News

Ultra-thin Solid-State Batteries Achieve Record Energy Density

February 12, 2019 by Paul Shepard

Ilika announced that it has increased, by a factor of three, the volumetric energy density of its mm-scale Stereax® solid-state batteries by introducing wafer-thinning technology into its manufacturing workflow to yield ultra-thin cells. This is the highest energy density achieved to date by the company's Stereax Batteries and is expected to be scaled further.

Ilika's mm-scale battery, code-named Golden Hind, is designed for miniature medical implants, which account for about 50% of the current commercial opportunities in Ilika's licensing pipeline. The cells are fabricated using Ilika's proprietary vacuum deposition technique and semiconductor industry techniques that have never been applied to batteries.

The cells are etched from the materials deposited on the wafer and singulated using back-end processing techniques. lIika has developed the materials and process technologies to make these cells on its pilot line in Southampton, UK and to align with customer demands.

The latest batteries were thinned using back-end processes common to the semiconductor industry but new to the battery industry. This crucial manufacturing step will produce ultra-thin solid-state batteries about 250um in thickness, which is not much thicker than a postage stamp and will allow further customization of voltage and density.

Golden Hind prototypes are currently undergoing parallel evaluation at Ilika's facility to fully qualify the cells for a product launch in Q2 2019.

Graeme Purdy, Ilika CEO, stated: "This is the latest improvement in the processing of miniature Stereax® cells. We are integrating our unique approach to materials deposition with standard semiconductor manufacturing technology to deliver best in class solutions."