IMEC Belgium

IMEC is a world leading R&D lab for nano‐electronics. Imec scientists and engineers research and develop exploratory and emerging technology in ICT, healthcare and energy for a better, healthier life in a sustainable environment through innovations in nanoelectronics. Imec has its headquarters in Leuven, Belgium, where the main labs and state‐of‐the‐art Clean Rooms are located. The Energy storage team is part of the Nanomaterials, Surfaces and Interfaces (NCAIS) group dealing with synthesis and processing of nanomaterials and surfaces for device applications with drivers in microelectronics, health and energy. Imec’s Energy Storage team has specialised in thin‐film lithium ion batteries and composite solid electrolytes leveraging imec s expertise in thin‐film and microprocessing technologies. Focus lays on the engineering of the solid/solid interface and maximizing battery performance through battery design and battery architecture.
Website: IMEC Belgium
Partner's role
Imec will be coordinator of the technical work package WP4 for the development of the microbattery component. Large part of imec’s role involves the fabrication of a 3D microbattery on a Si platform, taking advantage of the imec state‐of‐the‐art clean room facilities and processing equipment. For the lithiation and characterization of the individual and assembled microbattery components, a specialized lab environment with thin‐film deposition, microfabrication and material and device characterization is available, also for the consortium partners. Together with IREC, materials and processes will be explored for lattice matched (all spinel) planar battery stacks. Imec will focus on RF‐sputtering of the thin‐film materials, mostly electrodes, and the crystallization to their phase‐pure spinel form. Imec will deliver substrates to its WP4 partner IREC for the experiments on (high temperature) PLD of the spinel electrolytes and interfaces. Imec will also be involved in the structural, electrical and electrochemical characterization of the materials and half-cells, and in the testing of the microbattery devices with respect to the goals for the integrated device in WP5.
Research team: Philippe Vereecken, Cedric Huyghebaert, Brecht Put, Maarten Mees.