Ilika Plc (LON: IKA), a pioneer in solid-state battery technology, announced that it has developed processing methods to enable rapid customisation of its Stereax thin film cells to match customers’ requirements for form, fit and function.
“The replacement of contact masks with a photolithographic method is an important step in being able to offer customised solutions to high value proprietary applications for Stereax products,” added Ilika’s CEO Graeme Purdy.
The launch on 10th April 2019 of its Stereax® M50 mm-scale solid state batteries for MedTech was a defining step for Ilika’s first product made using photolithography. This marked a move away from the use of contact masks, which were deployed to produce earlier Stereax products. Photolithography is a widely used microfabrication method in the semiconductor industry. It has the advantage over contact masks of being able to create smaller feature sizes, of less than a micron. The technique is therefore particularly suitable for forming Ilika’s mm-scale range of Medtech batteries. In addition, the lead time for creating new wafer layouts is significantly reduced, by up to 85%, making it possible to respond to customers’ requirements in an accelerated manner. Also, the operating costs of using a photolithographic process rather than contact masks are significantly less, in part due to the ability of photolithography to enable a tighter spacing of devices on wafers, increasing wafer yield.
Examples of MedTech devices which can benefit from Stereax battery technology are insulin pumps, cardiac devices, blood pressure monitors, neurostimulators, gastric stimulators, smart contact lenses and smart dental braces.
Relative to standard lithium ion batteries, Stereax solid state batteries are safer, have longer life spans of up to 10 years and lower leakage currents, making them suitable for low power wireless charging.
