Strategic Elements Ltd’s (ASX:SOR) collaborative project to develop printable memory technology with the University of New South Wales and CSIRO has won significant funding from the Australian Federal Government.
Funding from the Australian Research Council Linkage programme will be used to significantly enhance the Nanocube printable memory technology owned by Strategic’s subsidiary company ‘Australian Advanced Materials (AAM).
The project will be led by UNSW Associate Professor Dewei Chu, co-inventor of the Nanocube Memory Ink and will produce metal oxide based nanomaterials for printable, flexible and cost-effective memory devices.
Strategic Managing Director, Charles Murphy, said the project aims to develop next generation printable memory devices with low cost and excellent stability. The expected outcomes will be new electronic materials for a wide range of uses in flexible electronics and significant advances in energy efficient data storage devices. IP and commercialisation rights remain with AAM.
One of the key challenges in printing memory ink is the formation of cracks during post-annealing process, which greatly compromises the device yield and reliability.
The Nanocube technology has previously demonstrated a breakthrough in this area by enabling low temperature processed, crack-free resistive switching layers by slot die coating. In this Project, the team will further develop scale up printing technologies for A4 size resistive switching materials on various substrates with improved uniformity and mechanical flexibility.
Using previous fundamental work in printed electronic devices, the team will focus on how to optimally assemble memory ink layers, selecting elements, and electrodes into memory arrays. The team will also utilise advanced characterisation techniques to rationalise electrical and mechanical performance.
The Nanocube technology was hand-picked to be one of only approx. 20 from around the world to demonstrate at the world’s premier Printed Electronics event ‘IDtechX’ in Berlin May 2020. Commenting on the recent Nanocube technology demonstrator IDtechx CEO Raghu Das stated “I genuinely think it’s one of the best developments I’ve seen in a while in printed electronics.” The event is being rescheduled due to the impact of the Corona Virus.
The Nanocube Memory Ink is a liquid transparent ink containing billions of tiny nanometer scale particles. The data storage technology is physically printed onto surfaces (glass, plastics) introducing electronic memory to surfaces where current silicon chip technology cannot go.
The exploding increase in digital communications from 5G, Big Data and Internet of Things (IOT) has generated an urgent need for new memory materials and devices with low power consumption, nonvolatile storage capabilities and mechanical flexibility.
To have successfully pulled together a collaborative project in excess of $1,000,000 focused on developing our Nanocube Memory Ink technology is a great win for the Company in the current environment,” Mr Murphy said.
“UNSW in particular have been a strong partner for us and our win-win relationship is a great example of industry and research working together to further Australian technology commercialisation.”
Total budget for the collaborative Project is approximately $1,0690,000(up to three years). The Australian Research Council Linkage funding provides $320,000 in cash. Australian Advanced Materials is providing $160,000 in cash and $150,000 in-kind support and services. CSIRO is providing approximately $25,000 in-kind support and services. The University of New South Wales is providing $414,000 in-kind support and services.
UNSW has established a materials chemistry laboratory at the School of Materials Science and Engineering. The laboratory is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities for energy and information storage materials fabrication, printing and electrochemical properties characterisation.