Reporting on Today and Tomorrow’s Energy, Environmental and Industrial Technologies
[1st Featured Article] Smart Community Projects Transforming the Global Energy System
[2nd Featured Article] Intellectual Property Management at NEDO
Perspective on Future Technologies Dai Tamesue
New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization Directing the Future Perspectives on Future Technologies
Changing Mindsets through Technology
Dai Tamesue
I believe that media has been a catalyst that strengthened the relationship between sports and technology. Without the birth of the technology we call “television,” sports would never have become the kind of industry it is today. Technology has had a variety of effects on sports, both positive and negative, and I believe that as technology continues to evolve further it will develop a new relationship with sports. For example, with sensors placed on a player’s body, the t-shirt you are wearing could be synchronized with the player’s heart rate and the spectator’s experience could be extended beyond just watching sports. Another possibility is related to athletes’ injuries. The actual causes of athletic injuries are often not well known, but in the future the clothes players wear could be able to read changes in muscle hardness or collect data while sleeping that could be used to predict the possibility of trouble. These technologies could be used to extend the length of player’s career and possibly improve performance as a result. I feel that the sports world is already awaiting these technologies. I also believe once blockchain technology becomes firmly established there will be big innovations that occur in the area of ticketing. Obviously, the evolution of technology has also been affecting sports gear such as equipment and sportswear. In recent years, the Paralympics have been attracting more attention and some players have shared their visions of participating in the Olympics. At the center of this discussion is the emerging question of whether athletic performance is improving as a result of human improvements or improvements in equipment. I believe that it is due to both, and in my opinion it is better to keep the Olympics and Paralympics as two separate events. However, I also think it would be good for the world to see a Paralympic athlete beat an Olympic athlete if only just once. Thanks to technology, the Dai Tamesue boundaries between disabled and healthy people have been narrowed to the Born in Hiroshima in 1978. First Japanese point that there is almost no gap between them and a seamless connection sprinter to win a medal in a track event at a World Competition. Three-time Olympian. between both sides. I think it is important to recognize how society changes Current Japanese record holder for Men’s when the “mindset” that humans conceive as natural is changed. 400 meter hurdle (as of March 2017). Currently he operates Samurai Co., Ltd., a In this way, technology enables paradigm shifts in human consciousness. By company that works on sports-related projects. The books he has written include making it possible to do things people don't think they are capable of or “Hashiru Tetsugaku (Philosophy of perceive as impossible, technology is profoundly significant in provoking Running)” (Fusosha Publishing Inc.) and “Akirameru Chikara (Power of Surrender)” changes in people’s “mindsets.” (President Inc.).
02 Contents Perspectives on Future Technologies
02 Perspectives on Future Technologies Dai Tamesue
04 1st Featured Article Smart Community Projects Transforming the Global Energy System
06 Key Word 1 Installing Solar Power Generation (PV)
08 Key Word 2 Distributed Resource Aggregation 12 2nd Featured Article 10 Key Word 3 Intellectual Property Expansion of the Energy Market in Asia Management at NEDO
16 Easy to Understand! News Release Commentary Fiberless Thermal Insulator with High Strength and Low Thermal Conductivity Capable of Use at High Temperature Developed
18 After Project Follow Up! NEDO Project Success Stories Playback History Vol 4. Super Head Electronic Technology Development Promotion Project
2017 No.64
Reporting on Today and Tomorrow’s Energy, Environmental, and Industrial Technology “Focus NEDO” is the public relations magazine of the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), introducing the public to NEDO’ s various projects and technology development activities related to energy, environmental and industrial technologies.
Focus NEDO 2017 No.64 03 st Solar Power Generation 1 Featured Article Smart Community Projects Distribution
Transforming the Global Generation Transmission Energy System System Operator Thermal Power Generation Transmission Office Distribution “Smart Communities” focus on expanding the use of renewable energy and making the whole society smarter. NEDO has conducted projects both domestically and internationally to demonstrate the systems and technologies necessary to accomplish this transformation. Here you’ll find an introduction to the current situation surrounding smart community development and NEDO’s activities.
Accommodating Distribution Electric Vehicle Wind Power Generation
Residential Area Factory
begun to spread from the end users of the grid system*. In response NEDO’s Demonstration Projects Aiming to NEDO is proceeding with the demonstration of technologies to address Transform of the Structure of Electricity the needs of this new situation. Through such experiences spreading Supply and Demand Japanese technology in overseas situations, NEDO is helping Japanese As Japan progresses towards fully unbundled electric power system by companies to understand the necessity of innovation in this field, and 2020, a big change in the relationship between the supply and demand of NEDO aims for the overseas results to provide feedback that can be electricity is about to occur due to the massive introduction of distributed applied to Japan as well.” renewable energy sources like solar power. In North America and NEDO’s demonstration projects have been conducted around the Europe, where unbundling of electric power companies progressed world. In industrialized countries NEDO looks for business models that during the 2000s, fixed price purchasing rules to promote the use of apply to areas where the deregulation of the electricity market has renewable energy using policies such as feed-in tariffs or net-metering to preceded Japan and prove the compatibility of Japanese solutions with oblige power companies to purchase energy from renewable sources have overseas technologies through compliance with international standards come to an end and new business models are beginning to be explored. from organizations such as the International Electrotechnical Against this background, NEDO has been performing demonstrations Commission (IEC). Meanwhile in emerging countries NEDO of supply and demand models for electric power from both technical and encourages institutional reform that makes it easier for Japanese business perspectives under a diverse range of global business conditions technology to enter the market and recruits Japanese companies that will in anticipation of the introduction of large volumes of renewable energy. work on technology demonstrations. Currently NEDO is conducting NEDO believes that these technical and business models also have the projects globally. potential to be deployed in Japan in the future. * Grid system: An electricity system that includes all aspects from electricity Director General of the NEDO Smart Community Department Satoshi production such as generation, transmission, transformation and distribution to consumers. Morozumi, who has followed developments in this field for 30 years, says, “The conventional electric power system which generates large amounts of power from centralized generators and delivers it to Responding Quickly to Changing Business consumers unidirectionally is beginning to crumble around the world. Models through Overseas Demonstrations Instead, the idea of sharing and using distributed power sources has In the course of conducting demonstration projects, there are some
04 Solar Power Generation
Distribution
Generation Transmission System Operator
Thermal Power Generation Transmission Office Distribution
Accommodating Distribution Electric Vehicle Wind Power Generation
Residential Area Smart community deals with the introduction Factory of distributed energy including renewable energy, the establishment of bidirectional power grids involving users on the demand side such as households and commercial users, and the efficient control of the balancing between electricity supply and demand.
issues that have been emerging. These result from changes occurring Japanese technology packages combining Japanese technologies. among business models. However, with the strong recognition that the essential purpose needs “In the taxi industry, ride-share services originating from the to be to improve local public infrastructure, which is a characteristics United States have become popular globally. Similarly, in the electric of the solution business, NEDO has been focusing more closely on power industry, a system is being built to enable users on the demand the so-called “local company alliance” problem of which local side to directly and flexibly share their surplus electric power. These companies to work with and how to engage in business development. are examples of a change happening globally across various Providing matchmaking with such local business partners is also a industries. Japan shouldn’t lag behind in this development,” says very important function of NEDO’s demonstration projects. Morozumi. Based on the points above, this Focus NEDO will introduce the NEDO constantly keeps an eye on trends among technology current status and issues surrounding smart community as well as businesses competing worldwide, and when changing circumstances NEDO’s effort looking at “the beyond”, focusing on three keywords warrant NEDO always attempts to update the objectives of the that are indispensable when thinking about the future new energy ongoing projects accordingly. system: the technical elements of “solar power generation (PV)” and “distributed resource aggregation,” and the emerging market in Projecting the Future and Understanding “Asia.” Global Trends With regards to NEDO’s management system of demonstration projects in the field, it is important to establish alliances with local business partners not only during the project but also for the maintenance of the system after the demonstration is complete. Between when people started using the term “smart community” around 2010 and the present, the way of thinking about the expansion of business overseas regarding smart community has changed. When Satoshi Morozumi Director General and Project Manager the smart community demonstration projects were just getting Smart Community Department started, NEDO was exploring an approach focused on exporting all- NEDO
Focus NEDO 2017 No.64 05 st 1 Featured Article Smart Community Projects Transforming the Global Energy System SmartKEY Community Project WORD 1 Installing Solar Power Generation (PV) As PV Continues to Spread in Japan and Overseas, NEDO is Working to Tackle the Problems With the introduction of purchase systems of surplus energy from renewable energy (Feed-in Tariff), the spread of solar power generation (PV) systems is accelerating as the cost of such systems declines. To deal with the impact of the large-scale introduction of renewable energy sources such as PV, NEDO is conducting advanced projects that approach the problems from multiple perspectives.
The Expansion of PV Installations is Accelerating ■Trends in global cumulative renewable electricity generation capacity and annual installation in Japan and Abroad 500 Cumu ati e in ta e ca acity nnua in ta e ca acity 250 The preceding global introduction of wind power generation reached a 200 cumulative installed generation capacity of 432 GW in 2015. In addition, in 400 So ar P nnua in ta e ca acity recent years the cost of PV has continuously declined, and as of 2013 the in nnua in ta e ca acity in Cumu ati e in ta e ca acity 150 worldwide cost was less than $1/w worldwide, leading to the expansion of 300 PV installations in earnest around this time. As for the amount of PV So ar P Cumu ati e in ta e ca acity capacity introduced worldwide since 2010, which is shown in the figure to 200 100 the right, the cumulative installed generation capacity has expanded rapidly and reached 219 GW in 2015. In the future, it is estimated that the introduction 50 of PV, which is easier to finance, will surpass the introduction of wind power 100 generation.
In Japan also, because of the effects from the feed-in tariff system launched 0 0 in July 2012, PV has rapidly become popular over the last 5 years, and by the 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2 011 2012 2013 2014 2015 end of August 2016 the installed generation capacity was 35.79 million kW. Source : GWEC, Global Wind Report Annual Market Update 2015 and IRENA database
Solving the Problems Facing the Mass Introduction ■Trends in the installation of renewable electricity generation facilities in Japan of PV through Multifaceted Technologies ＧＷ 60 f As part o the “2030 Energy Mix” (the Long-term Energy Supply and So ar P Demand Outlook for FY2030) presented by the Ministry of Economy, Trade 50 in and Industry (METI) in July 2015 laying out the planned composition of ioma power sources in Japan it is understood that renewable energy will continue 40 eot erma to be introduced in the future, with a target of 7% PV and 1.7% wind power Sma an me ium ca e y ro 30 generation in the national Energy Mix.
On the other hand, the output from PV and wind power generation can 20 fluctuate based on factors in the natural environment such as weather, so when introduced in large quantities it becomes difficult to ensure the balance 10 between supply and demand across the entire power grid system and results 0 in a problem where grid operation cannot be maintained. For this reason, in an un u ar an u a region where the introduction of PV is especially advanced such as Source : METI “Subcommittee for Reforming Systems Related to the Introduction of Kyushu, the utilization of pumped-storage hydro * during Golden Week in Renewable Energy” meeting handouts 2016 was maximized to avoid the suppression of PV power output. Furthermore in 2017, since the installed PV capacity will be increased, it is expected that suppression of PV power output will be necessary at holidays Utilizing Japanese Control Technology to and during the spring and autumn seasons. Also, since the capacity of the Stabilize a Wind Power Generation Grid System transmission lines for transmitting the backward flow of power from the 〜Demonstration in Poland〜 power distribution system to the power transmission system in the area is Like PV, power output from a wind power generation is influenced by the almost at its limit it is necessary to take measures to prevent new strains on weather so they both pose challenges to power grid system stability. As an EU the grid system as well. member country and under a national policy to increase the installation of renewable energy, Poland is one of the most advanced countries in terms of 250 To address these issues, NEDO has been developing and demonstrating 500 累積導入量（GW） 年間導入量（GW） multifaceted technologies such as power generation prediction and control introducing wind power generation. NEDO has conducted a demonstration project in Poland to achieve the stable operation of the power grid system technologies for variable power sources, large-scale stationary energy while promoting the installation of renewable energy including wind power. 200 400 storage systems, and supply-demand balance control systems utilizing The smart grid d太陽光emonstration 年間導入量 project was started in March 2017 and was electric vehicles (EV). aimed at increasing風力 the 年間導入量 amount of connectable renewable energy capacity while limiting investment in new transmission and distribution equipment 150 300 風力 累積導入量 * Pumped-storage hydro: Using reservoirs located above and below a power plant, and taking measures to prevent overloads at the time of a transmission line 太陽光 累積導入量 this system generally uses surplus electricity produced during the night to pump accident through the use of Japan’s unique grid stabilization technology water from the lower pool to the upper pool and then uses water discharged from called “SPS (Special Protection Scheme) and energy storage technology. 100 the upper pool to the lower pool to generate electricity when demand peaks during 200 06 the daytime. 50 100
0 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Smart CommunityMeasure Developing Technologies Projectto 1 Address Output Fluctuations Improving technologies on prediction, control and operation Project to Address Output Fluctuations in
Power Grid System Ohara Solar Power Station For the stable utilization of electricity from renewable energy, the output of which fluct uates by weather condition, NEDO has been developing prediction technologies and control technologies of energy storage facilities using prediction information. NEDO also leverages these technologies for developing a supply and demand simulation system and demonstrates them in a power grid system on Niijima. In addition, NEDO has been developing and standardizing a remote output control system which is obligated to be installed for stable and maximum use of renewable energy. Through these efforts, NEDO aims to manage variability of power output by using technologies on prediction, control and operation so as to contribute to expansion of renewable energy. Azuchiyama Wind Power Station
Measure Development of Large-Scale 2 Energy Storage Systems Lower cost, longer life, and greater safety large- scale energy storage system Development Project of Large-Scale Energy Storage System
To accelerate the mass introduction of renewable energy sources including PV, it is Lead-acid battery and LIC hybrid energy storage system expected that large-scale energy storage systems will be needed to suppress voltage (Izu Oshima) and frequency fluctuations and provide surplus power storage as a grid system stabilization measure. To realize lower cost, longer life and safer energy storage systems, NEDO has developed various types of energy storage systems, including large-scale hybrid energy storage systems combining lead-acid storage batteries and lithium ion capacitors (LIC) and a transportable storage battery system equipped with lithium-ion rechargeable batteries. Additionally, NEDO has verified the effectiveness of these
systems in providing grid system stabilization through demonstrations of these energy Transportable battery system with lithium ion storage systems as part of actual power grid systems in Japan and other countries. rechargeable batteries (Spain)
Measure Controlling Supply-Demand 3 Balance Using EVs Stabilizing the power supply system through coordination with electric vehicles Hawaii’s Smart Grid Demonstration Project Utilizing EVs (JUMPSmartmaui project)
Although the installation of wind power and PV has progressed significantly in Hawaii, EV rapid charge station the state’s power grid systems have been heavily affected by fluctuations in renewable energy supply because each island has its own independent power grid system. Therefore, by utilizing the electric storage capacity of EVs, NEDO conducted a demonstration project that contributed to stabilizing the massive introduction of renewable energy into the grid system through various methods including demand response and a virtual power plant. With more than 200 households using EVs participating in the project, NEDO aimed to globally disseminate a model of society where renewable energy and EVs coexist through programs that maximize the use of renewable energy and contribute to the stabilization of the power grid system while also preserving the convenience of EV users. Demonstrations at a busy shopping mall
Focus NEDO 2017 No.64 07 st 1 Featured Article Smart Community Projects Transforming the Global Energy System SmartKEY Community Project WORD 2 Distributed Resource Aggregation
New Businesses Have Emerged Around the World to Prepare for the Deregulation of the Electric Power Industry and the Increase of Renewable Energy Installations “Distributed resource aggregation,” the process of consolidating energy produced by distributed sources such as PV and EVs and utilizing it efficiently, has been gaining more attention lately. We interviewed three project managers and to hear about the current situation and issues related to the topic.
From left Yoshiko Yurugi Director & Project Manager, Smart Community Department NEDO Kazuyuki Takada Director & Project Manager, Smart Community Department NEDO Maria Sugimoto Chief Officer, Smart Community Department NEDO
Takada: The state of Hawaii has a plan to supply 100% of electric Ongoing Projects Matched to the Characteristics power using renewable energy by 2045. So the “JUMPSmartmaui of Different Regions Around the World with the project” worked on demonstrating a system to stabilize the New Business of Power Infrastructure in Mind electric power supply in combination with local EV usage (also Recently, businesses called “aggregators,” which act as a see p.7). On the island of Maui, where the electric power system is facilitator to consolidate small- to-medium-scale renewable independent, there have been efforts to solve problems with the energy power generation facilities for power companies, have power frequency becoming unstable that arise from the large- entered the electricity wholesale market. That has made it scale introduction renewable energy. Since EVs can be used as easier to supply electric power through cooperation between batteries as well, it is possible to use them as a virtual power plant suppliers and consumers. NEDO has conducted demonstration by using a large number of EVs to store and discharge electric tests of these new business models around the world. Tell us power. By transmitting the stored electric power to the grid more about the demonstration tests in Hawaii, the United system or using it by household during the peak time for power Kingdom, and Canada, where the role of the electric power consumption in the evening, we can prevent shortages of electric users is very important. power. Yurugi: In the UK, they have used gas and kerosene for heating historically but are facing the problem of large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore heat pump technology, which extracts heat from the air and reduces greenhouse gas emissions by half compared to conventional combustion heating systems, has drawn attention. A goal of introducing 6.8 million heat pumps by 2030 has been set as a part of the fourth round of the UK’s carbon reduction plans. At the same time, NEDO came up with an idea to test whether “demand response” could be applied by aggregating small-scale users’ electric power. The UK government and the city of Manchester* showed interest in NEDO’s idea, and by using heat pumps installed at 550 households in an area under the management of the city of Manchester, NEDO conducted the “Smart Community Demonstration Project in Manchester, UK” to demonstrate a demand response system requesting users to reduce their usage of electric power in order to suppress power consumption during peak times.
View of the residential building with heat pumps installed (Manchester, UK) * Greater Manchester Managed by Wigan & Leigh Homes, Daikin Air Conditioning UK Limited (November 2016)
08 Right: Ceremony to celebrate the start of operations with the residents (Oshawa, Canada) Below: The roof of a house with the solar panels installed (Oshawa, Canada)
Point 1 New installation Smart Communityof batteries for Project houses
Three Points Point 3 Point 2 New services Power utilities gathering entering the small-scale household users
Sugimoto: In Canada, to address frequent power outages and collect data from those units. Since everyone’s lifestyle differs, it improve the independence of each household by introducing PV was very important to accommodate each resident’s situation. and batteries, NEDO has been conducting demonstrations of peak Sugimoto: I realized the importance of understanding how shift control of power demand by power companies. NEDO is also standards differ based on the country. For example, Canada and examining a business model where power companies own these Japan have different standards and that caused us to expend extra systems and rent the roof of each house to install them. This is a time to respond to the situation. I have learned that even if we win-win business model where power companies earn revenue consider certain specifications to be commonplace, they aren’t through sales of the electricity while consumers get paid for always applied in other countries. renting their roofs to the power companies. Leveraging Foreign Demonstration Results in Small-Scale Users Are Key, and It Is Important Japan with an Eye towards Revitalizing the for Each and Every Resident to Understand the Electricity Market in the Future Value To take advantage of the demonstration results for the While each country has its own issues regarding electric introduction of systems in Japan, what are the expected issues power conditions, what have you found is important to put and future prospects? these innovations into practical use? Takada: By connecting power conditioners, PV, batteries and Takada: I have realized that cultivating a strong awareness and EVs, it’ll get easier to use these distributed energy resources understanding among local residents is important. In Hawaii, efficiently and realize “distributed resource aggregation.” fluctuations in crude oil prices are directly reflected in electricity However, the current situation is that you cannot ensure operation costs so both residents and businesses are very sensitive about without confirming the guaranteed performance from each their electricity bills. That’s why they have a good level of manufacturer. For example, you cannot benefit consumers unless awareness regarding renewable energy utilization. During the they can connect the devices from different manufacturers, such project, we had many opportunities to explain the whole concept as a power conditioner the consumer has already purchased and a of effective utilization of renewable energy. I heard that kids who new EV manufactured by a different company. It is important to listened to our explanations went home and asked their parents build the necessary business environment including the why they don’t have EVs at their homes. I believe this was one of standardization development to expand the business in Japan and the reasons we could reach our goal for the number of people around the world. using EVs sooner than we expected. Yurugi: Besides private power generation on the demand side, I Yurugi: In the Greater Manchester project, it was difficult to believe “negawatt transactions” will be established where people attract cooperation from the residents. The partners involved in make deals for electricity secured against demand restraints. I the project including representatives of the municipal housing expect there will be issues with how power suppliers secure power authorities visited every single family and explained the merits of capacity and what penalties there are in the event they cannot switching to the heat pump heating system. Many of them said secure a sufficient amount of power. Since the general public will what they had was sufficient and refused to switch, so a lot of time also be responsible with regards to demand response and negawatt and effort was needed to help them understand the benefits of heat transactions, it will be a big issue to help them understand the pumps and demand response systems. Even after they started to system and its benefits and get them to participate. use the systems, in some cases they removed the internet Sugimoto: Although there are differences in climate and connector while they were gone for an extended period of time electricity costs between Canada and Japan, we can apply the data and didn’t reconnect it after they came back, meaning we couldn’t from the demonstrations conducted in Canada to Japan through simulations. By examining multiple models, we’ll be able to find Demonstration system (UK) the most suitable model which enables us to expand the use of the
Coor ination o system in Japan. a ance C at orm ou in area et een u y e a att S a re ator an eman Yurugi: In Japan, the system for distributed resource aggregation ro uction n ta ation o eat um eat um is still at the review stage. NEDO would like to contribute to the a re ation creation of new businesses in Japan by developing solutions through NEDO’s projects.
Po i att Smart meter eat um a or tion it ot ater tan Su y i e ectricity mar et eman i e
Focus NEDO 2017 No.64 09 st 1 Featured Article Smart Community Projects Transforming the Global Energy System SmartKEY Community Project WORD 3 Expansion of the Energy Market in Asia The Energy Situation in Asia through the Lens of NEDO’s Projects Southeast Asia and South Asia, where the population is growing rapidly, are also regions where energy demand has been increasing rapidly. NEDO has been conducting projects that can lead to establishing new business models in these emerging markets in Asian countries. Here are some of NEDO’s current efforts and outlook.
Putrajaya, Malaysia ▶Project overview: operating single and double deck EV buses on major arterial routes, installing and demonstrating a super rapid Panipat, India charging system, establishing and demonstrating monitoring systems for the ▶ Project overview: improving supply reliability, quality and charging status of batteries and reducing power distribution loss, providing bus operational conditions operational know-how ▶Project period: FY 2015-FY 2019 (5 years) ▶Project period: FY 2015-FY 2018 (4 years) ▶Contractors: Toshiba Corporation (batteries, ▶ Contractors: Fuji Electric Co., Ltd., Sumitomo monitoring systems, etc.), PUES Corporation Electric Industries, Ltd. (smart grid), THE (EV buses), Hasetec Corporation (super Power Grid Solution Ltd. (capacity building) rapid chargers), Oriental Consultants Global Co., Ltd. (economical evaluation, etc.)
Java, Indonesia ▶Project overview: improving the quality of electric power supply, suppressing the electric power demand and realizing the energy saving, establishing the basic infrastructure ▶Project period: FY 2012-FY 2017 (6 years) ▶Contractors: Sumitomo Corporation, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Fuji Electric Co., Ltd., NTT Communications Corporation, Sumisho Machinery Trade Corporation
supply of clean electric power is a very important issue. Creating Smart Communities is a In order to start working quickly on finding solutions for the unique challenges of each region, NEDO has conducted Future Challenge demonstration projects focusing on preplanned cities and With Special Circumstances Not Found industrial areas where it is relatively easier to introduce smart city-related systems and technologies. In Asia, many of the in the West electricity businesses are run by state-owned companies, and it In Southeast Asia and South Asia, although electric power sometimes needs to deal with the dual structure of central demand has been increasing in line with economic growth, power governments and local governments. Also, multiple government supplies have not been sufficient to meet the demand. Also, the agencies may be involved so it tends to take longer to make level of power distribution loss due to frequent power outages and arrangements for the project. To execute projects, negotiation electricity theft is high, and rapidly growing urban areas face capabilities are required as well as technological capabilities so challenges from air pollution issues and traffic jams. To sustain NEDO has been promoting projects by assuming the role of the continuous economic growth in these countries, providing a stable central point of contact for the administrative agencies as well.
10 This is why NEDO is introducing Japanese smart community Smart Community Projecttechnology and demonstrating the viability of a smart and eco- Malaysia friendly industrial park. Demonstrating the World’s First Super Half of the 130 companies in this industrial park are Japanese- Quick-Chargeable EV Bus System affiliated companies, and in this project, NEDO has been The city of Putrajaya, located to the south of the Malaysian conducting demonstrations including improvement of the quality capital of Kuala Lumpur, is a preplanned city designed as a “green of electric power supplies by introducing a distribution automation city”. The development of a new administrative capital where system, an uninterruptible power-supply system (UPS), and a government agencies will be concentrated has been advancing voltage stabilization system; suppressing power consumption and there as well. To make this city a smart community by improving conserving energy by coordinating demand side management and the efficiency of the urban transportation system, NEDO and the factory energy management system(FEMS); and establishing city signed an agreement in July 2015 to conduct a demonstration basic infrastructure capabilities such as communications. As the project of a super quick charging system and large-scale (12-meter- Indonesian government has set a goal of generating 23% of power long) EV buses with and cutting-edge batteries on board. In June from renewable energy by 2025, discussions to promote energy 2016, NEDO modified the agreement to include the demonstration conservation have become more active. NEDO and the Ministry of the world’s first large-scale double decker EV bus system, of Energy and Mineral Resources of Indonesia have reached an which has more transportation capacity than the single deck bus agreement to build a collaborative relationship between the system. project contractors and Indonesian state-owned power company Since the double decker bus has a higher transportation capacity when conducting the project. per road area and per driver, they are being introduced in densely populated regions including Malaysia and other ASEAN India countries. However, switching to EVs has been considered too Cooperation through Both Providing difficult as the weight of the vehicle with a battery on board Technology and Building Capability exceeds the weight limit. In this project, NEDO is demonstrating that it is possible to solve the problems of weight and operating EV In Panipat, Haryana, located about 90 kilometers north of the buses just like diesel buses by combining EV buses equipped with Indian capital of New Delhi, NEDO has been conducting a project a battery with an appropriate capacity on board with a super quick to provide technology related to smart grids, which are power charger, creating a system capable of running for about 30 transmission networks that efficiently control the balance between kilometers with 10 minutes of charging time. power supply and demand using ICT, and operational know-how By utilizing Japanese technology NEDO aims to spread this on the Japanese power distribution system to power distribution urban transportation package throughout the entire ASEAN area companies in India. This is also one of the fourteen “Smart Grid in addition to making the urban transportation system in Putrajaya Pilot Projects” led by the Ministry of Power, Government of India. more efficient and smarter through the use of IoT. In India, electricity theft and power outages happen frequently, and the power distribution loss, the amount of electricity lost during distribution, is more than seven times as high as in Japan. Indonesia To address these specific issues, NEDO has been conducting Demonstrating How to Make Industrial demonstrations for solutions focused on both technology and Parks Smarter and More Eco-Friendly education. An agreement has been reached between NEDO and In Indonesia, NEDO has been conducting a smart community the Ministry of Finance, Department of Economic Affairs, demonstration project in Suryacipta industrial park in the city of Government of India, the Ministry of Power, Government of Karawang, located approximately 50 kilometers east of the India, and the Power Department, Government of Haryana State Indonesian capital of Jakarta. In this country, where the high level to establish a project scheme where project contractors provide of economic growth is continuing, the growth in energy demand know-how to the local power distribution companies. has been remarkable. In order to establish a “sustainable society” NEDO aims to contribute to make Indian power grids smarter, balancing economic and environmental concerns, developing an demonstrate the effectiveness of Japan’s advanced smart grid- advanced energy utilization system is an urgent issue. Especially related technologies, disseminate Japanese technology, and serve in the industrial park, where a large number of industrial sectors as a stepping stone to help Japanese companies expand their accounting for approximately one-third energy consumption are business in India. concentrated, the growth in energy consumption is significant.
To understand the present and future of the smart community business June 8 (Thu.) - 9 (Fri.), 2017 Tokyo Big Sight Smart Community Summit 2017 (Tokyo International Exhibition Center) NEDO and the Japan Smart Community Alliance (JSCA) will jointly host and organize the “Smart Community Summit 2017.” At the Summit, the most up-to- date information on power systems from Europe, the United States and Japan will be shared through a keynote lecture. The summit also features three sessions - “Countermeasures for PV”, “New Energy Business Players”, and “Southeast Asia and India as an Emerging Energy Market” – in which lectures and panel discussions by experts from Japan and overseas will be held.
http://www.nedo.go.jp/english/event_20170327.html
Focus NEDO 2017 No.64 11 nd 2 Featured Article Intellectual Property Management at NEDO Intellectual Property Management at NEDO As part of the management strategy to maximize the effectiveness of technology development project (NEDO project) implementation, NEDO has promoted and strengthened strategic initiatives in intellectual property (IP). You’ll find the views for the management of intellectual property by NEDO (Technology Strategy Center’s Standardization and Intellectual Property Unit) and some details of specific activities.
“Although NEDO itself doesn’t conduct technology development nor create intellectual property, NEDO can review NEDO projects as a whole and make a calm determination about what direction to proceed in. So the staff of the Standardization and Intellectual Property Unit always focuses on maximizing the effectiveness of Daiki Sadamitsu the implementation of NEDO projects and promotes the Chief Officer, Standardization and Intellectual management of intellectual property,” says Daiki Sadamitsu, Chief Property Unit Officer of the Standardization and Intellectual Property Unit. To do Technology Strategy Center (TSC), NEDO so, the Unit works with the relevant project management office and starts examining the most appropriate and effective ways to handle What is the “Japanese Bayh-Dole intellectual property rights several months prior to the launch of a project to support it. Act”? “The purpose of a NEDO project is not to file a lot of patent NEDO projects are divided into two types of activities – contracted applications. To achieve NEDO’s ambitious technology projects and grant-based projects. For contracted projects, NEDO development goals and to commercialize the results of NEDO applies Article 19 of the Industrial Technology Enhancement Act, projects in the future, it is important to fully consider many issues the so-called “Japanese Bayh-Dole Act,” which allows companies including open and closed strategies while promoting the project. or universities that performed research and development (R&D) To accomplish this, we work with the associated project projects with the government funding to own the intellectual management office to support the management of the project,” says property rights resulted from the projects with certain conditions. Maki Nakahara, another Chief Officer of the Unit. Originally, it was based on the Bayh-Dole Act (formally known as the Patent and Trademark Law Amendments Act), a US law established to promote commercialization during a period of reduced international economic competitiveness in the late 1970s, The Background of the Establishment of the which enabled patents created as a result of government-funded Bayh-Dole Acts in the US and Japan R&D activities to be the property of the companies or universities
that conducted the R&D activities. For many years in Japan as well, patents and other intellectual US Bayh-Dole Act Japanese Bayh-Dole Act property rights created through government-funded R&D projects belonged to the government. However, in the 1990s, Japan faced In the late 1970s, the international In 1999, at the Council for Industrial competitiveness of the US economy was Competitiveness hosted by the Prime major issues related to strengthening the competitiveness of declining and the bill was proposed by a Minister, the private sector made Japanese industries, and a bill including the Japanese Bayh-Dole Republican lawmaker and a Democratic recommendations regarding the release of lawmaker in a bipartisan manner. the government-owned patents to Act based on the US Bayh-Dole Act was enacted and the new law ▼ businesses. To enhance the industrial has come into force from October 1999. As a result, NEDO also has In 1980, the Bayh-Dole Act (the Patent and competitiveness, the government decided to been applying the Japanese Bayh-Dole Act to NEDO projects. Trademark Law Amendments Act) was implement a new measure based on the US enacted to award intellectual property rights Bayh-Dole Act. including patents resulted from government- ▼ funded R&D projects to project performers. On October 1, 1999, the “Act on Special Aiming to Maximize the Effectiveness ▼ Measures Concerning Industrial Patents awarded to universities increased Revitalization” was put into effect, of NEDO Project Implementation and technology development by private including a system (the so-called Japanese companies was accelerated. The US Bayh-Dole Act) that enables commissioned A wide range of organizations from the academic, business, and economy regained its competitiveness researchers to retain rights to inventions government communities are involved in NEDO projects, and through new venture creation, etc. developed through the R&D using government funding under certain perspectives on intellectual property vary substantially based on conditions. each of their positions. In response, the Technology Strategy ▼ Center’s Standardization and Intellectual Property Unit supports To make the Japanese Bayh-Dole Act a permanent system, it was transferred to the management of intellectual property with the objective of enforcement under the Industrial smoothly facilitating the promotion of NEDO projects and resulting Technology Enhancement Act (enforced from August 6, 2007). technology applications thereafter so the organizations involved don’t have disagreements or conflicts regarding the intellectual property.
12 Basic Policy for the Management of Intellectual Property The two pillars of the “NEDO Intellectual Property Policy” are “intellectual property agreements” and “intellectual property steering committees” NEDO’s management of intellectual property is positioned as improving the effectiveness of the implementation of the project, a a foundation to smoothly accomplish technology development different policy more suitable for a given project may be developed. with a wide range of organizations. To implement projects NEDO gathers knowledge and promotes the optimal management smoothly, NEDO publishes the “Basic Policy for the Management of intellectual property to establish the mechanism enabling more of Intellectual Property in NEDO Projects (NEDO Intellectual effective implementation of the intellectual property strategy toward Property Policy)” at the time when posting public solicitations. the exit. The first version of the “NEDO Intellectual Property Policy” was developed in December 2010, and it has been applied to all NEDO projects conducted since 2013. Later, as a result of the development ■ NEDO’s Intellectual Property Policy Development Process of the “Guidelines for Intellectual Property Management in Government-commissioned Research and Development” by METI NEDO has applied the Japanese Bayh-Dole Act since 1999 Intellectual property rights belong to the participants of NEDO th in 2015, NEDO has currently been using the 4 version of the projects: supports commercialization “NEDO Intellectual Property Policy (September 2015 Revision).” ▼ The “NEDO Intellectual Property Policy” has two main pillars. The first one is to develop “intellectual property agreements” A wide range of organizations from the academic, business, and between NEDO project participants governing how to handle government communities participate in NEDO projects intellectual property. In the agreement, the rules are set out in terms ▼ of maintaining of confidentiality, attribution of results from the Each participant has different views on how to handle intellectual project, licensing of project results, and so on. property resulted from NEDO projects The second pillar is to maintain “intellectual property steering committees” as the implementation mechanism for the management ▼ of intellectual property. The role of the steering committee is to It is necessary to set rules for the handling of intellectual property discuss and determine how to handle intellectual property in their resulted from NEDO projects at the very beginning of the project associated project. ▼ As a general rule, terms will be set based on the 4th version “Basic Policy for the Management of Intellectual Property in NEDO of the “NEDO Intellectual Property Policy”. However, taking Projects” developed in 2010 into consideration the context of the project and with the aim of (currently the 4th version after multiple revisions)
■ Patterns in the Application of the Intellectual Property Policy
Case A Case B Case C
As a basic principle, the intellectual property As a basic principle, licensing of the When a project is focused on early-phase from a project is consolidated and assigned to project results is permitted between research and its results may be needed a single Participant X who serves as a “hub” to participants not only in the same research for use in a future successor project, provide a strong base for the project structure. theme but also across different research researchers can license their results to This allows all the project participants to conduct themes. This allows to utilize results participants in following projects as a research and generate intellectual property from a single research theme throughout principle. using the consolidated accomplishments, the entire project and maximize the supporting the project outcomes and leading to potential results of the project as a whole. commercialization by each participant.
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Focus NEDO 2017 No.64 13 nd 2 Featured Article Intellectual Property Management at NEDO
Supporting Integrated Exit Strategies through Survey and Matching Services NEDO has been conducting various activities regarding intellectual property beyond just the support and enhancement of intellectual property management for NEDO projects. Flagship activities include the “intellectual property usage survey (Bayh-Dole survey)” and “patent matching” services. Intellectual Property Rights in ■ Relationship between Intellectual Property Rights Contracted Projects and Industrial Property Rights Intellectual property rights resulted from NEDO’s contracted nte ectua projects include industrial property rights such as patent rights, Co erin t e Pro erty i t copyrights, and know-how. As explained on page 12, under the re i tere o ject terms of the Japanese Bayh-Dole Act the rights to intellectual n u tria Pro erty i t etc
property developed through NEDO projects in principle belong to e u te rom t e outcome o n u tria roject contracte y the project participants under certain conditions. However, Pro erty i t project participants are required to report to NEDO when they file Co yri t applications for, register, transfer, and use their intellectual Patent property rights. i t to recei e “NEDO used to require participants to report the necessary ti ity mo e ri t in u tria ro erty ri t no o information by submitting paperwork, but to reduce the administrative burden and improve operational efficiency NEDO e i n ri t e ore t e has allowed them to report those aforementioned four items ac ui ition through an online system since October 2015. We encourage o a ri t nte rate circuit e ore urin a ication NEDO project participants to make use of the information page*1 ayout e i n ri t on NEDO’s website,” says Director of NEDO’s Asset Management Plant breeder’s Department Susumu Kubo. ri t *1 Information on submitting intellectual property rights-related reports and applications through the online system http://www.nedo.go.jp/itaku-gyomu/chizai_tsuuchi.html (Japanese)
Using the “Bayh-Dole Survey” to Understand the State of Patents Survey uncovers the status of utilization of approximately 20,000 patents
The “Survey on Utilization of Patents” (hereafter referred to as ■ Results of the Survey on Utilization of Patents the “Bayh-Dole Survey”) is a joint effort administered by the (Bayh-Dole Survey) Standardization and Intellectual Property Unit and the Asset c uire or e en i e ur o e Management Department. The Bayh-Dole Survey is conducted in Commercia i e y t e atent o er order to understand the utilization of approximately twenty- thousand patents generated as outcomes of NEDO projects since P anne the Japanese Bayh-Dole Act was established. P anne to icen in to a t ir arty commercia i ation y inc u in cro icen in t e atent o er NEDO is trying to reduce administrative burdens for project participants by providing notifications of the procedures that must o re on e be performed for NEDO (including reports at the time of application and registration) and drawing attention to points in the reporting process that may require special attention. etaine a re earc In addition, as part of the Bayh-Dole Survey, a survey focusing icen e to a t ir arty an e e o ment on patents which are either already registered or in the process of inc u in cro icen in outcome it o i i ity o registration is conducted annually to understand the actual state of commercia i ation application from the perspectives of commercialization by the Commercia i ation a an one patent holder, licensing to others, and prevention of technology development by others, The results are published on NEDO’s *2 etaine a re earc an e e o ment outcome website (see the graph to the right). it out o i i ity o commercia i ation *2 Usage of Bayh-Dole based Research and Development Outcomes http://www.nedo.go.jp/jyouhoukoukai/shisankanri_chitekizaisan.html Survey sample included 16,949 patent applicants and rights holders regarding (Japanese) 13,391 patents registered or with applications pending as of October 1, 2016. (18,639 total responses including blank responses and multiple answers)
14
Building Bridges from Results to Applications through “Patent Matching” Introducing NEDO’s technology seeds through participations in intellectual property exchange meetings around Japan
A new service NEDO has been providing since 2015 is “patent “Agreement for the Promotion of Next Generation Industries” matching.” With the agreement of the patent holders, the members focused on the further promotion of patent matching. of the Standardization and Intellectual Property Unit work to “NEDO attended a lot of intellectual property events - eight times coordinate with local municipalities and introduce patented in FY2015 and five times in FY2016 - conducted by local technologies generated through NEDO projects to small and municipalities including the cities of Kawasaki, Aomori in Aomori medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Prefecture, Hamamatsu in Shizuoka Prefecture, Okaya in Nagano In addition to taking advantage of the intellectual property events Prefecture, and Kitakyushu in Fukuoka. NEDO asks the local to introduce the patents to a large number of SMEs, NEDO also municipalities for information on the local needs in advance, and works with the businesses individually by listening to the strengths tries to introduce patents tailored to meet the characteristics of each and needs of each company to explore and recommend potential community,” says Sadamitsu. technology seeds suited to the company’s situation. In June 2016, NEDO and Kawasaki City officially signed an
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Local Municipality Interview! Kawasaki City x NEDO Revitalizing the Local Economy through Support for Intellectual Property Matching
Yoshiji Kimura Manager in charge of Open-innovation Promotion, Planning Section, Economic and Labor Affairs Bureau, City of Kawasaki NEDO has been invited to intellectual property events hosted by local municipalities including Kawasaki City. What What is the motivation behind starting to support kind of roles do you expect NEDO to serve? intellectual property matching? We expect NEDO to utilize information from a wide range of Kawasaki City is known as a “manufacturing town” and many technical fields and network with large corporations to help SMEs are gathered here. Some of the local companies have been revitalize local economies. The efforts of Kawasaki City have been trying to expand their business; for example, companies doing earning the attention of other local municipalities as the so-called processing and assembly work as subcontractors have been trying “Kawasaki Model.” What we can do on our own is limited, but we to create their own products and enter new business areas. So we would like to support the revitalization of not only Kawasaki City thought about the ways we could help them as a city and started to but also local economies around the country through joint efforts support intellectual property matching in FY2007. with NEDO. What kind of matching do you support specifically? As an example, some intellectual property such as patents held by large corporations may not be used because it doesn’t match the scale their business operates at in the market but could be utilized by SMEs. I believe that it is very important to have large corporations, research organizations and SMEs in the city collaborate with each other. To serve in the role of bridging them, we need to understand each party’s position and needs so we can deal with them appropriately. We would like to support them in a way that the SMEs can take advantage of their own strengths. A scene from an intellectual property Mr. Kimura of Kawasaki City (right) and matching event Mr. Sadamitsu of NEDO (left)
Focus NEDO 2017 No.64 15 Easy to understand! News Release News Release 13th of February 2017 Fiberless Theral Insulator with High Strength and ommentary Low Thermal Conductivity Capable of Use at High Temperature Developed C A special feature that aims to make news releases full of - Energy Consumption Reduced by Approximately jargon, technical terms and difficult technologies easier 38% through the Combination of Low Thermal to understand by focusing in on the important points. Conductivity and High Strength - This conveys NEDO’s state-of-the-art technological achievements and activities with an easy-to-understand explanation.
News Release Fiberless Thermal Insulator with High Strength and Low Thermal Conductivity Capable of Use at High Temperature Developed - Energy Consumption Reduced by Approximately 38% through the Combination of Low Thermal Conductivity and High Strength -
16 Featured Accelerating Energy Conservation Further Technology Reducing Unused Thermal Energy Through the economical reduction, reuse, and recycling of unused thermal energy and further improvements to energy efficiency throughout the society, NEDO aims to create a new industry focusing on new energy conservation technologies.
Here are the key points! A high-strength, high-performance insulation The new material does not include RCF material which can be used at high temperatures (refractory ceramic fiber), which is designated as and possess low thermal conductivity while a specially-controlled substance under regulatory maintaining high strength was developed. supervision which has restrictions on use.
Electricity consumption was reduced by 38% The material has a thermal conductivity of 0.25 compared to a furnace using conventional W/mK or lower, a compressive strength of 10 MPa insulating firebricks! or higher, and can be used at temperatures as high as 1,450°C so it can be used as lining materials for industrial furnaces just like conventional insulating firebricks.
◆ Commentary An Insulation Material that Realizes both “High Strength” and “Low Thermal Conductivity” In the ceramic products manufacturing industry, where strength” and “low thermal conductivity” characteristics. ceramics and refractories are produced, industrial furnaces Insulation materials developed here can not only minimize the operated at high temperatures of 800°C or higher are used. thermal energy disposed of as waste heat but also significantly Especially during ceramic firing processes operated at 1,500°C reduce the thermal energy wasted through heat accumulation or higher, only a small percentage of thermal energy is used for within furnace components by reducing the weight of the firing the actual product and most of the rest is exhausted into materials used for the furnace itself. When using insulation the air as waste heat. Given that the electricity used to create the manufactured based on the technology developed in a small unused thermal heat is effectively wasted, furnaces that electric furnace to measure the electricity consumption, it was minimize the waste heat have long been desired. However, it found that electricity consumption was reduced by 38% was considered to be difficult for insulation materials used for compared to a furnace using conventional insulating firebricks. furnaces operated at high temperatures to possess both “high Electricity consumption [kWh] consumption Electricity
Conventional Fiberless firebrick insulation material
An image of the high-strength, high-performance fiberless insulation material developed in this project (left) and its Results of the experiment to verify the reduced appearance through an electron microscope (right) electricity consumption effect of the developed product
◆ Outlook for the Future Promoting Further Energy Conservation through Innovative Technology Development Mino Ceramic Co., Ltd. and AIST who successfully compressive strength of 20 MPa) and the development of developed this technology aim to realize technology to mass-production technology. NEDO will continue to promote effectively utilize unused thermal energy through the further further energy conservation in the industrial, transportation improvement of the performance of the newly-developed equipment, and housing environment fields through the insulation materials (goal: maximum operation temperature of innovative technology development of various thermal 1,500°C or above, thermal conductivity of 0.2 W/mK, and management materials.
Focus NEDO 2017 No.64 17 Project Follow Up! Playback NEDO History The results of NEDO projects are utilized in manufacturing processes used by companies and final products available for consumers. In this series, we look at untold stories of how technology development projects scaled the high, difficult wall to successful commercialization and what PROJECT came after, summarizing past articles in “NEDO Project Success Stories.” SUCCESS STORIES Vol 4. Super Head Electronic Technology Development Promotion Project Electron Beam Mask Writer Boasts Overwhelming Global Market Share
What is the “Super Head Electronic Technology Development Promotion Project”? In FY1995 when the project started, the further miniaturization of semiconductor integrated circuits (Large-Scale Integration: LSI) was essential to the development of high-performance information communication equipment to support our advanced information society. However, to accomplish the smaller feature size and higher integration in LSIs, there were a lot of technical challenges to deal with in order to produce high-definition masks. Therefore, this NEDO project was launched and ran through FY2001 to support the improvement of “lithography technology,” which is the core technology used in the semiconductor production process.
The “Super Head Electronic Technology Development of finer circuit pathways on the same-sized chip to do Promotion Project” was a NEDO project focused so. In the 1990s, Etec Systems, Inc. in the U.S. led the on the R&D of the “electron beam mask writer” world in commercial fine electron beam mask writers which enabled the writing of more miniaturized and captured more than 90% of the world market at one circuits in preparation for smaller feature size and point, but even using their equipment it was difficult to higher integration in LSIs. NuFlare Technology, Inc. achieve the next generation of miniaturized circuits. To (Toshiba Corporation and Toshiba Machine Co., Ltd. conquer the difficulties of miniaturizing semiconductors
A photomask at that time), thanks to the results of this project to further, NEDO’s “Super Head Electronic Technology (Picture of a mask used for drawing position calibration) enable ultra-microfabrication, has now achieved Development Promotion Project” was started in FY1995 more than a 90% share of the world market for this with the aim of quickly developing a cost effective and technology. This accomplishment has supported the high-precision next-generation “electron beam mask development of lightweight, compact, high-performance writer” with the ability to write a high-definition mask information and communication equipment. pattern in a short period of time.
Photomasks Enabling the Mass Challenges Standing in the Way Production of Highly-Miniaturized of Developing a Next-Generation Circuits for Digital Equipment “Electron Beam Mask Writer” The unprecedentedly high-integration and further The companies participating in the project, Toshiba refinement of semiconductor integrated circuits has Corporation and Toshiba Machine Co., Ltd. (NuFlare supported the popularization of digital information Technology, Inc. now following a company split-up), had and communication equipment such as smartphones been working on the development of technology to enable and tablet PCs. LSIs are electronic circuits that have the writing of smaller feature size circuits since the 1970s. a large number of electronic components including Originally, there was a circuit writing technology called resistors, capacitors, diodes, and transistors integrated on “direct-write,” a method of writing circuits directly onto a semiconductor substrate such as silicon, and the size a silicon wafer, but the mass-production of smaller LSI of the circuits are already in the nanometer range (one circuits was enabled by using a “photomask” containing nanometer = one billionth of a meter). The “photomask”, the original circuit pattern and exposing it to electrons to the term for the “photographic negative” equivalent copy the design onto the silicon wafer. As LSI circuits used in the creation of LSI circuits, is what enabled the achieved smaller feature and higher integration, it was mass-production of those ultra-miniaturized circuits (see expected that more minute writing would be available Figure 1). by increasing the accelerating voltage of the electron To improve the performance of an LSI circuit, it is beam used to write the circuit pattern on the photomask. necessary to increase the degree of integration of the However, it needed to overcome a challenge called the circuit, which requires technology that allows the writing “proximity effect,” a phenomenon where the electrons
18 within the electron beam are scattered by the glass of the error, a new calculus equation to quickly and accurately mask and the reflected backscattered electrons prevent figure out the electron dose control in accordance with copying of the line pattern design. the write time required was developed. As a result, it An accelerating voltage of at least 50 kV is required became possible to reduce the dimensional deviation for electron beams capable of sharp, high-definition caused by the proximity effect to 2 nm or less even if A view of an electron beam mask writer “EBM” main body pattern formation. However, when injecting electrons at an electron beam at a high accelerating voltage of 50 kV 50 kV, the area of the resist affected by backscattering, was used, compared to around 200 nm without correcting spreads to around 30 μm. The sections with denser circuit the proximity effect. patterns receive more backscatter resulting in the lines In addition, it was designed in a way so that the drawn becoming thicker. It is called the “proximity correction calculation for a part of the mask patterns effect” because sections in the design that are close to where the circuit patterns will be written later can be each other are affected (see Figure 2). performed while another part is being written on the In order to use highly accelerated electrons to write mask. The design also allows the calculation results to be a miniaturized pattern in higher definition with less processed quickly and in large volume in electric circuits. backscatter of electrons, it is necessary to deal with the Through these efforts, a writer which writes quickly as it “proximity effect” caused by the backscattering. The calculates the correction of the dosages almost in real- dimensional variability caused by the proximity effect time was created and the resulting high-speed, high- from an accelerating voltage of 50 kV can be as high as accuracy mask writer was successfully commercialized. 200 nm, which is a critical problem for manufacturing masks when the target fabrication dimension of an LSI Achieving a World Market Share design mask is 180 nm (720 nm on the mask). of Almost 100% and Becoming Besides this challenge, in the course of designing the mask writer that can realize smaller feature size and Essential to the Information and higher operation speed of LSI circuits, there were also Communication Society many other challenges to solve in order to enable high- With the outcomes from the continuous development speed, high-accuracy writing, so the technologies the of various new technologies including NEDO NEDO project worked on covered a wide range. projects, NuFlare Technology’s new products made a huge difference on performance compared to their Conquering the “Proximity Effect” competitors’ and now the world market share for their to Write Circuits with Higher equipment is almost 100%. It can also be said that their Definition high-definition mask exposure technology has enabled smartphones and tablets to become smaller and lighter Takayuki Abe, senior specialist of NuFlare Technology’s with more advanced functions. In addition, behind the Marketing Department, was the one who tackled the popularization of these small communication devices, solution to the “proximity effect” issue after originally it is essential to maintain and enhance the high speed working on this research for a long time. A new algorithm and high capacity of server computers, and most server for real-time control of the dose of the electron beam computers contain LSI circuit technology developed by for the “direct-write” approach had been previously NuFlare Technology. developed and the precision of the technique had been “It was our first commercialization effort and we felt verified in computer simulations. So, in this project, the huge pressure too. But because of our hard work we results from that research were applied to develop the now have the biggest market share in the world and electron beam mask writer. After going through trial and we are very satisfied with it,” says Yoshiaki Hattori of NuFlare Technology’s Mask Lithography Engineering ectron eam e o ure Department. e i t ayer eta ayer Pattern ritin Starting with the success of developing an electron a beam mask writer for 180 nm critical dimension design node LSIs in 1998, to keep up with the state of annual
ma e e e o ment LSI circuit production miniaturization advances, the most up-to-date current model has realized a current density e i t tri in of 1,200 A/cm2, uses a three-stage objective deflection tc in Figure 1 architecture, and incorporates resist heating correction Principles of Creating a Photomask capabilities for the 7 nm technology node LSI circuits. While most semiconductor-related equipment has a short The proximity effect is a phenomenon that changes the dimension of a pattern being drawn corresponding to lifespan due to the development of new technologies, surrounding pattern density, caused by backscattered electrons. In the case that electron beams are exposed just as the LSI circuit data shown on the left NuFlare Technology’s miniaturized mask processing below, it will show up as the actual resulted written pattern on the right below – the upper middle part where the pattern density is higher will be thicker, and the lower middle part technology has maintained its position as the world’s where the pattern’ s density is lower will be thinner. most advanced technology for more than ten years. S ata o ure attern e u te ritten attern NuFlare Technology has been conducting R&D for the next generation of machines so their electron beam Patternin ac cattere e ectron mask writer will continue to support the development of many information and communication equipment in the future. ectron eam
njecte e ectron In “NEDO Project Success Stories”, we interview ac cattere e i t e ectron the developers including corporations involved in e the project and post success stories on the website.
a ate Figure 2 ac cattere e ectron http://www.nedo.go.jp/content/100799089.pdf What is the “proximity effect”?
Focus NEDO 2017 No.64 19 Domestic Offices
● Head Office ● Kansai Branch Office MUZA Kawasaki Central Tower, 16F-20F Umeda Dai Building, 6F, 3-3-10 1310 Omiya-cho, Saiwai-ku Umeda, Kita-ku Kawasaki City, Kanagawa 212-8554 Japan Osaka 530-0001 Japan Tel: +81-44-520-5100 Tel: +81-6-6341-5403 Fax: +81-44-520-5103 Fax: +81-6-6341-5405
Overseas Offices
● Washington, D.C. ● Europe ● Beijing 1901 L Street, N.W., Suite 720 10, rue de la Paix 75002 2001 Chang Fu Gong Office Building Washington, D.C. 20036 U.S.A. Paris, France Jia-26, Jian Guo Men Wai Street Tel: +1-202-822-9298 Tel: +33-1-4450-1828 Beijing 100022, P.R. China Fax: +1-202-822-9259 Fax: +33-1-4450-1829 Tel: +86-10-6526-3510 Fax: +86-10-6526-3513 ● Silicon Valley ● New Delhi 3945 Freedom Circle, Suite 790 9th Floor, Hotel Le Meridien ● Bangkok Santa Clara, CA 95054 U.S.A. Commercial Tower, Raisina Road 8th Floor, Sindhorn Building Tower 2 Tel: +1-408-567-8033 New Delhi 110 001, India 130-132 Wittayu Road, Lumphini Fax: +1-408-567-9831 Tel: +91-11-4351-0101 Pathumwan Fax: +91-11-4351-0102 Bangkok 10330, Thailand Tel: +66-2-256-6725 Fax: +66-2-256-6727
s Cent o e o s C t n n e tt ne o o en s n e t June 2017 (1st Edition)