׉?ׁB!בCט(u׉׉ 7cassandra://kaF4VgmvALszYhF97JrAPNdBgIoXrpg9WN26Akah7AI+`׉ 7cassandra://h765tN6sBX7qDZsAFRKdH6UE6pq0BiCHCUXV1agLUlou(`s׉ 7cassandra://q9J6P21dpyjiLKfBaIejtyfoW7Q1wNOydFQmHsjPKag+`׉ 7cassandra://DLWYJ1LBloW9G-jij6VoIbsu-XENJQHq6tBseuqorCs3 ͠]Vx~7̯_׈EVx~7̯`׉E4Highlighting Clean Energy Innovations in Upstate New York MOVING TECHNOLOGY FROM THE LAB TO THE MARKETPLACE OLED Materials: Green Building Materials: Nanomaterials for Passive Solar: Platinum Free Membranes for Fuel Cells: Nanoscale Test Instruments: Molecular Glasses AMBIS ChromaNanoTech eColectro Xallent ׉ 7cassandra://q9J6P21dpyjiLKfBaIejtyfoW7Q1wNOydFQmHsjPKag+`Vx~7̯aVx~7̯`(בCט(u׉׉ 7cassandra://2vMdlmD_J4ZEQo0uRvX6b5p2qqIpGaOCQXkYpIPyFoI`׉ 7cassandra://tzigkM5UFbQWxdOlrHrv5_LxkCatZgPqd01JCnazqj4Ig`s׉ 7cassandra://udR8WrFkslUrRmFaLxIVbU6CPfGCQDFu2cWV3swt6ow`׉ 7cassandra://pthc6TjM7dzDtPdCPj1M7IVbPcSkhyJ9FpjOW12c11glp ͠]Vx~7̯dט(u׉׉ 7cassandra://-GyrfS9Dj0E4M11hlkIKN8GKMhZP-Xu47lQQpP5pd9U`׉ 7cassandra://eYttVH3xnVd-zIC4VYXoOUMhmlLA8yxNu5xcjckU_vMd`s׉ 7cassandra://yNm4LHvig3hGUVhBwjUNd1FIaSjCJQxFXyVitnqOBOw!`׉ 7cassandra://Wdh9MNTKd5zIHbN9Z8xW1_FY4RsIF2BTNJcC0WAW9Qgz͠]Vx7̯eנVx7̯ŏ9ׁHhttp://www.htr.orgׁ ׁ Ј׉E Letter From the Executive Director of NEXUS-NY As NEXUS-NY commences its third year of operation, I’ve reflected on our early successes and future opportunities. Our organization remains small but, like any good startup, we’re nimble, resourceful and committed to continually improving the value we deliver. We know we need to evolve ever faster if we’re going to attract the most exciting technologies, the most highly motivated entrepreneurs and the best network of business mentors and service providers. Our ultimate success will be measured by our ability to catalyze new clean energy startups which go on to solve real world problems and win customers. It’s too early to claim victory but there are some encouraging signs. During the first two years of NEXUS-NY, our program’s participants have launched 11 new companies. Our first cohort went on to raise more than $2M in follow on funding with several additional “deals” in the pipeline. I fully anticipate our second cohort will improve on those results as the group has been proceeding with razor sharp customer focus. You’ll recall, NEXUS-NY supports early stage business discovery teams from across New York State, typically before a new venture has been formed. We provide equity-free business and financial support with the goal of helping aspiring entrepreneurs to answer three primary questions: 1) Should a tech startup be formed? More specifically, is there a compelling customer problem which can be solved in a unique and meaningful way? 2) Does the technology work in a way that is relevant to target customers? 3) Which customers will act to help validate the business model and the technology? The most exciting aspect of our second cohort is related to question #3. In almost every case, the NEXUS-NY teams are working closely with significant customers to move their ventures forward. Inside, you’ll read about a few NEXUS-NY companies, including: Doug Buerkle Executive Director of NEXUS-NY How AMBIS is prototyping its upcycled building materials with a major architecture firm. How ChromaNano Tech has signed an agreement to test its materials in passive solar windows. How eColectro is working towards platinum free fuel cells. How Molecular Glasses is working with OLED lighting and display customers and government labs to demonstrate unprecedented material stability. How Xallent is working with a leading semiconductor company to prove out its novel testing platform. I remain bullish about the New York ecosystem and believe our universities are as good as any in the world. It is incredibly difficult to launch a successful tech startup. By most accounts, 9 out of 10 will fail before reaching critical mass. Starting a company based on university technology is even more challenging. Within US universities, there is roughly one startup created for every $300M spent on research! If we are going to improve the number of starts and the quality of outcomes, we need to help entrepreneurs start on the right track. I am proud to the extent that NEXUS-NY is helping move more technologies from the laboratory into the marketplace. We have a lot more to do! If you have a great technology and a desire to start a great company, please join us! Applications for cohort 3 open 10/15 – 11/15 and can be found at http://nexus-ny.org/ NEXUS-NY www.nexus-ny.org info@nexus-ny.org @NEXUSNY 2 High Tech Rochester 150 Lucius Gordon Dr. West Henrietta, NY 14586 585-214-2400 Design bzdesign, inc. bz@bzdesign.com www.bzdesign.com ׉ 7cassandra://udR8WrFkslUrRmFaLxIVbU6CPfGCQDFu2cWV3swt6ow`Vx7̯f׉EIn this Issue of New Energy: 8 4 12 17 20 24 Scaling Back: Xallent Innovative nano-scale testing solutions for semiconductors and thin films NY Best Working towards better energy storage solutions AMBIS Green building materials from upcycled agricultural byproducts Center for Sustainable Energy Systems Clarkson University defies convention with clean energy approach eColectro Alkaline membranes enabling platinum free fuel cells ChromaNanoTech Novel nanomaterials enable passive solar windows for everyone 29 33 36 41 44 DERSIL A Rensselaer center working to better integrate distributed energy resources Smart Lighting RPI researchers are revolutionizing lighting Molecular Glasses Better OLED materials which provide a bridge to the future Cohort One Update NEXUS-NY companies a year later NYSERDA clean tech incubators Collaborating with innovators to launch successful companies NEXUS-NY is a program created and managed by High Tech Rochester (HTR), a venture development organization based in Rochester, NY. HTR’s programs and services span early stage tech commercialization, incubation of high-tech startups, and growth consulting services for small to mid-sized manufacturing firms. For more information on HTR and its impact on the Upstate NY region, visit: www.htr.org 3 ׉ 7cassandra://yNm4LHvig3hGUVhBwjUNd1FIaSjCJQxFXyVitnqOBOw!`Vx7̯gVx7̯f(בCט(u׉׉ 7cassandra://mPpV5c7Xioh5s0IByKApvZZ9D2iyNWCyWXEtX6fvAToy%`׉ 7cassandra://AlfMA2oonKeXhO6Wd5S2-WxYZvmawFsz7YsvEyCzBI0S`s׉ 7cassandra://ZEepErQcYncE7z8IdwVI0lOIcItc417iBX3nC3RZXDg`׉ 7cassandra://LXe1Hdo-EL59J-qWE2wjCK-dsnz0U7wOqpds9TDGsD0͠]Vx7̯nט(u׉׉ 7cassandra://07vImjKZ51_bIHQGTE8gnCLa4OQCXA7JGH-bZCZsiLIl`׉ 7cassandra://Zeov9s68dcZ1r7XS7NUVUthuvaj7qfYYwq_osuRDHYwYS`s׉ 7cassandra://rbtyRWM-gpQwQmV85kFW_hzixry0EC1O1Ow6Una9MLs`׉ 7cassandra://l0vXT7iXgHdBiGhB_HP3AmO6AzK9b80KrthgPvRzV4Uͤ0͠]Vx7̯p׉EScaling Down to Accelerate the Nano-Revolution: Cornell-based Xallent brings innovative testing solutions to semiconductors and thin films By Bethany Bushen Earlier this year, IBM announced a prototype computer chip boasting the smallest transistor ever manufactured. At 7 nanometers (nm), it is 1,000 times smaller than a single red blood cell and only 20 times larger than a silicon atom. While researchers continue to push the limits of materials and manufacturing technologies, they are constrained by the suite of test instruments which were largely developed back in the days of vacuum tubes. Researchers at Xallent in Ithaca, NY are working on solving this very problem, by developing an innovative set of tools to address testing challenges facing semiconductors and thin films. The company, developing its technology at Cornell University’s NanoScale Facility, was founded by Kwame Amponsah in 2013 while he was finishing his Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering. 4 Image: Xallent prototype 4-point probe system Addressing the need for updated testing and characterization methods at the micro- and nano-scales is the core of Xallent’s mission. Semiconductor components are found in all electronic devices and are increasingly used to power what were historically low technology products. Moore’s law has created economics which allow microcontrollers and sensors to be integrated into common products, enabling wearable and industrial sensors and catalyzing internet enabled devices (the internet of things). Thin films are likewise becoming ubiquitous with applications in batteries, solar cells, displays and printable electronics to name a few. Before any of these building blocks can be integrated into new technologies, they must be tested for basic electrical and physical properties. ׉ 7cassandra://ZEepErQcYncE7z8IdwVI0lOIcItc417iBX3nC3RZXDg`Vx7̯q׉E #“We are developing testing platforms that allow researchers to probe semiconductor devices and thin films at ever smaller scales. Our products enable engineers to analyze devices and materials much more quickly and at a fraction of the cost of conventional instruments.” - Kwame Amponsah can be used to resolve features as small as 200 nm. Scanning Electron Microscopes (SEM) produce images by using a beam of electrons and can resolve features as small as 1 nm. But SEMs require significant sample preparation and testing must be conducted within a vacuum, leading to long cycle times. Moreover, both are limited to sample imaging, leaving electrical characterization to other instruments. This problem inspired scientists to invent the first scanning probe microscope (SPM) in 1981. This paved the way to a new class of techniques for imaging and characterization that use probes to physically approach or even touch the surface of a sample. Today, the SPM has evolved into a broad range of instruments used to analyze physical, chemical and electric properties, or detect and identify flaws in thin films and semiconductor devices. Current platforms use one or more needle-like tips to perform this testing. Each tip is controlled by an actuator enabling the instrument to probe a material in multiple locations. The process is complex and can take up to 30 minutes to complete. In addition, lasers used to track the tips can energetically excite the sample, obscuring test results. At nanoscales, navigation of the individual tips becomes much more difficult: positioning is often restricted by limited access to test features; drift can throw positioned tips off alignment before the test is complete; and tips moving within nanometers of each other can crash into each other or the sample to cause damage. Xallent is taking a radically different approach to enable a greater range of testing at smaller length scales, but with a faster and simpler platform. Current SPMs are based on supporting each tip with multiple peripheral accessories, lasers for alignment and sensing, nano-positioners for actuation, and electronics to improve quality and strength of the signal. Multi-tip platforms for advanced analyses come with parallel peripherals, one set for each tip, translating to complexity and expense that limits their use. In contrast, Xallent technology is based on building one or multiple tips along with supporting sensing, actuation and electronics onto a single probe chip. Such “probe platforms-on-a-chip” are designed and fabricated using advanced nanoelectromechanical system (NEMS) technologies, enabling simple miniaturization to the nanoscale. Use is equally simple, and requires a single nano-positioner to navigate the chip to the feature of interest. Testing is non-destructive and can be performed in ambient air, so no additional equipment or sample preparation is required. As a result, customers are able to perform advanced testing of nanoscale features at costs and times that are a fraction of conventional instruments. For example, one method for testing thin films involves patterning metal electrodes onto the film. This requires preparation in a cleanroom with lithographic and sputtering equipment, costing about $5K with a 24 hours turnaround. With the probe chip from Xallent, the test costs $300 and 10 minutes. 5 ׉ 7cassandra://rbtyRWM-gpQwQmV85kFW_hzixry0EC1O1Ow6Una9MLs`Vx7̯rVx7̯q(בCט(u׉׉ 7cassandra://95x3ga2YPRvhx9tAdXaFhCbElBH-XGadd-pH8lq6vhAz`׉ 7cassandra://M_1I1oPkWi-oPgGeW8pENeJgRFUIgt7-WPpTSEfzwHIT`s׉ 7cassandra://v_WOHmZgUEFOZkPWzc1IfNAj6_jh3_-6xXDzK035jF0w`׉ 7cassandra://Oj2Q6zoY2XMJSYtFJB-NTEhig7R5tzHCWXfiZWRC-GIͩ