2008 Press Releases

Tyndall silicon chip technology to significantly increase mobile phone battery lifetime
24.09.2008

Tyndall National Institute at UCC has announced (September 23rd 2008), at the first ever International Power Supply on Chip Workshop, PwrSoc’ 08, in Cork, that their silicon chip technology will significantly increase mobile phone battery lifetime.
Irish research engineers have achieved a major technological breakthrough that could see Irish companies taking an international lead in the worldwide ICT power supply market estimated to be worth $20 billion.
 
Researchers at UCC’s Tyndall National Institute have been working on next generation power supply technology that will change the way power is delivered in portable electronic equipment such as mobile phones and MP3 players. Consumers are demanding greater functionality and also longer battery life.  
 
On the back of this, Tyndall National Institute organised the first international workshop on power supply on chip that will address the key opportunities emerging from this innovative technology.
 
Dr Cian Ó Mathúna, Head of the Microsystems Centre at Tyndall National Institute, who is leading the research, said “This workshop is a major coup for Ireland and Tyndall, it puts us at the centre of the development and commercialisation of next generation power supply technology which will play a significant role in saving energy by significantly extending the lifetime of batteries in mobile phones and other portable electronics”.
 
Over 100 leading industry and academic players across the world are participating in the workshop which ends today (September 24th 2008). In excess of 25 companies and 34 research institutes from 16 different countries are delivering the most recent results in this and related technologies.
 
“Tyndall’s patented technology, in this area, is the result of more than 50 person years of research over the last decade, funded by Enterprise Ireland” said Dr Ó Mathúna.
 
Jeff Shepard, Darnell Group President, the leading source, worldwide, for strategic market information on power electronics, outlined the key value of Tyndall’s technology. “Currently mobile phones use components called linear regulators to deliver power from the battery to many of the silicon chips – these components are very inefficient (less than 50%) and waste a lot of energy. With Tyndall’s novel micromagnetics technology, it will be possible to increase efficiency up to 80 or 90%, significantly extending battery life.  
 
Dr Ó Mathúna said, “The technology, which has become known as Power Supply on Chip (PwrSoC) will also, for the first time, allow the bulky magnetic components to be miniaturised to such an extent that they can be integrated with the silicon chip into a PwrSoC component with a profile as small as 1mm”.  
 
Joe Madden, Enterprise Ireland Manager, said the global power supply industry could be transformed through the commercialisation of the Tyndall technology. He added that "the power supply industry in Ireland is benefiting greatly from the close cooperation between it and Enterprise Ireland-funded research collaborations with the third level sector". He further stated: “the last 12 months have seen a dramatic transformation of the power supply industry in Ireland with significant growth in the number and scale of indigenous companies such as E&I Engineering in Donegal, Convertec in Wexford, AMS in Limerick, Excelsys in Cork and a new start-up Powervation based both in Limerick and Cork and California. These companies have a strong  focus on R&D for  next generation products.  The growth in this sector has been further enhanced by multinational companies such as On Semiconductor and Texas Instruments setting up R&D groups in Limerick and Cork, respectively. Tyndall’s research and the organisation of this workshop will promote the establishment of more indigenous and international companies in power supply R&D in Ireland.
 
Over the last five years, the power supply industry in Ireland has moved to the new industrial paradigm predicted by government and accommodated by Enterprise Ireland policies, emphasising investment in higher value employment in R&D and export sales. The Enterprise Ireland sponsored PEIG industry network has made a significant contribution to this transformation.
 
Commercialisable technologies being researched in Ireland to meet the challenges facing the power supply industry are being presented at the workshop by researchers from University College Cork, University of Limerick, NUI Galway and Tyndall. This research, being funded by Enterprise Ireland, through the PEIG Industry-Led Research Programme, has been defined by the power electronics companies under the auspices of PEIG with a view to developing the next generation of technologies which will be strategic to the long term development and sustainability of this high value industry in Ireland.
 
Dr. Ó Mathúna stated “this workshop presents us with a great opportunity to showcase the technology and with colleagues in IDA and Enterprise Ireland, to promote Ireland as a location for foreign direct investment from key global players in this space”.

Picture shows Professor Fred Lee, Director of Centre for Power Electronics Systems (CPES), Virginia Tech, USA (left) with Dr Cian Ó Mathúna, Head of the Microsystems Centre at Tyndall National Institute, UCC, showing a silicon wafer with Tyndall’s newly invented micro-inductors which will enable increased battery lifetime in mobile phones.

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