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Based on its recent analysis of the thin film batteries market, Frost & Sullivan recognizes Cymbet Corporation, Inc. with the 2008 North American Frost & Sullivan Award for Technology Innovation of the Year for its contributions to innovative technology development in thin-film batteries.
"Thin-film batteries offer a competitive edge over conventional batteries in form factor, charge retention, and the thousands of times the device may be recharged," says Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Elaine Chan. "While the technology has been researched in U.S Department of Energy (DOE) laboratories for over two decades, commercialization was made possible only after Cymbet introduced the EnerChip™."
With the EnerChip, Cymbet addressed the key challenges faced by the DOE – developing high-volume production techniques, and creating a battery that withstands the high reflow temperatures of automated electronics assembly. EnerChips are designed to last the life of the product.
Led by a highly experienced team, Cymbet has been at the forefront for successful commercialization of thin-film batteries since its inception and adoption of the DOE's technology. Cymbet believes that the technology will enable new concepts for thin-film battery applications and products in medical, wireless sensing, radio frequency identification (RFID) and other mobile electronic devices.
"EnerChip allows straightforward adoption of the thin-film technology by the electronics industry, giving designers power management flexibility, and a range of new capabilities," notes Chan. "As such, it is important to note that developments at Cymbet may help pave the way for much wider use of thin-film batteries in future electronics."
Batteries in the EnerChip product family provide back-up power to electronic systems during power failure (from one day to many weeks), and can be used as primary power for certain applications. Because the batteries are offered in SMT packages or are embedded at the chip level, they can be directly integrated into end-use electronics using standard automated assembly processes and reflow soldering. This reduces the cost of board and chip-level assembly, as well as the total cost of ownership versus other solutions.
Another key Cymbet innovation enables the EnerChip to be recharged through energy harvesting techniques using a source of energy such as light, heat, motion or electromagnetic radiation. Cymbet is also looking into high-volume manufacturing and innovative next-generation battery technologies. Towards this end, the company has collaborations with major international corporations in the semiconductor industry and other industries, as well as universities around the world.
To finance its R&D efforts, Cymbet successfully raised $4.5 million in Series A financing. The company also raised an additional $16.5 million in Series B to further develop and market its technology. The Series B round was led by the IGNITE Group and Bekaert N.V., as well as Dow Venture Capital and Intel Capital.
Overall, Cymbet remains dedicated to continuously developing thin-film batteries for a variety of electronics. For its noteworthy contributions, Frost & Sullivan is pleased to present Cymbet Corporation with the 2008 Award for Technology Innovation of the Year in thin-film batteries.
Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents this Award to the company that has carried out new research, which has resulted in innovation(s) that have or are expected to bring significant contributions to the industry in terms of adoption, change, and competitive posture. The Award recognizes the quality and depth of a company's research and development program as well as the vision and risk-taking that enabled it to undertake such an endeavor.
Frost & Sullivan Best Practices Awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research in order to identify best practices in the industry.
About Cymbet Corporation
Founded in 2000, Cymbet Corporation (cymbet.com) —a clean technology company—is a leader in thin-film, solid-state battery technology. The company is the first to market a true solid-state energy system enabling new embedded systems designer capabilities. The company's thin-film battery system will enable new concepts in battery application for ICs and new products for medical, sensor, RFID, communications and portable electronic devices.
About Frost & Sullivan
Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, partners with clients to accelerate their growth. The company's TEAM Research, Growth Consulting and Growth Team Membership™ empower clients to create a growth-focused culture that generates, evaluates and implements effective growth strategies. Frost & Sullivan employs over 45 years of experience in partnering with Global 1000 companies, emerging businesses and the investment community from more than 30 offices on six continents.
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