Open Competition 1 - Electronics and Photonics

Micro Solid Oxide Fuel Based Power Supplies for Handheld Electronics

Sponsor: Lilliputian Systems, Inc.

• Project Performance Period: 11/1/2002 - 10/31/2004
• Total project (est.): $3,516,436.00
• Requested ATP funds: $2,000,000.00

Lack of progress in battery technology is constraining advances in handheld electronic devices such as personal digital assistants. Device developers are forced to reduce functionality to conform with batteries' limited power and energy. Miniature fuel cells could offer more power and longer run times, but as yet only systems operating at low (ambient) temperatures have been considered, and they offer only marginal improvement in energy and are highly sensitive to environmental conditions. Lilliputian Systems plans a two-year project to develop and demonstrate a prototype miniature high-temperature solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) yielding an energy-to-volume ratio (or run time) 5-10 times better than the leading battery technology. The proposed micro fuel cell, which will be integrated into a silicon chip, will use high-temperature operation to convert high-energy density fuels, such as butane, into electricity. In addition, the SOFC design will reduce device heating and make the system reliable enough to be useful in real-world applications. A low-cost, highly parallel microelectromechanical system (MEMS) approach will be used to fabricate the fuel cell components. The project will combine two recent technological advances: the use of MEMS tools to fabricate fully insulated microchemical devices operating at high temperatures, and the integration of SOFC thin films into silicon chips. These advances were demonstrated at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, Mass.) and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (Livermore, Calif.); the latter will be subcontracted to assist with fuel cell development and microfabrication services. The ATP funding, which will enable the company to pursue a broader research agenda than would otherwise be possible, is needed because private financing is insufficient due to the high technical risk of the project. If successfully developed and commercialized, the new fuel cell technology could enable the United States to recapture the $5 billion+ market for rechargeable batteries and provide the basis for further development of handheld electronic devices. With several hundred micro SOFCs on each silicon wafer, production costs at high volume are expected to be low. The economy will benefit from both industrial growth and the increased productivity made possible by more powerful and ubiquitous wireless devices.

For project information:

Dr. Aleksander Franz, (781) 935-9777
alfranz@lsinc.biz

ATP Project Manager

Gerald Castellucci, (301) 975-2435
gerald.castellucci@nist.gov