance and the larger the current flow. Figure 3 highlights the surface area of a thin film cathode. Current flow between the cathode and electrolyte is typically a limiting factor in thin film battery performance. Nanowire cathodes are attractive because they increase the surface area by a very large amount. Therefore, they can provide a greater power burst in a relatively small footprint (see figure 4). OK . . . So What? We can make these batteries in different chemistries and different configurations, meaning they can be rechargeable or not, and can fit into a variety of applications, including:
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Nanowires created by Enable IPC personnel are each about 1,000 times smaller than a human hair. Arrays of these nanowires comprise a key part of our battery technology, and make for lower costs and better performance. 
Figure 1: Example of a typical 4 inch wafer. 
Figure 2: Basic diagram of a thin film battery on a wafer. 
Figure 3: Surface area of a thin film battery cathode. 
Figure 4: Surface area of a nanowire-based cathode. |
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So, a typical battery for one of these applications might measure about the size of a postage stamp and about 2/3 the thickness of a credit card. And, it would be very inexpensive to manufacture. You may still be asking yourself "so what"? Many people in the United States are not familiar with "smart" cards and other potential market opportunities for microbatteries. "Smart" cards are popular in Europe and the Pacific Rim, but not so much in the U.S. (yet). The answer to the "so what" question is simple: if anyone can supply a battery for "smart" cards (and other, similar disposables in terms of energy and power) that meets the price and performance targets these manufacturers are seeking, they will have access to a market that was over $500 million in 2005 and is estimated to go over $3 billion by 2012 (according to a 2005 report from Nanomarkets, an independent market research firm).. This is why (by our count) there are over 50 companies in the US alone (not counting dozens of research institutions and government labs) that are working on perfecting the microbattery. And it is why we are so excited about our technologies. We believe we will meet the price and performance specifications of these end users. And we are very excited about our test results so far. | |