Picosun augments energy and density for batteries

By characteristics, Picosun Group is referring to a transition from planar, 2D battery geometry to a corrugated 3D geometry. This would result in a much higher active surface area for energy storage, which could augment the energy and power density of solid-state Li-ion thin film batteries (SSLIBs), the company states in a press release. The company says it has now fabricated ”high-quality, high-performance” thin film NiO anodes for SSLIBs using their thin film coating technology, ALD. Compared to graphite, widely used to produce anodes of lithium-ion batteries, the deposited NiO films is claimed to have more than twice as large capacity and more than three times as high density. In addition to the ALD NiO anodes, Picosun says ALD has been able to produce conformal and uniform coatings with ”excellent purity and repeatability inside challenging microscale architectures such as high aspect ratio trenches.” According to the company, this would make it an ideal method for 3D SSLIB materials manufacturing, including other anode materials such as SnO2, CoO, and MnO. “Battery applications are yet one example of ALD’s flexibility as a method, and how new industries discover the possibilities of ALD day by day. Deep trenches with aspect ratios exceeding 1:2500 have been successfully coated with our ALD tools equipped with our patented Picoflow feature, which further advocates the use of our technology in 3D solid state Li-ion battery manufacturing. We are happy that our ALD solutions can be potentially utilized in future’s energy storage solutions in conjunction with clean energy production, and to power more compact healthcare devices, to improve people’s quality of life,” states Dr. Jani Kivioja, CTO of Picosun Group.