Thin Film Electronics Asa

Kovio, Inc.

Ensurge Micropower Asa

Aditi Chandra

Arvind Kamath

Mao Takashima

James Montague Cleeves

Erik C Scher

Patrick Smith

Vivek Subramanian

Joerg Rockenberger

Vikram Pavate

Criswell Choi

Mao Ito

Wenzhuo Guo

Steven E Molesa

Somnath Mukherjee

Alex Yan

Richard Van Der Linde

Jonathon Y Simmons

Shoba Rao

Klaus Kunze

Fabio Zürcher

Li Li

Junfeng Mei

Inna Tregub

Raghav Sreenivasan

Gloria Wong

Scott R Bruner

Brian Bedwell

Anand Deshpande

Sambhu Kundu

Yoocharn Jeon

Miki Trifunovic

Jun Li

Anton Popiolek

Joey Li

Khanh Van Tu

A solid-state battery and a method of making the same are disclosed. The battery includes a base frame or support, first and second exterior contacts on the base frame/support, stacked solid-state battery unit cells, first and second electrical connections, and encapsulation in contact with the base frame/support and covering the solid-state battery unit cells and the electrical connections. Each stacked solid-state battery unit cell is on a metal substrate and has exposed cathode and anode current collectors. The electrical connections respectively electrically connect the exposed cathode and anode current collectors to the first and second exterior contacts. The method includes forming the stacked solid-state battery unit cells on the base frame/support, forming the exterior contacts on the base frame/support, electrically connecting the exposed cathode and anode current collectors to the respective exterior contacts, and encapsulating the solid-state battery unit cells and the electrical connections.

Stacked solid state batteries and methods of making the same

The present disclosure pertains to a barrier stack for thin film and/or printed electronics on substrates having a diffusible element and/or species, methods of manufacturing the same, and methods of inhibiting or preventing diffusion of a diffusible element or species in a substrate using the same. The barrier stack includes a first barrier layer on the substrate, an insulator layer on the first barrier layer, a second barrier layer on the insulator layer in a first region of the substrate, and a third barrier layer on the insulator layer in a second region of the substrate and on the second barrier layer in the first region. Each of the second and third barrier layers has a thickness less than that of the first barrier layer.

Barrier stacks for printed and/or thin film electronics, methods of manufacturing the same, and method of controlling a threshold voltage of a thin film transistor

The present disclosure pertains to a battery and a method of making the same. The battery includes first and second metal substrates, a first solid-state and/or thin-film battery cell on the first metal substrate, a second solid-state and/or thin-film battery cell on the second metal substrate, and a hermetic seal in a peripheral region of the first and second metal substrates. The first and second battery cells are between the first and second metal substrates, and face each other. The method includes respectively forming first and second solid-state and/or thin-film battery cells on first and second metal substrates, placing the second battery cell on the first battery cell so that the first and second battery cells are between the first and second metal substrates, and hermetically sealing the first and second battery cells in a peripheral region of the first and second metal substrates.

Solid-state battery and method of making the same

A wireless communication device having an integrated antenna, and methods for making and using the same are disclosed. The device generally includes (a) a substrate; (b) an integrated circuit (IC) comprising a plurality of printed and/or thin film layers and/or structures on the substrate, (c) a dielectric or insulator layer in at least one area of the substrate other than the IC; and (d) an antenna on the dielectric or insulator layer, comprising one or more metal traces. The plurality of printed and/or thin film layers and/or structures include an uppermost layer of metal. The antenna has (i) an inner terminal continuous with the uppermost layer of metal or connected to the uppermost layer of metal through one or more contacts, and (ii) an outer terminal connected to the uppermost layer of metal through one or more contacts and optionally a metal bridge or strap.

Printed and/or thin film integrated circuit with integrated antenna, and methods of making and using the same

A tag or smart label including a humidity sensor, and methods of manufacturing and using the same, are disclosed. The tag or smart label includes a substrate or backplane with a battery or antenna, a humidity sensor, and an integrated circuit thereon. The integrated circuit is in electrical communication with the humidity sensor and the antenna or battery, and is configured to process a signal from the humidity sensor corresponding to the humidity level or value in the environment to be monitored, and provide or generate a signal that represents the humidity level/value. The humidity sensor includes first and second electrodes that are a predetermined distance apart, a humidity-sensitive material having one or more electrical, mechanical or chemical properties that vary as a function of the humidity level/value, and a water- and/or humidity-permeable membrane covering the humidity-sensitive material.

Humidity sensor, wireless device including the same, and methods of making and using the same

A wireless communication device and methods of manufacturing and using the same are disclosed. The wireless communication device includes a substrate with an antenna and/or inductor thereon, a patterned ferrite layer overlapping the antenna and/or inductor, and a capacitor electrically connected to the antenna and/or inductor. The wireless communication device may further include an integrated circuit including a receiver configured to convert a first wireless signal to an electric signal and a transmitter configured to generate a second wireless signal, the antenna being configured to receive the first wireless signal and transmit or broadcast the second wireless signal. The patterned ferrite layer advantageously mitigates the deleterious effect of metal objects in proximity to a reader and/or transponder magnetically coupled to the antenna.

Wireless communication device with integrated ferrite shield and antenna, and methods of manufacturing the same

Printable dopant formulations, methods of making such dopant formulations, and methods of using such dopant formulations are disclosed. The dopant formulations provide a printable dopant ink with a viscosity sufficient to prevent ink spreading when deposited in a pattern on a substrate. Furthermore, an ion exchange purification process provides the dopant formulation with a reduced metal ion concentration, and thus a relatively high purity level. Consequently, the dopant residue remaining on the substrate after curing and/or dopant activation process is relatively uniform, and therefore can be easily removed.

Dopant inks, methods of making dopant inks, and methods of using dopant inks

The present invention relates to methods of making capacitors for use in surveillance/identification tags or devices, and methods of using such surveillance/identification devices. The capacitors manufactured according to the methods of the present invention and used in the surveillance/identification devices described herein comprise printed conductive and dielectric layers. The methods and devices of the present invention improve the manufacturing tolerances associated with conventional metal-plastic-metal capacitor, as well as the deactivation reliability of the capacitor used in a surveillance/identification tag or device.

High reliability surveillance and/or identification tag/devices and methods of making and using the same

The present invention relates to electrically active devices (e.g., capacitors, transistors, diodes, floating gate memory cells, etc.) having dielectric, conductor, and/or semiconductor layers with smooth and/or dome-shaped profiles and methods of forming such devices by depositing or printing (e.g., inkjet printing) an ink composition that includes a semiconductor, metal, or dielectric precursor. The smooth and/or dome-shaped cross-sectional profile allows for smooth topological transitions without sharp steps, preventing feature discontinuities during deposition and allowing for more complete step coverage of subsequently deposited structures. The inventive profile allows for both the uniform growth of oxide layers by thermal oxidation, and substantially uniform etching rates of the structures. Such oxide layers may have a uniform thickness and provide substantially complete coverage of the underlying electrically active feature. Uniform etching allows for an efficient method of reducing a critical dimension of an electrically active structure by simple isotropic etch.

Profile engineered thin film devices and structures

Methods of forming contacts (and optionally, local interconnects) using an ink comprising a silicide-forming metal, electrical devices such as diodes and/or transistors including such contacts and (optional) local interconnects, and methods for forming such devices are disclosed. Electrical devices, such as diodes and transistors may be made using such printed contact and/or local interconnects. A metal ink may be printed for contacts as well as for local interconnects at the same time, or in the alternative, the printed metal can act as a seed for electroless deposition of other metals if different metals are desired for the contact and the interconnect lines. This approach advantageously reduces the number of processing steps and does not necessarily require any etching.

Method of forming metal silicide contact and metal interconnect

Profile engineered, electrically active thin film devices

Methods of forming contacts (and optionally, local interconnects) using an ink comprising a silicide-forming metal, electrical devices such as diodes and/or transistors including such contacts and (optional) local interconnects, and methods for forming such devices are disclosed. The method of forming contacts includes depositing an ink of a silicide-forming metal onto an exposed silicon surface, drying the ink to form a silicide-forming metal precursor, and heating the silicide-forming metal precursor and the silicon surface to form a metal silicide contact. Optionally, the metal precursor ink may be selectively deposited onto a dielectric layer adjacent to the exposed silicon surface to form a metal-containing interconnect. Furthermore, one or more bulk conductive metal(s) may be deposited on remaining metal precursor ink and/or the dielectric layer. Electrical devices, such as diodes and transistors may be made using such printed contact and/or local interconnects. A metal ink may be printed for contacts as well as for local interconnects at the same time, or in the alternative, the printed metal can act as a seed for electroless deposition of other metals if different metals are desired for the contact and the interconnect lines. This approach advantageously reduces the number of processing steps and does not necessarily require any etching.

Methods of making metal silicide contacts, interconnects, and/or seed layers

Printable metal formulations, methods of making the formulations, and methods of coating or printing thin films from metal ink precursors are disclosed. The metal formulation generally includes one or more Group 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, or 12 metal salts or metal complexes, one or more solvents adapted to facilitate coating and/or printing of the formulation, and one or more optional additives that form (only) gaseous or volatile byproducts upon reduction of the metal salt or metal complex to an elemental metal and/or alloy thereof. The formulation may be made by combining the metal salt(s) or metal complex(es) and the solvent(s), and dissolving the metal salt(s) or metal complex(es) in the solvent(s) to form the formulation. Thin films may be made by coating or printing the metal formulation on a substrate; removing the solvents to form a metal-containing precursor film; and reducing the metal-containing precursor film.

Metal inks, methods of making the same, and methods for printing and/or forming metal films

Growing community of inventors

Los Gatos, CA, United States of America

Aditi Chandra