New Industry Products

Cymbet Announces New Thin-Film Batteries For Embedded Systems

September 20, 2007 by Jeff Shepard

Cymbet Corp. announced the commercial availability of the EnerChip™ family of solid-state, thin-film batteries. According to Cymbet, its technological advancements have made possible for the first time – in volume – a small form factor, highly rechargeable device to distribute energy. It is claimed that the solid state battery can be economically and reliably integrated as an embedded device or as a surface-mounted component.

Considered a "component-class" device, the company claims that the EnerChip products provide energy storage in a form factor and convenience not previously attainable using conventional solutions, such as coin cell batteries and super capacitors. The introductory product is available in capacities of 12, 50 and 85uAh and can be automatically surface mounted (SMT), bringing new capabilities to the designer.

All EnerChip products can be lead-free reflow soldered (260°C) using high-speed SMT pick & place assembly processes, significantly reducing assembly cost. The devices are claimed to offer a fast recharge time (under 30 minutes to 80%), are capable of greater than 5,000 charge/discharge cycles and do not suffer from the self-discharge limitations associated with super capacitors or shelf life limitations common to chemical batteries.

Cymbet’s EnerChip family is well suited for applications where back-up power is needed to maintain the settings of microcontroller memories, real-time-clocks and SRAM during power loss or power failures. Initial products can deliver back-up power ranging from a few hours to several weeks, depending on the system’s stand-by current requirements. In many cases, an EnerChip can also function as a primary power source, providing many hours of operation between recharges. When coupled with energy-harvesting or energy-scavenging techniques, it is said that an EnerChip can supply the energy storage to build self-contained, long lived powered systems – an environmental benefit.