Patent Analytics Report on Thin Film Batteries

Introduction

These batteries consist of a substrate, electrolyte, current collector, anode, cathode, and a charge separator. There has been much research into the determination of the most effective components for this type of battery. It has been shown recently that even ordinary printer paper can be used as a charge separator and a substrate.

The term “thin film” is derived from the fact that the deposited films are of the order of a few micrometers in thickness compared with the 10 to 50 micrometers for thick film. Often, thin film conductors are plated to improve conductivity. Thin film has the advantages of tighter absolute and ratio tolerances and more environmentally stable components with lower noise and tighter TCR than thick film.

Thin-film printing technology is being used to apply solid-state lithium polymers to a variety of substrates to create unique batteries for specialized applications. Thin-film batteries can be deposited directly onto chips or chip packages in any shape or size

The basic distinction between thick film and thin film is the method of deposition of the metallization. In thick film, specially formulated pastes are applied and fired onto a substrate. The pastes are usually applied with a silk screen method and the substrate is of 96% alumina ceramic. Thin film technology is used wherever precision resistors are needed.

With the help of Patent iNSIGHT Pro, we will analyze the patent data around thin film batteries to find answers to the following:

• What does the IP publication trend for thin film batteries look like and how have the filings evolved?
• Who are the top companies or key players in thin film batteries and what are their technology wise trends?
• How is research in thin film batteries spread across different countries?
• What are the different deposition processes used by various companies?
• How are the companies spread across different types of substrates used?
• Who are the top companies across different applications of thin film batteries?
• What is the portfolio trend for unique companies in thin film batteries?
• How is research around Thin Film Batteries spread across prominent countries?

The illustration below shows the different categories prepared and the number of records in each. The categorization involved defining a search strategy for each topic and then conducting the search using the Advanced Searching capability in Patent iNSIGHT Pro. Details of search strings used for each category are given in Appendix.

Publication Trend

What has been the IP publication trend for thin film batteries?

Patents related to thin film batteries can be traced back to before 1950 and the real surge in the activity around this technology has happened in the last 5 years.

It’s clear the current activity around these technologies is likely to continue seeing more innovation in the near future.

Top Companies

Who are the top companies within this industry?

Top Countries

How is research around thin film batteries spread across different countries?

In terms of regional pockets where patent protection is being sought most frequently for these technologies, JP leads the count, followed by the US and KR. The table below ranks top priority countries and helps provide an indication of where innovation in this area is originating:

Country Code Total

JP 919
US 626
KR 465
CN 317
GB 67