Sponsored Content: electronica 2022: NGK Unveils Its Newest Ceramic Technology in Push Towards More Collaboration

NGK Insulators, Ltd. (NGK) will exhibit at electronica 2022 at Hall B.430 under the theme of “Making smart society more comfortable by contributing to digital society with ceramic technology.” The company is expecting to discuss further collaboration opportunities with engineers and partners.

NGK will show demonstrations of IoT device power supply, EnerCera® and unique ceramic technologies such as gallium nitride (GaN) wafers and bonded wafers.

Furthermore, on 16th November, Dr. Makoto Iwai from NGK Europe GmbH is planning to give a presentation on the potential of EnerCera realising maintenance-free solutions through combining WPT and energy harvesting.

Temperature and humidity control and quality visualization from winery to customers.

EnerCera, a power supply for IoT devices

The ultra-compact and thin rechargeable lithium-ion battery EnerCera is a highly heat resistant rechargeable battery able to withstand temperatures of up to 105°C. It is highly durable due to the use of ceramic electrodes, and it can be used as a backup power supply for devices and sensors that operate in harsh environments such as factory automation (FA) and plants.

One of the unique features of EnerCera is its ability to store even small amounts of electricity due to its low internal resistance. Combined with energy harvesting technology, power supply technologies such as photovoltaic cells and wireless power transfer (WPT), EnerCera enables standalone IoT devices that can be used for long periods of time without battery replacement, such as temperature and humidity monitors for logistics.

Rechargeable lithium-ion battery EnerCera.

Collaboration cases for diverse applications

NGK will introduce examples of applications through videos and AR (augmented reality) exhibits through which visitors can experience specific usage scenarios of standalone IoT devices that utilise EnerCera. Furthermore, a solar-powered indoor/outdoor position tracker is exhibited for the first time. Combining photovoltaic cells with EnerCera eliminates the need for battery replacement and charging required for conventional trackers, thus enabling the tracker to be maintenance-free. EnerCera can be used as a wearable device, and it contributes to labour saving by visualising the flow of workers in factories and improving the efficiency of operations. To develop solutions, NGK is actively collaborating with partners including Panasonic Corporation, Exeger Operations AB, TOREX Semiconductor Ltd., Fujikura Ltd. and many more.

GaN wafers

At the booth, NGK will display a semi-insulating GaN wafer and conductive GaN wafer for laser diodes and power devices. The GaN wafer shows lower dislocation density produced by NGK’s proprietary liquid phase crystal growth method. The GaN wafer has few crystal dislocations, which improves the performance of RF devices for 5G and 6G wireless communication base stations, various radars, and satellite communications.

Bonded wafers
New bonded wafers of Piezoelectric material, PZT and single crystal Si as a base substrate will also be exhibited at the booth. These are realised through the techniques of direct bonding and high-precision polishing. Combinations of different materials make it possible for bonded wafers to deliver performance and functionality beyond wafers made from a single material, such as suppressing thermal expansion, ensuring mechanical strength, and enhancing thermal conductivity. Sintered-PZT bonded wafers can be applied to MEMS speakers and ranging sensors used such as for autonomous driving. The base substrate can be selected from any materials such as silicon, sapphire, crystal, or glass.

GaN wafers, large-diameter wafers (made with translucent alumina ceramics), Bonded wafers.

Visit NGK’s booth at Hall B3. 430 at electronica 2022

Presentation Details

Date/Time: 16th November 2022, 2:30pm-3:00pm at Hall B3.540

Theme: New solution for maintenance free IoT devices by semi-solid-state Li-ion rechargeable EnerCeraⓇ Batteries

Speaker: Dr.Makoto Iwai. Manager, New Value Business Group, NGK Europe GmbH

About NGK Insulators, Ltd.

Founded in 1919, a leading company in the field of ceramics, NGK has used its unique ceramic technology to develop numerous products that solve social issues with focuses on the two business fields “carbon neutrality” and “digital society”.

https://www.ngk-insulators.com/en/

EnerCera special site

https://enercera.ngk-insulators.com/en/

For further inquiry, contact: enercera-sales@ngk.co.jp