RECHARGEABLE IMPLANTABLE THIN-FILM LITHIUM BATTERY - DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Battery-powered implantable systems are now being used in a wide array of therapeutic and prosthetic applications such as cardiac pacemakers/defibrillators, drug pumps, and more recently, neurostimulators for Parkinson's, pain relief, and cochlear implants. For most of these applications, the energy-density and life of currently-available batteries is insufficient to enable fully-implantable systems, and the battery power supply must remain external. In Phase I of the proposed program, we intend to demonstrate that a new battery technology, thin-film rechargeable lithium, will enable fully-implantable systems, by demonstrating the feasibility for one particular application: a cochlear implant. This will require that we demonstrate the feasibility of achieving an energy-density of 500mWh/cc (3X to 4X current implantable rechargeable batteries), a 20-year life (5X to 10X current batteries), a 5- or 10-minute recharge capability (not available in current batteries), and improved safety (by using all solid-state battery materials, thereby eliminating the toxic liquid electrolyte in current batteries). In Phase I, we will fabricate individual battery cells and conduct tests to demonstrate these performance capabilities. In Phase II, we will complete the battery by stacking cells within a hermetically- sealed case, and produce a sufficient quantity of batteries for extensive in-house testing and evaluation by a major cochlear-implant manufacturer. Proposed Commercial Applications: Our initial battery will be designed for cochlear implants, which have current annual sales of approximately $ 425 million and expected to grow by approximately 20% annually. Upon completion of the cochlear demonstration battery, we will pursue the other implantable neuromodulation applications, which have current annual sales of $1.6 billion and expected to grow to $10 billion in 10 to 15 years. In addition to neuromodulation applications, our battery technology will be suitable for rechargeable batteries for hearing aids, currently estimated to be a $5 billion dollar industry.
