Oak Ridge Micro-Energy, Inc. has completed its research and development phase and is entering phase 3 of the company’s business plan. In this phase, the company will focus on marketing and licensing its patented thin-film battery (TFB) technology to suitable partners across all industries. The company states that it has been in discussions with several multinational corporations who have expressed a keen interest in its TFB technology.
Oak Ridge Micro-Energy states that it has spent the first several years improving the original core TFB technology and has now reached the stage where the improvements and new developments required for product integration into the largest and most profitable markets have been accomplished. The new developments include an improvement of Lipon, the key material of the original thin-film battery, a new anode-cathode combination (the active battery components) which allows for record high temperature cycles of 170°C, a low voltage TFB that operates between 2 and 1V to better match the requirements of the semiconductor industry, and a packaged TFB that can survive the harsh conditions of solder reflow, a process commonly used in the semiconductor industry to manufacture integrated circuits.
The company believes that its TFB is now ready for large-scale commercialization. It plans to move forward by retaining a top marketing company which specializes in licensing in order to achieve the goal of integrating revolutionary TFB technology into as many applications and product lines as possible. Oak Ridge Micro-Energy claims that it currently is in discussion with several companies seeking a partnership or that have expressed interest in licensing its proprietary technology.
As part of the next step, the company has entered an agreement to sell its research and development equipment and sub-lease its Oak Ridge facility. This agreement allows the company to have continued access to the equipment as may be needed for prototyping and testing by potential licensees and partners.
