New 3D microbattery suitable for large-scale on-chip integration

Microscale batteries can deliver energy at the actual point of energy usage, providing capabilities for miniaturising electronic devices and enhancing their performance.

“This 3D microbattery has exceptional performance and scalability, and we think it will be of importance for many applications,” said Paul Braun, a professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, US.

“Microscale devices typically utilise power supplied off-chip because of difficulties in miniaturising energy storage technologies,” he added in a statement. “A miniaturised high-energy and high-power on-chip battery would be highly desirable for applications including autonomous microscale actuators, distributed wireless sensors and transmitters, monitors, and portable and implantable medical devices.”

As sensors, wireless communication devices, personal health monitoring systems, and autonomous micro-electromechanical systems become smaller, there is an increasing demand for miniaturised integrated power sources.

Although thin-film batteries are well suited for on-chip integration, their energy and power per unit area are limited. Three-dimensional electrode designs have the potential to offer much greater power and energy per unit area. However, previous efforts with 3D microbatteries have led to prototypes with solid electrodes, and therefore low power, or mesostructured electrodes not compatible with manufacturing or on-chip integration.