The thin-film battery (TFB) market is an attractive and still-growing multimillion dollar market characterized by very high production volumes of thin-film batteries that must be extremely reliable and low in cost.  Thin-film lithium and lithium-ion batteries are ideally suited for a variety of applications where small power sources are needed. By using the available space within a device, the battery can provide the required power while occupying otherwise wasted space and adding negligible mass.

Three very distinct types of flexible TFB technologies exist – lower performance printed TFBs, single-use higher performance lithium polymer (LiPo) batteries, and solid-state rechargeable lithium phosphorous oxynitride (LiPON) batteries (which are the most expensive). Currently, non-rechargeable zinc batteries can be fully printed and used in roll-to-roll manufacturing processes.

The range of possible applications for these batteries derives from their important advantages over conventional battery technologies. They can be made in virtually any shape and size to meet the requirements of an application.  The batteries are rechargeable, which means their size need be no larger than is required to satisfy the energy requirements on a single cycle, thus reducing cost and weight, which in itself may give birth to new applications.

Up until now, various power factors have impinged on the advancement and development of microdevices. Power density, cell weight, battery life and form factor all have proven significant and cumbersome when considered for microapplications. Batteries of the future will need to be miniaturized, untethered, and portable.

The global market for thin-film batteries is expected to reach $90million in 2010. This market will increase to $600million by 2015 with a growth rate of 46.1% annually for the next five year.

Other major findings of this report are:

• The range for the average annual growth rate (AAGR) is expected to be 37.9% to 67.8% for the six major regions surveyed for the period 2010 to 2015. 
• Regionally, North America is expected to capture about 40% of the market in 2010, followed by Europe at 36% and the rest of the world (ROW) at 24%, dominated by Japan, Korea and China.
• The market for thin-film batteries used in one-time password (OTP), display-type smart cards for banking will be highest in 2010.
• Disposable medical cosmetic patches, electronic games and entertainment devices, music greeting cards using non-rechargeable thin printed battery (zinc-manganese chemistry), low power semi-active tags used with sensors, and battery-assisted passive (BAP) radio frequency identification (RFID) devices will have a combined market share of over one-third of  the total market in 2010.
• Ultra-low power energy harvesting devices (solar, thermal, vibration) using rechargeable lithium-ion or similar type batteries will be a distant third in 2010 and will slightly increase its share by 2015.
• The main factor slowing growth of the market for thin-film/printed batteries at present is high cost. Thin-film/printable batteries are currently unable to compete with conventional battery technology on price. This will change as volumes for thin-film/printed batteries ramp up and technology improves.
• Among the three technologies covered in this report, in 2010 the market share for non-rechargeable thin zinc-manganese printed batteries is the highest followed by lithium polymer thin-film non-rechargeable battery technology and rechargeable thin-film lithium-ion batteries as a distant third.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION . I
STUDY GOAL AND OBJECTIVES II
REASONS FOR DOING THE STUDY . III
CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE STUDY . III
SCOPE AND FORMAT  IV
METHODOLOGY . IV
INFORMATION SOURCES  V
TO WHOM THE STUDY CATERS . VI
AUTHOR’S CREDENTIALS  VI
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY  VIII
SUMMARY TABLE GLOBAL MARKET FOR THIN-FILM FLEXIBLE BATTERIES BY
REGION THROUGH 2015  IX
SUMMARY FIGURE GLOBAL MARKET FOR THIN-FILM BATTERIES BY REGION,
2010 AND 2015 . IX
SUMMARY (CONTINUED)  X
INDUSTRY OVERVIEW . 1
LEADING MANUFACTURERS  1
KEY IMPACT OF THIN-FILM BATTERIES . 2
COMPETITIVE INNOVATION TRENDS  3
RESEARCH TRENDS IN THIN-FILM BATTERIES  4
APPLICATION TRENDS . 5
APPLICATION TRENDS (CONTINUED) . 6
TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW  7
TYPES OF TECHNOLOGIES . 7
TYPES OF TECHNOLOGIES (CONTINUED) . 8
TABLE 1 KEY TERMINOLOGIES USED IN THIN-FILM BATTERIES  9
TABLE 1 (CONTINUED) . 10
TABLE 1 (CONTINUED) . 11
TABLE 1 (CONTINUED) . 12
TABLE 2 TYPICAL THICKNESSES OF COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE . 13
THIN-FILM BATTERIES IN 2010 . 13
ZINC-MANGANESE THIN-FILM BATTERIES  14
MANGANESE-ZINC-OXIDE-BASED CATHODE USING SOLID
ELECTROLYTES  14
FIGURE 1 TYPICAL NON-RECHARGEABLE ZINC-MANGANESE THIN-FILM
BATTERY  15
CONSTRUCTION . 16
FIGURE 2 VOLTAGE ACHIEVED IN A SINGLE NON-RECHARGEABLE ZINCMANGANESE
THIN-FILM BATTERY . 16
CHARACTERISTICS . 17
THIN-FILM PRIMARY LITHIUM SOLID POLYMER ELECTROLYTE (SPE)
BATTERY . 18
CONSTRUCTION  18
FIGURE 3 TYPICAL NON-RECHARGEABLE LITHIUM POLYMER THIN-FILM
BATTERY  19
LITHIUM-ION RECHARGEABLE THIN-FILM BATTERY USING LIPON AS THE
ELECTROLYTE . 20
CHEMISTRY CHOICES . 20
TABLE 3 CHEMISTRIES AND PRODUCTION METHODS ADOPTED FOR TYPICAL
RECHARGEABLE SOLID-STATE LITHIUM-ION THIN-FILM BATTERIES . 21
TABLE 3 (CONTINUED) . 22
CONSTRUCTION  23
FIGURE 4 A VIEW OF FIVE DIFFERENT TYPICAL RECHARGEABLE, SOLIDSTATE,
LITHIUM-ION, THIN-FILM BATTERIES . 23
CHARACTERISTICS OF THIN-FILM, RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES . 24
CHARACTERISTICS OF THIN-FILM, RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES
(CONTINUED)  25
TABLE 4 PERFORMANCE AND CHARACTERSTICS OF THREE RECHARGEABLE,
SOLID-STATE, LITHIUM-ION, THIN-FILM BATTERIES  26
TABLE 5 COMPARISON OF BATTERY PERFORMANCE  27
APPLICATIONS . 27
ONE-TIME PASSWORD, DISPLAY-TYPE SMART CARDS . 27
ONE-TIME PASSWORD, DISPLAY-TYPE SMART CARDS
(CONTINUED) . 28
FIGURE 5 THREE TYPES OF ONE-TIME PASSWORD, DISPLAY-TYPE SMART
CARDS USING NON-RECHARGEABLE LITHIUM POLYMER THIN-FILM
BATTERIES  29
DISPOSABLE MEDICAL COSMETIC PATCHES . 29
DISPOSABLE MEDICAL COSMETIC PATCHES (CONTINUED) . 30
FIGURE 6 A TYPICAL MEDICAL PATCH USING NON-RECHARGEABLE, PRINTED,
ZINC MANGANESE, THIN-FILM BATTERIES  31
ULTRA-LOW POWER ENERGY HARVESTING FOR WIRELESS SENSOR
NETWORKS  31
FIGURE 7 TYPICAL ULTRA-LOW POWER ENERGY HARVESTING SOLAR DEVICE
FOR A WIRELESS SENSOR NETWORK USING A RECHARGEABLE, SOLIDSTATE,
LITHIUM-ION, THIN-FILM BATTERY . 32
CONSUMER MUSIC GREETING CARDS, TOYS AND NOVELTIES . 33
BATTERY-ASSISTED PASSIVE RFID TAGS/LABELS  33
FIGURE 8 TYPICAL BATTERY-ASSISTED, SEMI-PASSIVE, RFID TAG USING NONRECHARGEABLE,
PRINTED ZINC MANGANESE, THIN-FILM BATTERY  34
SEMI-ACTIVE TAGS USED IN FUNCTIONAL PACKAGING  34
SEMI-ACTIVE TAGS USED IN FUNCTIONAL PACKAGING
(CONTINUED) . 35
FIGURE 9 A TYPICAL SMART PACKAGE (FUNCTIONAL PACKAGING) USING A
NON- RECHARGEABLE, PRINTED, ZINC MANGANESE, THIN-FILM BATTERY  36
EMERGING MATERIALS USED IN THIN-FILM BATTERIES . 36
EMERGING MATERIALS USED IN THIN-FILM BATTERIES
(CONTINUED)  37
TABLE 6 ONGOING RESEARCH IN CHEMISTRY AND FABRICATION OF THINFILM
BATTERIES IN 2010  38
TABLE 6 (CONTINUED) . 39
TABLE 6 (CONTINUED) . 40
INDUSTRY STRUCTURE  41
MARKET PLAYERS . 41
TABLE 7 THIN-FILM BATTERY MANUFACTURERS, MATERIAL SUPPLIERS, END
USERS AND SYSTEM INTEGRATORS . 42
LEADING MANUFACTURERS  43
TABLE 8 TOP MANUFACTURERS OF THIN-FILM BATTERIES IN 2010  43
PARTNERSHIPS AND CONSOLIDATIONS . 44
PARTNERSHIPS AND CONSOLIDATIONS (CONTINUED) . 45
TABLE 9 PARTNERSHIPS AND COLLABORATIONS AMONG MANUFACTURERS
OF THIN-FILM BATTERIES FROM 2004 TO 2010  46
TABLE 9 (CONTINUED) . 47
FUNDING  47
TABLE 10 FUNDING FOR MANUFACTURING OF THIN-FILM BATTERIES, 2006 TO
2010  48
PRICE STRUCTURE 48
PRICE STRUCTURE (CONTINUED) . 49
GLOBAL MARKET AND REGIONAL SHARES  50
MARKET ACCORDING TO APPLICATIONS . 50
TABLE 11 GLOBAL MARKET FOR THIN-FILM FLEXIBLE BATTERIES BY
APPLICATION THROUGH 2015 . 51
FIGURE 10 SHARE OF GLOBAL MARKET FOR THIN-FILM FLEXIBLE BATTERIES
BY APPLICATION, 2010 AND 2015  52
MARKET BY TECHNOLOGY . 53
TABLE 12 GLOBAL MARKET FOR THIN-FILM FLEXIBLE BATTERIES BY
TECHNOLOGY THROUGH 2015  53
FIGURE 11 SHARE OF GLOBAL MARKET FOR THIN-FILM, FLEXIBLE BATTERIES
BY TECHNOLOGY THROUGH 2015  54
REGIONAL MARKETS  55
TABLE 13 GLOBAL MARKET FOR THIN-FILM, FLEXIBLE BATTERIES BY REGION
THROUGH 2015  55
FIGURE 12 SHARE OF GLOBAL MARKET FOR THIN-FILM FLEXIBLE BATTERIES
BY REGION THROUGH 2015  56
PATENTS AND PATENT ANALYSIS . 57
LIST OF PATENTS  57
FLEXIBLE THIN PRINTED BATTERY AND DEVICE AND METHOD OF
MANUFACTURING SAME . 57
ADHESIVE BANDAGE WITH DISPLAY 57
DERMAL PATCH  58
METHOD, APPARATUS, AND KIT FOR ONYCHOMYCOSIS TREATMENT . 58
ACTIVE WIRELESS TAGGING SYSTEM ON PEEL AND STICK
SUBSTRATE . 59
GETTERS FOR THIN FILM BATTERY HERMETIC PACKAGE  59
METHOD OF MANUFACTURING LITHIUM BATTERY  59
LONG-LIFE THIN-FILM BATTERY AND METHOD THEREFOR . 60
LAYERED BARRIER STRUCTURE HAVING ONE OR MORE DEFINABLE
LAYERS AND METHOD  60
METHOD OF MAKING A THIN LAYER ELECTROCHEMICAL CELL
WITH SELF-FORMED SEPARATOR . 60
COMBINATION STIMULATING AND EXOTHERMIC HEATING DEVICE
AND METHOD OF USE THEREOF . 61
BATTERY-OPERATED WIRELESS-COMMUNICATION APPARATUS AND
METHOD . 61
THIN-FILM BATTERY AND ELECTROLYTE THEREFOR  61
BATTERY-ASSISTED BACKSCATTER RFID TRANSPONDER . 62
POLYIMIDE-BASED LITHIUM METAL BATTERY . 62
METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR THIN-FILM BATTERY HAVING
ULTRA-THIN ELECTROLYTE . 63
KIT, DEVICE AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLED DELIVERY OF
OXIDIZING AGENT INTO THE SKIN . 63
THIN LAYER ELECTROCHEMICAL CELL WITH SELF-FORMED
SEPARATOR . 63
APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR DEPOSITING MATERIAL ONTO A
SUBSTRATE USING A ROLL-TO-ROLL MASK . 64
SOLID-STATE MEMS ACTIVITY-ACTIVATED BATTERY DEVICE AND
METHOD . 64
SOLID ELECTROLYTE, METHOD FOR PREPARING THE SAME, AND
BATTERY USING THE SAME  64
SOLID ELECTROLYTE AND BATTERY EMPLOYING THE SAME  65
PACKAGED THIN-FILM BATTERIES AND METHODS OF PACKAGING
THIN-FILM BATTERIES . 65
POLYIMIDE MATRIX ELECTROLYTE . 65
THIN-FILM BATTERY HAVING ULTRA-THIN ELECTROLYTE AND
ASSOCIATED METHOD . 66
METHOD FOR SYNTHESIZING THIN FILM ELECTRODES  66
THIN-FILM BATTERY AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURE  66
METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR AN AMBIENT ENERGY BATTERY
RECHARGE SYSTEM  67
THIN-FILM BATTERY DEVICES AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING THE
SAME . 67
THIN-FILM BATTERY HAVING ULTRA-THIN ELECTROLYTE  67
METHOD FOR PRODUCING AN ELECTROCHEMICAL ELEMENT  68
CONTINUOUS PROCESSING OF THIN-FILM BATTERIES AND LIKE
DEVICES . 68
METHOD FOR PRODUCING A RECHARGEABLE ELECTROCHEMICAL
ELEMENT . 69
ELECTROCHEMICAL ELEMENT  69
METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR AN AMBIENT ENERGY BATTERY OR
CAPACITOR RECHARGE SYSTEM . 69
THIN ELECTRONIC CHIP CARD AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME  70
THIN-FILM BATTERY AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURE  70
THIN LAYER ELECTROCHEMICAL CELL WITH SELF-FORMED
SEPARATOR . 71
LONG-LIFE THIN-FILM BATTERY AND METHOD THEREFOR . 71
DEVICE ENCLOSURES AND DEVICES WITH INTEGRATED BATTERY . 71
PATENT ANALYSIS  72
TAB LE 14 NUMBER OF U.S. PATENTS GRANTED TO COMPANIES FOR THINFILM
BATTERIES FROM 2006 THROUGH 2010 (UP TO MARCH 31)  72
FIGURE 13 TOP COMPANIES IN TERMS OF U.S. PATENTS GRANTED FOR THINFILM
BATTERIES FROM 2006 THROUGH 2010 (UP TO MARCH 31)  73
INTERNATIONAL OVERVIEW OF U.S. PATENT ACTIVITY IN THIN-FILM
BATTERIES. 74
TABLE 15 NUMBER OF U.S. PATENTS GRANTED BY ASSIGNED
COUNTRY/REGION FOR THIN-FILM BATTERIES FROM JANUARY 2006
THROUGH MARCH 2010 . 74
INTERNATIONAL OVERVIEW OF U.S. PATENT ACTIVITY
(CONTINUED)  75
COMPANY PROFILES . 76
ADVANCED MATERIALS INNOVATION CENTER (AMIC)  76
AJJER LLC  76
AVESO, INC.  77
BLUE SPARK TECHNOLOGIES 77
CYMBET™ CORPORATION . 78
DZ CARD (THAILAND) LTD.  79
EM MICROELECTRONIC-MARIN SA  79
EMUE TECHNOLOGIES  80
ENABLE IPC CORPORATION . 80
ENFUCELL OY LTD  80
EXCELLATRON SOLID STATE LLC  81
FRAUNHOFER ENAS – FRAUNHOFER RESEARCH INSTITUTION FOR
ELEKCRONIC NANO SYSTEMS  82
FRONT EDGE TECHNOLOGY, INC 82
GIESECKE & DEVRIENT GMBH  83
GRUPO INTELIGENSA  83
INFINITE POWER SOLUTIONS, INC. . 84
INNOVATIVE CARD TCHNOLOGIES INC. (INCARD TECHNOLOGIES) . 85
ITN ENERGY SYSTEMS, INC. . 86
KSW MICROTEC AG . 87
MICROELECTRONICA MASER, S.L.  87
NAGRAID SA - KUDELSKI GROUP  88
NANOENER, INC. 88
NEC CORPORATION  89
NTERA, INC. . 90
OAK RIDGE MICRO-ENERGY, INC. . 91
OHARA CORPORATION . 92
PLANAR ENERGY DEVICES . 92
POWERID® LTD. . 92
POWER PAPER LTD.  93
PRELONIC TECHNOLOGIES OG . 93
ROCKET ELECTRIC CO., LTD. . 94
SOLICORE, INC.  94
SWECARD AB  95
THE GREENBAT PROJECT . 96
UPM RAFLATAC  96
VARTA MICROBATTERY GMBH  97
VISA EUROPE  97

LIST OF TABLES

SUMMARY TABLE GLOBAL MARKET FOR THIN-FILM FLEXIBLE BATTERIES BY
REGION THROUGH 2015  IX
TABLE 1 KEY TERMINOLOGIES USED IN THIN-FILM BATTERIES. 9
TABLE 1 (CONTINUED) . 10
TABLE 1 (CONTINUED) . 11
TABLE 1 (CONTINUED) . 12
TABLE 2 TYPICAL THICKNESSES OF COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE . 13
THIN-FILM BATTERIES IN 2010  13
TABLE 3 CHEMISTRIES AND PRODUCTION METHODS ADOPTED FOR TYPICAL
RECHARGEABLE SOLID-STATE LITHIUM-ION THIN-FILM BATTERIES  21
TABLE 3 (CONTINUED) . 22
TABLE 4 PERFORMANCE AND CHARACTERSTICS OF THREE RECHARGEABLE,
SOLID-STATE, LITHIUM-ION, THIN-FILM BATTERIES. 26
TABLE 5 COMPARISON OF BATTERY PERFORMANCE  27
TABLE 6 ONGOING RESEARCH IN CHEMISTRY AND FABRICATION OF THINFILM
BATTERIES IN 2010  38
TABLE 6 (CONTINUED) . 39
TABLE 6 (CONTINUED) . 40
TABLE 7 THIN-FILM BATTERY MANUFACTURERS, MATERIAL SUPPLIERS, END
USERS AND SYSTEM INTEGRATORS  42
TABLE 8 TOP MANUFACTURERS OF THIN-FILM BATTERIES IN 2010 . 43
TABLE 9 PARTNERSHIPS AND COLLABORATIONS AMONG MANUFACTURERS
OF THIN-FILM BATTERIES FROM 2004 TO 2010 . 46
TABLE 9 (CONTINUED) . 47
TABLE 10 FUNDING FOR MANUFACTURING OF THIN-FILM BATTERIES, 2006 TO
2010  48
TABLE 11 GLOBAL MARKET FOR THIN-FILM FLEXIBLE BATTERIES BY
APPLICATION THROUGH 2015 . 51
TABLE 12 GLOBAL MARKET FOR THIN-FILM FLEXIBLE BATTERIES BY
TECHNOLOGY THROUGH 2015  53
TABLE 13 GLOBAL MARKET FOR THIN-FILM, FLEXIBLE BATTERIES BY REGION
THROUGH 2015  55
TAB LE 14 NUMBER OF U.S. PATENTS GRANTED TO COMPANIES FOR THINFILM
BATTERIES FROM 2006 THROUGH 2010 (UP TO MARCH 31)  72
TABLE 15 NUMBER OF U.S. PATENTS GRANTED BY ASSIGNED
COUNTRY/REGION FOR THIN-FILM BATTERIES FROM JANUARY 2006
THROUGH MARCH 2010 . 74

LIST OF FIGURES

SUMMARY FIGURE GLOBAL MARKET FOR THIN-FILM BATTERIES BY REGION,
2010 AND 2015 IX
FIGURE 1 TYPICAL NON-RECHARGEABLE ZINC-MANGANESE THIN-FILM
BATTERY  15
FIGURE 2 VOLTAGE ACHIEVED IN A SINGLE NON-RECHARGEABLE ZINCMANGANESE
THIN-FILM BATTERY 16
FIGURE 3 TYPICAL NON-RECHARGEABLE LITHIUM POLYMER THIN-FILM
BATTERY  19
FIGURE 4 A VIEW OF FIVE DIFFERENT TYPICAL RECHARGEABLE, SOLIDSTATE,
LITHIUM-ION, THIN-FILM BATTERIES  23
FIGURE 5 THREE TYPES OF ONE-TIME PASSWORD, DISPLAY-TYPE SMART
CARDS USING NON-RECHARGEABLE LITHIUM POLYMER THIN-FILM
BATTERIES  29
FIGURE 6 A TYPICAL MEDICAL PATCH USING NON-RECHARGEABLE, PRINTED,
ZINC MANGANESE, THIN-FILM BATTERIES  31
FIGURE 7 TYPICAL ULTRA-LOW POWER ENERGY HARVESTING SOLAR DEVICE
FOR A WIRELESS SENSOR NETWORK USING A RECHARGEABLE, SOLIDSTATE,
LITHIUM-ION, THIN-FILM BATTERY . 32
FIGURE 8 TYPICAL BATTERY-ASSISTED, SEMI-PASSIVE, RFID TAG USING NONRECHARGEABLE,
PRINTED ZINC MANGANESE, THIN-FILM BATTERY  34
FIGURE 9 A TYPICAL SMART PACKAGE (FUNCTIONAL PACKAGING) USING A
NON- RECHARGEABLE, PRINTED, ZINC MANGANESE, THIN-FILM BATTERY  36
FIGURE 10 SHARE OF GLOBAL MARKET FOR THIN-FILM FLEXIBLE BATTERIES
BY APPLICATION, 2010 AND 2015  52
FIGURE 11 SHARE OF GLOBAL MARKET FOR THIN-FILM, FLEXIBLE BATTERIES
BY TECHNOLOGY THROUGH 2015  54
FIGURE 12 SHARE OF GLOBAL MARKET FOR THIN-FILM FLEXIBLE BATTERIES
BY REGION THROUGH 2015  56
FIGURE 13 TOP COMPANIES IN TERMS OF U.S. PATENTS GRANTED FOR THINFILM
BATTERIES FROM 2006 THROUGH 2010 (UP TO MARCH 31)  73