electronica 2018

•••9••• Innovationen Kooperation für n chste Chip- Generation made in Dresden Ein Dresdener Chippro- duzent und das Fraunho- fer IPMS bauen ihre Ent- wicklungskooperation weiter aus und entwi- ckeln künftig innovative Materialien, Prozesse und Bauelemente für die Energiespartechnologie FD-SOI. Diese ebenso energieeffiziente wie leistungsstarke und kos- teneffektive Technologie ist insbesondere in den Wachstumsmärkten „In- ternet of Things“ und Automotive gefragt und bildet den Schwerpunkt der gemeinsamen Arbeit für die kommenden zweieinhalb Jahre. Der Forschungsver- trag umfasst dabei ein zweistelliges Millionen-Euro- Volumen. Ein gemeinsames Doktorandenprogramm wird eingerichtet, um die lokale Nachwuchsförde- rung der Branche auch längerfristig zu garantieren. Mit dem Projekt wird der Reinraum des Fraunhofer IPMS auf rund 900 Quadratmeter erweitert und mit neuen Anlagen ausgestattet. Das Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF) unterstützt das Fraunhofer IPMS dabei über die Förderung für die Forschungsfabrik Mikroelektronik Deutschland. Blick in den 300-mm- Reinraum des Fraunho- fer IPMS-CNT Foto: Fraunhofer IPMS Pliable micro-batteries for wearables Powering portable systems that contain sensors to collect measurement data from our bodies I n medicine, wearables are used to collect data without disturb- ing patients – to record long- term ECGs, for instance. Since the sensors are light, flexible and concealed in clothing, this is a convenient way to monitor a pa- tient’s heartbeat. The technology also has more everyday applica- tions – fitness bands, for instance, that measure joggers’ pulses. There is huge growth potential in the wearables sector, which is ex- pected to reach a market value of 72 billion euros by 2020. How to power these smart acces- sories poses a significant tech- nical challenge. There are the technical considerations – dura- bility and energy density – but also material requirements such as weight, flexibility and size, and these must be successfully com- bined. This is where Fraunhofer IZM comes in: experts at the insti- tute have developed a prototype for a smart wristband that col- lects data first hand. The silicone band’s technical piece de resist- ance is its three gleaming green batteries. Boasting a capacity of 300 milliampere hours, these bat- teries are what supply the wrist- band with power. They can store energy of 1.1 watt hours and lose less than three per cent of their charging capacity per year. With these parameters the new pro- totype has a much higher capac- ity than smart bands available at the market so far, enabling it to supply even demanding portable electronics with energy. Robert Hahn, a researcher at Fraunhofer IZM, explains why seg- mentation is the key for success: “If you make a battery extremely pliable, it will have very poor en- ergy density – so it’s much better to adopt a segmented approach.” Segmentation Instead of making the batteries extremely pliable at the cost of energy density and reliability, the institute turned its focus to de- signing very small and powerful batteries and optimized mounting technology. The batteries are plia- ble in between segments. In other words, the smart band is flexible while retaining a lot more power than other smart wristbands. In its development of batteries for wearables, Fraunhofer IZM combines new approaches and years of experience with a cus- tomer-tailored development pro- cess. The team consults closely with customers to draw up the energy requirements. They care- fully adapt parameters such as shape, size, voltage, capacity and power and combine them to form a power supply concept. They also carry out customer-specific tests. Smart plaster In 2018, the institute began work- ing on the wearable smart plaster. Together with a sensor manufac- turer, this EU-sponsored project aims to develop a plaster that can directly measure and analyze the patient’s sweat. This can then be used to draw conclusions about the patient’s general state of health. In any case, having a con- venient, real-time analysis tool is the ideal way to better track and monitor healing processes. Fraun- hofer IZM is responsible for devel- oping the design concept and en- ergy supply system for the sweat measurement sensors. The plan is to integrate sensors that are ex- tremely flat, light and flexible. Flexible micro battery stripe made from segmented battery cells Photo: Fraunhofer IZM