Nicolas Abelé

LG Energy Solutions and Panasonic Energy have had long running R&D programs in the fields related to EV batteries. This is an example of strategic licensing combination. Companies that have incomplete IP portfolio (for many possible reasons: due to recent priority dates or incomplete geographical coverage or weak granted claims or oppositions in various patent offices or IP disputes with owners of overlapping IP), will face difficulties in getting their innovation adopted at large scale. Most OEMs have very talented IP team and a rigorous process to evaluate and understand the IP risks of incorporating new technologies into their EVs.

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It is so heartening to see our TDK Ventures portfolio company AM Batteries listed as #TIME magazine's list of best inventions of 2024. Core value prop: AM Batteries technology eliminates solvent recovery and electrode drying, and hence can reduce the energy consumption and carbon footprint of a battery plant by more than 40%. When considering just electrode manufacturing, the savings can reach a whopping 75%. Additionally, it reduces CAPEX by up to 40% and OPEX by over 50%. While AM Batteries is optimized for materials currently used in today's battery production, it is also enabling tomorrow's Na-ion and solid-state chemistries. Unlike other electrode-manufacturing technologies that can only make thick or thin electrodes, the AM Batteries process can produce both thin and thick electrodes, enabling battery producers to make the right energy vs. power optimization choice. No other extrusion technique and others can accomplish what our amazing #entrepreneurs are working on, kudos to Lie Shi, Yan Wang, Hieu Duong, keep the good news flowing! More exciting news to come! Jimmy Kan, Josh Stiling, Qianran (Katherine) He, PhD, Lisa Coca, Kyle Teamey, Kathryn Meng, Roee Furman, Ethan Sohn https://lnkd.in/euU3-U3F

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https://lnkd.in/e39Zrr6Q In the early days, after spinning metalenz out from the groundbreaking research of federico capasso’s group, we spent a lot of time projecting the longterm potential impact that metasurfaces could have on mass market applications. There was no doubt about the disruptive potential of the technology. The main questions were always how long it would take, whether a startup could ever launch a whole new category of optics, or would metasurfaces just end up as another promising academic novelty without any practical implementation. From those early days, we've also spent a lot of time reading market reports for how various optics and sensing industries would grow. Its amazing to see things come full circle in this first comprehensive market report for optical metasurfaces from Yole Group. Its even more amazing for metalenz to be the first-mover and company driving these projections. I am incredibly proud of the team metalenz for being able to turn the promise from countless researchers into reality. A few highlights: 📈"The optical metasurfaces industry is projected to grow from US$62 million in 2023 to US$1.925 billion by 2029." 💰metalenz mentioned alongside companies with combined $6 trillion market cap Perhaps the most exciting aspect for us at metalenz is that we know there is even greater potential for our technology as we now design complete solutions around the unique aspects of metasurfaces. Metalenz will be the eyes of #AI Besides our team, we wouldn't be where we are today without the support of our investors, partners, and advisors. 🙏 #startup #sensing #AI #consumerelectronics #optics

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Why yes, we also dramatically improve the performance of optical sensors and have the only high-index, solvent-free formulations on the market capable of delivering RI’s of 1.8+, >95%T, near zero haze, and film thicknesses from 30um to 50um! Check out the blog link below to learn more. #sensors #xr #extendedreality #displays #nanocomposites #nanomaterials #highindex

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PROFILE SURFACES LIKE A PRO! Highest accuracy on any materials, any roughness, any form. Transparent, reflective, black or white. https://lnkd.in/g9CcdVtG Call or live-chat with one of our engineers now! NANOVEA Non-Contact Optical Profilometers are developed and manufactured in California. Designed with Chromatic Confocal technology, our advanced surface profilers provide lateral accuracy which is determined by physics and is directly related to the spot size of the chromatic light source of the optical sensor. #profilometer #profilometry #surfacemetrology #materialsresearch #roughness #roughnesstester

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Maier Fenster recently wrote a story configured as a patent claim. In a fascinating way this addresses a key issue in patents and actually life. In "patent speak" this is the non-obviousness requirement of patents; in real life we call it originality. In real life the distinction between original and new is somewhat ambiguous, but a good example is reading a new book and having a strong feeling you have read this before. In patents, books and other creative endeavors there is a blurry line between following established procedures and creating a work of genius. It is commonly assumed that 95% of creative work is a variation on existing art. These variations have been worked into systematic invention approaches such as TRIZ and are readily adaptable to push invention machines. Interestingly the rise of LLMs can enable quantification of originality or obviousness. In principle an LLM can 'objectively' break down the steps required going from existing art to the new concept. The LLM can then quantify the level of obviousness of these steps and enable having a threshold above which new art is considered non obvious or original. The next logical step is to ask LLMs to generate concepts with a certain level of originality, which opens a multi tier pricing model, one price for copy catting, another for your average idea tossing and yet another for genius level creation.

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What Top Photonics Product Leaders Do to Choose the Right Manufacturing Solution 🎯 In the fast-moving photonics industry, selecting the right manufacturing partner is critical. After working with top industry leaders, we’ve identified strategies they use to ensure success. Here’s what we’ve learned: 1. Prioritize Collaboration 🤝 Top leaders value partners who fully understand their project. They engage in collaborative discussions to align on goals, timelines, and challenges. Whether it’s precision components or prototypes, they seek adaptable partners. 2. Choose Tailored Solutions 🛠️ Industry leaders avoid one-size-fits-all approaches. They choose partners offering tailored methods - precision machining for high-accuracy components or fast prototyping for quick design iterations. This ensures optimized results at each stage. 3. Ensure Flexibility in Design & Materials 🎨 The best demand flexibility, especially in early development. They want to easily adjust materials and designs to ensure that the final product is functional, cost-effective, and ready for production. 4. Focus on Scalability 📈 Product leaders think ahead. They select partners who can scale production as needs evolve, ensuring smooth transitions from prototypes to full production, preventing costly delays. 5. Value Transparency & Tracking 📊 Successful teams seek transparency in production. They expect real-time updates on progress and delivery, helping them stay in control without constant follow-ups. By using these strategies, photonics leaders stay competitive, delivering high-quality products on time and within budget. Are you using these strategies in your projects? Let’s discuss how they can streamline your next project. Comment below! #machinix #industry40

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🏭 The techno-industrial revolution 🏭 🗞️ Great paper from NotBoring and Packy McCormick deep diving into the shift from atoms to bits, and now to a combination of both! 🧐 There are numerous challenges for #hardware companies: - Manufacturing is difficult with frictions all along the road of scaling production capacities ; - Incumbents already have scale and distribution ; - Risks are everywhere: IP, regulation, timing, capital. 🗝️ The ways to overcome these challenges exist, for instance: - Start at the high-end of the market, where margins are higher and competition is less cutthroat ; - Position yourself in order to get customer buy-in and government subsidies before translating that into higher margins ; - Use technology and software to be more competitive. 🤑 The main thing to remember is that the defining characteristic of potential successful techno-industrial #startups is structural cost advantage (giving more and better for less). https://lnkd.in/ghiEfxYi

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More progress on glass substrates: AMD has been granted a "significant patent"(12080632) for its glass core substrate technology. The patent outlines methods for producing through glass vias using techniques such as laser drilling, wet etching, and magnetic self-assembly, the latter of which is still a developing technology. Another important element of AMD’s design is the redistribution layer, which routes signals and power between chips and external components using high-density interconnections. Unlike the main glass core, these layers will still use organic dielectric materials (build-up films) and copper, but will be built on the glass substrate’s surface.  The patent also describes a novel method for bonding glass substrates together using copper-based bonding rather than traditional solder bumps. This new bonding technique ensures gap-free, reliable connections, and eliminates the need for underfill materials, making it more suitable for stacking multiple substrates.   AMD has plans to integrate glass substrates into its products by 2025-2026. Source: "HuNan Printed Circuit Association of China, Nov 28,2024" in the CCG Daily News.

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Investors pour into photonics startups to stop data centers from hogging energy and to speed up AI (2 min read) The Photonics Revolution in AI Data Centers Photonics, the science of using light to transmit data, is gaining momentum as a transformative technology for AI data centers, offering solutions to current challenges like massive energy consumption and slow training times for large AI models. British startup Oriole Networks, along with companies like Lightmatter and Xscape Photonics, are spearheading innovations in this space. Oriole Networks recently raised $22 million in funding for its vision of using photonic technology to connect every AI chip in a supercomputing cluster, potentially reducing AI model training times by 10 to 100 times while slashing power consumption. The benefits of photonics—faster data transmission, less heat generation, and lower energy usage—could reshape AI infrastructure as we know it. The Growing Interest in Photonic Networking Oriole Networks' novel approach has attracted attention from leading investors, including the London-based VC firm Plural, thanks to its founders' ambition and technological maturity. Lightmatter and Xscape are also making waves in the industry, with Lightmatter's $400 million round led by T. Rowe Price and Xscape securing $44 million. Unlike past efforts in the photonics space that failed during the dot-com era, the current photonic integrated circuits and equipment manufacturing ecosystem is more advanced, reliable, and scalable. As companies like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft race to power AI data centers, photonic networking promises to mitigate these facilities' enormous energy and resource demands. My Take Photonics offers an exciting path forward for AI infrastructure. Still, the real challenge will be to ensure that the technology matures quickly enough to meet the exploding demand for AI computing power. With such massive investment and renewed interest, the potential for a breakthrough has never been higher. #AI #Photonics #Supercomputing #DataCenters #TechInnovation #EnergyEfficiency #VentureCapital #FutureOfAI #AIInfrastructure Link to article: https://lnkd.in/dvQ9TA-s Credit: Fortune, Yahoo Finance For more on AI, robots, and Semicon, check out my blog: https://lnkd.in/eWESid86

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The tribology of MEMS In tribology research, understanding the behavior of adhesive microcontacts, particularly in elastic-plastic materials, is critical. Recent studies explore the static friction characteristics of a deformable sphere in contact with a rigid flat, emphasizing the role of adhesive forces. Utilizing finite element modeling, the research delves into how adhesion impacts friction under combined normal and tangential loads. Notably, the study incorporates the Lennard-Jones potential to assess intermolecular forces, revealing how increased adhesive energy can alter the friction coefficient, though its influence diminishes with higher external loads. This work contributes to advancing the predictive models for static friction in microscale contacts, offering potential applications in fields like MEMS and material wear analysis. https://lnkd.in/es5MQfUF

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Unmatched accuracy on any roughness, form, or material. Transparent or opaque. Don't settle for less than the best! Discover superior profilometry: https://lnkd.in/gq7v9XUB Let’s discuss YOUR application! Live chat or phone. #profilometers #profilometer #profilometry #surfaceanalysis #materialsresearch #roughness #roughnesstester

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"Did you know that you can make prepreg (pre-impregnated fabrics of fiberglass, carbon, or Kevlar) with our vinyl ester resins with graphene or our recyclable resin with graphene and achieve better properties than epoxy resin, which is also much more expensive? Additionally, they offer advantages such as improved delamination properties, chemical resistance, radiopacity, and better fire resistance. Unlike epoxy resin, whose prepreg must be stored at 18 degrees below zero, our prepreg is stored at just 3 degrees above zero, significantly reducing costs and environmental impact." You can consult the technical data sheet of our products on our website: www.graphenano.com #Graphene #Graphenano #CompositeMaterials #Innovation #AdvancedMaterials #Sustainability #CostReduction #ChemicalResistance #Radiopacity #FireResistance #VinylEster #Epoxy #Prepreg #GreenTechnology #MaterialScience #FiberReinforced

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As indicated in my prior posts, the strategic importance of IP in the EV battery supply chain is increasing. Large companies headquartered in Japan, Korean and China are setting up large factories in Europe and North America, closer to the OEM customers in these key markets. Competing with one another, their respective innovations and IP freedom to operate becomes a critical point in protecting their investments and offering to their customers the required "IP freedom to operate". Financial indemnification is not sufficient. A new technology needs to have sufficient granted patents with broad valid claims secured in multiple countries, early priority filings, and no overlap with direct competitors claiming similar materials or processes. Most likely, this requires a significant number of priority applications filed more than a decade ago and diligently prosecuted in all key markets (US, EU, KR, JP, CN). A good understanding of a portfolio can only start when multiple patent offices have reviewed the patent applications and the claims compared to any published prior art and granted the claims in these countries. For example, the silicon anode publications (both scientific publications and published patent applications) span many thousands of publications over 20 years in many languages. #evbatteries #intellectualproperty #freedomtooperate

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UHDI and substrates: Forming clean microvias for subsequent metalization in build up circuitry to connect to a trace below is a challenge. Some recommend high frequency pulsed lasers to eliminate/minimize debris in the holes. Would a photo imageable build up film solve this challenge?

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Sleep matters. Radar Everywhere, Better Life with Radar

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Diatoms are unicellular #microalgae with cell walls composed of transparent, opaline silica. Cost-efficient #diatom-based batteries, like other silicon-based anode technologies, offer several environmental benefits compared to traditional #lithium-ion batteries, and potentially becoming #mainstream #batteries. #1 Algae-Biotech for a sustainable, profitable future - Join the revolution https://bit.ly/3XHi7ik #innovation for all Processing diatoms for battery use involves several steps to transform their silica structures into effective anode materials for lithium-ion batteries. Here’s an overview of the process: 1. **Harvesting Diatoms**: After cultivating diatoms, they are harvested using methods like filtration, centrifugation, or sedimentation to separate them from the growth medium¹. 2. **Cleaning and Purification**: The harvested diatoms are cleaned to remove organic matter and impurities. This can involve washing with water and chemical treatments to ensure the silica frustules are pure¹. 3. **Silica Extraction**: The silica from the diatom frustules is extracted. This can be done through thermal processing, where the diatoms are heated to high temperatures to remove any remaining organic material, leaving behind pure silica². 4. **Reduction to Silicon**: The silica (SiO₂) is then reduced to silicon (Si) through chemical processes. One common method involves using magnesium or other reducing agents to convert silica into silicon². 5. **Nanostructuring**: The silicon derived from diatoms is often nanostructured to enhance its electrochemical properties. This can involve grinding the silicon into nanoparticles or creating porous structures to increase the surface area³. 6. **Carbon Coating**: To improve the conductivity and stability of the silicon anode, a carbon coating is applied. This can be done through chemical vapor deposition or other coating techniques³. 7. **Electrode Fabrication**: The processed silicon is then mixed with conductive additives and binders to create a slurry. This slurry is coated onto a current collector (usually copper foil) and dried to form the anode material³. 8. **Battery Assembly**: The anode is assembled with the cathode, separator, and electrolyte to form a complete lithium-ion battery. The battery is then sealed and subjected to electrochemical testing to ensure it meets performance standards². These steps leverage the unique properties of diatom silica, such as its high surface area and porous structure, to create efficient and high-capacity anode materials for batteries. Source: (1) Silica from diatom frustules as anode material for Li-ion batteries. (2) Synthesis and Characterization of Lithium-Ion Based Diatom Batteries By. (3) Nanostructured diatom earth SiO2 negative electrodes with superior .... https://lnkd.in/epRuAnj8. (4) Diatoms Biomass as a Joint Source of Biosilica and Carbon for ... - MDPI. https://lnkd.in/ezQ_TfZp.

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Desktop Metal Facing “Fatal Prognosis” if Nano Dimension Merger Fails https://lnkd.in/eiTpZW6h

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