Oak Ridge Micro-Energy Inc. (Oak Ridge, TN) announced that the company has been awarded a patent from the United States Patent and Trademark Office, "Thin Film Battery and Electrolyte Therefor," US 6,818,356 B1, with 22 separate claims. The claims relate to composition for a new thin-film lithium electrolyte, method of making the electrolyte, and a thin-film battery utilizing the new electrolyte.
Oak Ridge Chief Technology Officer John Bates stated, "In addition to improving on the properties of the electrolyte, this patent takes us a step closer to manufacturing batteries outside of the UT-Battelle license, and could significantly decrease or eliminate royalties based on the older technology. This is an exciting step for us, as we begin to break new ground in the field of thin-film battery manufacturing, as well as identify new applications for this unique power source."
