[1st featured article] smart community projects · smart community projects transforming the global...

Reporting on Today and Tomorrow’s Energy, Environmental and Industrial Technologies

Smart Community ProjectsTransforming the Global Energy System

Intellectual Property Management at NEDOPerspective on Future Technologies

Dai Tamesue

New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization

[1st Featured Article]

[2nd Featured Article]

0302 Focus NEDO 2017 No.64

Perspectives on Future Technologies

Perspectives on Future TechnologiesDai Tamesue

1st Featured Article

Smart Community ProjectsTransforming the Global Energy System

Key Word 1Installing Solar Power Generation (PV)

Key Word 2Distributed Resource Aggregation

Key Word 3Expansion of the Energy Market in Asia

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2nd Featured Article

Intellectual Property Management at NEDO

Easy to Understand!News Release CommentaryFiberless Thermal Insulator with High Strength and Low Thermal Conductivity Capable of Use at High Temperature Developed

After Project Follow Up!

NEDO Project Success StoriesPlayback History Vol 4. Super Head Electronic Technology Development Promotion Project

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ContentsDirecting the Future

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. Ialsobelieveonceblockchaintechnologybecomesfirmlyestablishedtherewill 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 boundaries between disabled and healthy people have been narrowed to the point that there is almost no gap between them and a seamless connection between both sides. I think it is important to recognize how society changes when the “mindset” that humans conceive as natural is changed. In this way, technology enables paradigm shifts in human consciousness. By making it possible to do things people don't think they are capable of or perceive as impossible, technology is profoundly significant in provokingchanges in people’s “mindsets.”

Changing Mindsets through Technology

Dai TamesueBorn in Hiroshima in 1978. First Japanese sprinter to win a medal in a track event at a World Competition. Three-time Olympian. Current Japanese record holder for Men’s 400 meter hurdle (as of March 2017).Currently he operates Samurai Co., Ltd., a company that works on sports-related projects. The books he has written include “Hashiru Tetsugaku (Philosophy of Running)” (Fusosha Publishing Inc.) and “Akirameru Chikara (Power of Surrender)” (President Inc.).

2017No.64

“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.

Reporting on Today and Tomorrow’s Energy, Environmental, and Industrial Technology

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NEDO’s Demonstration Projects Aiming to Transform of the Structure of Electricity Supply and Demand As Japan progresses towards fully unbundled electric power system by 2020, a big change in the relationship between the supply and demand of electricity is about to occur due to the massive introduction of distributed renewable energy sources like solar power. In North America and Europe, where unbundling of electric power companies progressed during the2000s,fixedpricepurchasing rules to promote theuseofrenewable energy using policies such as feed-in tariffs or net-metering to oblige power companies to purchase energy from renewable sources have come to an end and new business models are beginning to be explored. Against this background, NEDO has been performing demonstrations of supply and demand models for electric power from both technical and business perspectives under a diverse range of global business conditions in anticipation of the introduction of large volumes of renewable energy. NEDO believes that these technical and business models also have the potential to be deployed in Japan in the future. Director General of the NEDO Smart Community Department Satoshi Morozumi,whohasfolloweddevelopmentsinthisfieldfor30years,says, “The conventional electric power system which generates large amounts of power from centralized generators and delivers it to consumers unidirectionally is beginning to crumble around the world. Instead, the idea of sharing and using distributed power sources has

begun to spread from the end users of the grid system*. In response NEDO is proceeding with the demonstration of technologies to address the needs of this new situation. Through such experiences spreading Japanese technology in overseas situations, NEDO is helping Japanese companiestounderstandthenecessityofinnovationinthisfield,andNEDO aims for the overseas results to provide feedback that can be applied to Japan as well.” NEDO’s demonstration projects have been conducted around the world. In industrialized countries NEDO looks for business models that apply to areas where the deregulation of the electricity market has preceded Japan and prove the compatibility of Japanese solutions with overseas technologies through compliance with international standards from organizations such as the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). Meanwhile in emerging countries NEDO encourages institutional reform that makes it easier for Japanese technology to enter the market and recruits Japanese companies that will work on technology demonstrations. Currently NEDO is conducting projects globally.* Grid system: An electricity system that includes all aspects from electricity production such as generation, transmission, transformation and distribution to consumers.

Responding Quickly to Changing Business Models through Overseas Demonstrations In the course of conducting demonstration projects, there are some

issues that have been emerging. These result from changes occurring among business models. “In the taxi industry, ride-share services originating from the United States have become popular globally. Similarly, in the electric power industry, a system is being built to enable users on the demand sidetodirectlyandflexiblysharetheirsurpluselectricpower.Theseare examples of a change happening globally across various industries. Japan shouldn’t lag behind in this development,” says Morozumi. NEDO constantly keeps an eye on trends among technology businesses competing worldwide, and when changing circumstances warrant NEDO always attempts to update the objectives of the ongoing projects accordingly.

Projecting the Future and Understanding Global Trends With regards to NEDO’s management system of demonstration projectsinthefield,itisimportanttoestablishallianceswithlocalbusiness 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 the smart community demonstration projects were just getting started, NEDO was exploring an approach focused on exporting all-

Japanese technology packages combining Japanese technologies. However, with the strong recognition that the essential purpose needs to be to improve local public infrastructure, which is a characteristics of the solution business, NEDO has been focusing more closely on the so-called “local company alliance” problem of which local companies to work with and how to engage in business development. Providing matchmaking with such local business partners is also a very important function of NEDO’s demonstration projects. Based on the points above, this Focus NEDO will introduce the current status and issues surrounding smart community as well as NEDO’s effort looking at “the beyond”, focusing on three keywords that are indispensable when thinking about the future new energy system: the technical elements of “solar power generation (PV)” and “distributed resource aggregation,” and the emerging market in “Asia.”

Smart community deals with the introduction 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.

Smart Community ProjectsTransforming the Global Energy System“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.

Director General and Project ManagerSmart Community DepartmentNEDO

Satoshi Morozumi

1st　 Featured Article

Smart Community ProjectInstalling Solar Power Generation (PV)KEY

WORD 1


The Expansion of PV Installations is Accelerating in Japan and Abroad The preceding global introduction of wind power generation reached a cumulativeinstalledgenerationcapacityof432GWin2015.Inaddition,inrecentyearsthecostofPVhascontinuouslydeclined,andasof2013theworldwide cost was less than $1/w worldwide, leading to the expansion of PV installations in earnest around this time. As for the amount of PV capacityintroducedworldwidesince2010,whichisshowninthefiguretothe right, the cumulative installed generation capacity has expanded rapidly andreached219GWin2015.Inthefuture,itisestimatedthattheintroductionofPV,whichiseasiertofinance,willsurpasstheintroductionofwindpowergeneration. In Japan also, because of the effects from the feed-in tariff system launched inJuly2012,PVhasrapidlybecomepopularoverthelast5years,andbytheendofAugust2016theinstalledgenerationcapacitywas35.79millionkW. Solving the Problems Facing the Mass Introduction of PV through Multifaceted Technologies Aspartof the“2030EnergyMix”(theLong-termEnergySupplyandDemandOutlookforFY2030)presentedbytheMinistryofEconomy,TradeandIndustry(METI)inJuly2015layingouttheplannedcompositionofpower sources in Japan it is understood that renewable energy will continue tobeintroducedinthefuture,withatargetof7%PVand1.7%windpowergeneration in the national Energy Mix. On the other hand, the output from PV and wind power generation can fluctuatebasedonfactorsinthenaturalenvironmentsuchasweather,sowhenintroducedinlargequantitiesitbecomesdifficulttoensurethebalancebetween supply and demand across the entire power grid system and results in a problem where grid operation cannot be maintained. For this reason, in a region where the introduction of PV is especially advanced such as Kyushu, the utilization of pumped-storage hydro * during Golden Week in 2016 was maximized to avoid the suppression of PV power output. Furthermorein2017,sincetheinstalledPVcapacitywillbeincreased,itisexpected that suppression of PV power output will be necessary at holidays and during the spring and autumn seasons. Also, since the capacity of the transmissionlinesfortransmittingthebackwardflowofpowerfromthepower distribution system to the power transmission system in the area is almost at its limit it is necessary to take measures to prevent new strains on the grid system as well. To address these issues, NEDO has been developing and demonstrating multifaceted technologies such as power generation prediction and control technologies for variable power sources, large-scale stationary energy storage systems, and supply-demand balance control systems utilizing electric vehicles (EV). * Pumped-storage hydro: Using reservoirs located above and below a power plant, this system generally uses surplus electricity produced during the night to pump water from the lower pool to the upper pool and then uses water discharged from the upper pool to the lower pool to generate electricity when demand peaks during the daytime.

Source : METI “Subcommittee for Reforming Systems Related to the Introduction of Renewable Energy” meeting handouts

Utilizing Japanese Control Technology to Stabilize a Wind Power Generation Grid System〜Demonstration in Poland〜LikePV,poweroutput fromawindpowergeneration is influencedby theweather so they both pose challenges to power grid system stability. As an EU 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 introducing wind power generation. NEDO has conducted a demonstration project in Poland to achieve the stable operation of the power grid system while promoting the installation of renewable energy including wind power. The smart grid demonstration projectwas started inMarch 2017 andwasaimed at increasing the amount of connectable renewable energy capacity while limiting investment in new transmission and distribution equipment and taking measures to prevent overloads at the time of a transmission line accident through the use of Japan’s unique grid stabilization technology called “SPS (Special Protection Scheme) and energy storage technology.

As PV Continues to Spread in Japan and Overseas,NEDO is Working to Tackle the ProblemsWith 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.

Project to Address Output Fluctuations in Power Grid System For the stable utilization of electricity from renewable energy, the output of which fluctuatesbyweathercondition,NEDOhasbeendevelopingpredictiontechnologiesand 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.

Development Project of Large-Scale Energy Storage System To accelerate the mass introduction of renewable energy sources including PV, it is expected that large-scale energy storage systems will be needed to suppress voltage and frequency fluctuations and provide surplus power storage as a grid systemstabilization 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)andatransportablestoragebatterysystemequippedwithlithium-ionrechargeable batteries.Additionally,NEDOhas verified the effectiveness of thesesystems in providing grid system stabilization through demonstrations of these energy storage systems as part of actual power grid systems in Japan and other countries.

Hawaii’s Smart Grid Demonstration Project Utilizing EVs (JUMPSmartmaui project) AlthoughtheinstallationofwindpowerandPVhasprogressedsignificantlyinHawaii,thestate’spowergridsystemshavebeenheavilyaffectedbyfluctuationsinrenewableenergy 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.

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Developing Technologies to Address Output FluctuationsImproving technologies on prediction, control and operation

Development of Large-Scale Energy Storage SystemsLower cost, longer life, and greater safety large-scale energy storage system

Controlling Supply-Demand Balance Using EVsStabilizing the power supply system through coordination with electric vehicles

■Trends in global cumulative renewable electricity generation capacity and annual installation

■Trends in the installation of renewable electricity generation facilities in Japan

Source : GWEC, Global Wind Report Annual Market Update 2015 and IRENA database

Ohara Solar Power Station

Azuchiyama Wind Power Station

Lead-acid battery and LIC hybrid energy storage system (Izu Oshima)

Transportable battery system with lithium ion rechargeable batteries (Spain)

EV rapid charge station

Demonstrations at a busy shopping mall

Smart Community Projects Transforming the Global Energy System1st　 Featured Article

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Smart Community ProjectDistributed Resource AggregationKEY

WORD 2


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Ongoing Projects Matched to the Characteristics of Different Regions Around the World with the New Business of Power Infrastructure in Mind Recently, businesses called “aggregators,” which act as a facilitator to consolidate small- to-medium-scale renewable energy power generation facilities for power companies, have entered the electricity wholesale market. That has made it easier to supply electric power through cooperation between suppliers and consumers. NEDO has conducted demonstration tests of these new business models around the world. Tell us more about the demonstration tests in Hawaii, the United Kingdom, and Canada, where the role of the electric power users is very important.

Takada:ThestateofHawaiihasaplantosupply100%ofelectricpowerusingrenewableenergyby2045.Sothe“JUMPSmartmauiproject” worked on demonstrating a system to stabilize the electric power supply in combination with local EV usage (also seep.7).OntheislandofMaui,wheretheelectricpowersystemisindependent, there have been efforts to solve problems with the power frequency becoming unstable that arise from the large-scale introduction renewable energy. Since EVs can be used as batteries as well, it is possible to use them as a virtual power plant by using a large number of EVs to store and discharge electric power. By transmitting the stored electric power to the grid system or using it by household during the peak time for power consumption in the evening, we can prevent shortages of electric 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 heatpumpsby2030hasbeensetasapartofthefourthroundofthe 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’sidea,andbyusingheatpumpsinstalledat550householdsin 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.

Sugimoto: In Canada, to address frequent power outages and improve the independence of each household by introducing PV and batteries, NEDO has been conducting demonstrations of peak shift control of power demand by power companies. NEDO is also examining a business model where power companies own these systems and rent the roof of each house to install them. This is a win-win business model where power companies earn revenue through sales of the electricity while consumers get paid for renting their roofs to the power companies.

Small-Scale Users Are Key, and It Is Important for Each and Every Resident to Understand the Value While each country has its own issues regarding electric power conditions, what have you found is important to put these innovations into practical use?Takada: I have realized that cultivating a strong awareness and understanding among local residents is important. In Hawaii, fluctuationsincrudeoilpricesaredirectlyreflectedinelectricitycosts so both residents and businesses are very sensitive about their electricity bills. That’s why they have a good level of awareness regarding renewable energy utilization. During the project, we had many opportunities to explain the whole concept of effective utilization of renewable energy. I heard that kids who listened to our explanations went home and asked their parents why they don’t have EVs at their homes. I believe this was one of the reasons we could reach our goal for the number of people using EVs sooner than we expected. Yurugi: In the Greater Manchester project, it was difficult toattract cooperation from the residents. The partners involved in the project including representatives of the municipal housing authorities visited every single family and explained the merits of switching to the heat pump heating system. Many of them said whattheyhadwassufficientandrefusedtoswitch,soalotoftimeandeffortwasneededtohelpthemunderstandthebenefitsofheatpumps and demand response systems. Even after they started to use the systems, in some cases they removed the internet connector while they were gone for an extended period of time and didn’t reconnect it after they came back, meaning we couldn’t

collect data from those units. Since everyone’s lifestyle differs, it was very important to accommodate each resident’s situation. Sugimoto: I realized the importance of understanding how standards differ based on the country. For example, Canada and Japan have different standards and that caused us to expend extra time to respond to the situation. I have learned that even if we consider certain specifications to be commonplace, they aren’talways applied in other countries.

Leveraging Foreign Demonstration Results in Japan with an Eye towards Revitalizing the Electricity Market in the Future To take advantage of the demonstration results for the introduction of systems in Japan, what are the expected issues and future prospects? Takada: By connecting power conditioners, PV, batteries and EVs, it’ll get easier to use these distributed energy resources efficiently and realize “distributed resource aggregation.”However, the current situation is that you cannot ensure operation without confirming the guaranteed performance from eachmanufacturer.Forexample,youcannotbenefitconsumersunlessthey can connect the devices from different manufacturers, such as a power conditioner the consumer has already purchased and a new EV manufactured by a different company. It is important to build the necessary business environment including the standardization development to expand the business in Japan and around the world. Yurugi: Besides private power generation on the demand side, I believe “negawatt transactions” will be established where people make deals for electricity secured against demand restraints. I expect there will be issues with how power suppliers secure power capacity and what penalties there are in the event they cannot secureasufficientamountofpower.Sincethegeneralpublicwillalso be responsible with regards to demand response and negawatt transactions, it will be a big issue to help them understand the systemanditsbenefitsandgetthemtoparticipate.Sugimoto: Although there are differences in climate and electricity costs between Canada and Japan, we can apply the data from the demonstrations conducted in Canada to Japan through simulations.Byexaminingmultiplemodels,we’llbeabletofindthe most suitable model which enables us to expand the use of the system in Japan. Yurugi: In Japan, the system for distributed resource aggregation is still at the review stage. NEDO would like to contribute to the creation of new businesses in Japan by developing solutions through NEDO’s projects.

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.

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Director & Project Manager, Smart Community DepartmentNEDO

Director & Project Manager, Smart Community DepartmentNEDO

Chief Officer, Smart Community DepartmentNEDO

Yoshiko Yurugi

Kazuyuki Takada

Maria Sugimoto

* Greater Manchester

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View of the residential building with heat pumps installed (Manchester, UK)Managed by Wigan & Leigh Homes, Daikin Air Conditioning UK Limited (November 2016)

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)

Demonstration system (UK)

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Smart Community ProjectExpansion of the Energy Market in AsiaKEY

WORD 3


Creating Smart Communities is a Future ChallengeWith Special Circumstances Not Found in the West In Southeast Asia and South Asia, although electric power demand has been increasing in line with economic growth, power supplieshavenotbeensufficient tomeet thedemand.Also, thelevel of power distribution loss due to frequent power outages and electricity theft is high, and rapidly growing urban areas face challenges fromairpollution issuesand traffic jams.Tosustaincontinuous economic growth in these countries, providing a stable

supply of clean electric power is a very important issue. In order to start working quickly on finding solutions for theunique challenges of each region, NEDO has conducted demonstration projects focusing on preplanned cities and industrial areas where it is relatively easier to introduce smart city-related systems and technologies. In Asia, many of the electricity businesses are run by state-owned companies, and it sometimes needs to deal with the dual structure of central governments and local governments. Also, multiple government agencies may be involved so it tends to take longer to make arrangements for the project. To execute projects, negotiation capabilities are required as well as technological capabilities so NEDO has been promoting projects by assuming the role of the central point of contact for the administrative agencies as well.

MalaysiaDemonstrating the World’s First Super Quick-Chargeable EV Bus System

The city of Putrajaya, located to the south of the Malaysian capitalofKualaLumpur,isapreplannedcitydesignedasa“greencity”. The development of a new administrative capital where government agencies will be concentrated has been advancing there as well. To make this city a smart community by improving theefficiencyoftheurbantransportationsystem,NEDOandthecitysignedanagreementinJuly2015toconductademonstrationproject of a super quick charging system and large-scale (12-meter-long) EV buses with and cutting-edge batteries on board. In June 2016,NEDOmodifiedtheagreementtoincludethedemonstrationof the world’s first large-scale double decker EV bus system,which has more transportation capacity than the single deck bus system. Since the double decker bus has a higher transportation capacity per road area and per driver, they are being introduced in densely populated regions including Malaysia and other ASEAN countries. However, switching to EVs has been considered too difficult as the weight of the vehicle with a battery on boardexceeds the weight limit. In this project, NEDO is demonstrating that it is possible to solve the problems of weight and operating EV buses just like diesel buses by combining EV buses equipped with a battery with an appropriate capacity on board with a super quick charger, creating a system capable of running for about 30kilometers with 10 minutes of charging time. By utilizing Japanese technology NEDO aims to spread this urban transportation package throughout the entire ASEAN area in addition to making the urban transportation system in Putrajaya moreefficientandsmarterthroughtheuseofIoT.

IndonesiaDemonstrating How to Make Industrial Parks Smarter and More Eco-Friendly

In Indonesia, NEDO has been conducting a smart community demonstration project in Suryacipta industrial park in the city of Karawang, located approximately 50 kilometers east of theIndonesian capital of Jakarta. In this country, where the high level of economic growth is continuing, the growth in energy demand has been remarkable. In order to establish a “sustainable society” balancing economic and environmental concerns, developing an advanced energy utilization system is an urgent issue. Especially in the industrial park, where a large number of industrial sectors accounting for approximately one-third energy consumption are concentrated, the growth in energy consumption is significant.

This is why NEDO is introducing Japanese smart community technology and demonstrating the viability of a smart and eco-friendly industrial park. Halfofthe130companiesinthisindustrialparkareJapanese-affiliated companies, and in this project, NEDO has beenconducting demonstrations including improvement of the quality of electric power supplies by introducing a distribution automation system, an uninterruptible power-supply system (UPS), and a voltage stabilization system; suppressing power consumption and conserving energy by coordinating demand side management and factory energy management system(FEMS); and establishing basic infrastructure capabilities such as communications. As the Indonesiangovernmenthassetagoalofgenerating23%ofpowerfromrenewableenergyby2025,discussions topromoteenergyconservation have become more active. NEDO and the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources of Indonesia have reached an agreement to build a collaborative relationship between the project contractors and Indonesian state-owned power company when conducting the project.

IndiaCooperation through Both Providing Technology and Building Capability

In Panipat, Haryana, located about 90 kilometers north of the Indian capital of New Delhi, NEDO has been conducting a project to provide technology related to smart grids, which are power transmissionnetworksthatefficientlycontrolthebalancebetweenpower supply and demand using ICT, and operational know-how on the Japanese power distribution system to power distribution companies in India. This is also one of the fourteen “Smart Grid Pilot Projects” led by the Ministry of Power, Government of India. 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. To address these specific issues, NEDO has been conductingdemonstrations for solutions focused on both technology and education. An agreement has been reached between NEDO and the Ministry of Finance, Department of Economic Affairs, Government of India, the Ministry of Power, Government of India, and the Power Department, Government of Haryana State to establish a project scheme where project contractors provide know-how to the local power distribution companies. NEDO aims to contribute to make Indian power grids smarter, demonstrate the effectiveness of Japan’s advanced smart grid-related technologies, disseminate Japanese technology, and serve as a stepping stone to help Japanese companies expand their business in India.

To understand the present and future of the smart community business

Smart Community Summit 2017

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 Corporat ion,

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Fuji Electric Co., Ltd., NTT Communications Corporation, Sumisho Machinery Trade Corporation

NEDO and the Japan Smart Community Alliance (JSCA) will jointly host and organizethe“SmartCommunitySummit2017.”AttheSummit,themostup-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.

June 8 (Thu.) - 9 (Fri.), 2017Tokyo Big Sight (Tokyo International Exhibition Center)

Panipat, India▶Project overview: improving supply reliability,

reducing power distribution loss, providing operational know-how▶Project period: FY 2015-FY 2018 (4 years)▶Contractors: Fuji Electric Co., Ltd., Sumitomo

Electric Industries, Ltd. (smart grid), THE Power Grid Solution Ltd. (capacity building)

Putrajaya, Malaysia▶Project overview: operating single and double

deck EV buses on major arterial routes, installing and demonstrating a super rapid charging system, establ ishing and demonstrating monitoring systems for the quality and charging status of batteries and bus operational conditions▶Project period: FY 2015-FY 2019 (5 years)▶Contractors: Toshiba Corporation (batteries,

monitoring systems, etc.), PUES Corporation (EV buses), Hasetec Corporation (super rapid chargers), Oriental Consultants Global Co., Ltd. (economical evaluation, etc.)

The Energy Situation in Asia through the Lens of NEDO’s ProjectsSoutheast 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.

http://www.nedo.go.jp/english/event_20170327.html



Intellectual Property Management at NEDOAs 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.

What is the “Japanese Bayh-Dole Act”? NEDO projects are divided into two types of activities – contracted projects and grant-based projects. For contracted projects, NEDO applies Article 19 of the Industrial Technology Enhancement Act, the so-called “Japanese Bayh-Dole Act,” which allows companies or universities that performed research and development (R&D) projects with the government funding to own the intellectual property rights resulted from the projects with certain conditions. Originally, it was based on the Bayh-Dole Act (formally known as the Patent and Trademark Law Amendments Act), a US lawestablished to promote commercialization during a period of reducedinternationaleconomiccompetitivenessinthelate1970s,which enabled patents created as a result of government-funded 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 property rights created through government-funded R&D projects belonged to the government. However, in the 1990s, Japan faced major issues related to strengthening the competitiveness of Japanese industries, and a bill including the Japanese Bayh-Dole Act based on the US Bayh-Dole Act was enacted and the new law has come into force from October 1999. As a result, NEDO also has been applying the Japanese Bayh-Dole Act to NEDO projects.

Aiming to Maximize the Effectiveness of NEDO Project Implementation A wide range of organizations from the academic, business, and government communities are involved in NEDO projects, and perspectives on intellectual property vary substantially based on each of their positions. In response, the Technology Strategy Center’s Standardization and Intellectual Property Unit supports the management of intellectual property with the objective of smoothly facilitating the promotion of NEDO projects and resulting technology applications thereafter so the organizations involved don’t have disagreements or conflicts regarding the intellectualproperty.

“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 the implementation of NEDO projects and promotes the management of intellectual property,” says Daiki Sadamitsu, Chief OfficeroftheStandardizationandIntellectualPropertyUnit.Todoso,theUnitworkswiththerelevantprojectmanagementofficeandstarts examining the most appropriate and effective ways to handle intellectual property rights several months prior to the launch of a project to support it. “The purpose of a NEDO project is not to file a lot of patentapplications. To achieve NEDO’s ambitious technology development goals and to commercialize the results of NEDO projects in the future, it is important to fully consider many issues including open and closed strategies while promoting the project. To accomplish this, we work with the associated project managementofficetosupportthemanagementoftheproject,”saysMakiNakahara,anotherChiefOfficeroftheUnit.

NEDO’s management of intellectual property is positioned as a foundation to smoothly accomplish technology development with a wide range of organizations. To implement projects smoothly, NEDO publishes the “Basic Policy for the Management of Intellectual Property in NEDO Projects (NEDO Intellectual Property Policy)” at the time when posting public solicitations. Thefirstversionofthe“NEDOIntellectualPropertyPolicy”wasdeveloped in December 2010, and it has been applied to all NEDO projectsconductedsince2013.Later,asaresultofthedevelopmentof the “Guidelines for Intellectual Property Management in Government-commissioned Research and Development” by METI in2015,NEDOhascurrentlybeenusing the4th version of the “NEDOIntellectualPropertyPolicy(September2015Revision).” The “NEDO Intellectual Property Policy” has two main pillars. The first one is to develop “intellectual property agreements” between NEDO project participants governing how to handle intellectual property. In the agreement, the rules are set out in terms of maintaining of confidentiality, attribution of results from the project, licensing of project results, and so on. 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 discuss and determine how to handle intellectual property in their associated project. As a general rule, terms will be set based on the 4th version of the “NEDO Intellectual Property Policy”. However, taking into consideration the context of the project and with the aim of

improving the effectiveness of the implementation of the project, a different policy more suitable for a given project may be developed. NEDO gathers knowledge and promotes the optimal management of intellectual property to establish the mechanism enabling more effective implementation of the intellectual property strategy toward the exit.

Basic Policy for the Management of Intellectual PropertyThe two pillars of the “NEDO Intellectual Property Policy” are “intellectual property agreements” and “intellectual property steering committees”

US Bayh-Dole ActIn the late 1970s, the internationalcompetitiveness of the US economy was declining and the bill was proposed by a Republican lawmaker and a Democratic lawmaker in a bipartisan manner.

▼In 1980, the Bayh-Dole Act (the Patent and Trademark Law Amendments Act) wasenacted to award intellectual property rights including patents resulted from government-funded R&D projects to project performers.

▼Patents awarded to universities increased and technology development by private companies was accelerated. The US economy regained its competitiveness through new venture creation, etc.

Japanese Bayh-Dole ActIn 1999, at the Council for Industrial Competitiveness hosted by the Prime Min is te r, the pr ivate sector made recommendations regarding the release of the government-owned patents to businesses. To enhance the industr ial competitiveness, the government decided to implement a new measure based on the US Bayh-Dole Act.

▼On October 1, 1999, the “Act on Special Measu res Concer n ing Indust r ia l Revitalization” was put into effect, including a system (the so-called Japanese Bayh-Dole Act) that enables commissioned researchers to retain rights to inventions developed through the R&D using government funding under cer tain conditions.

▼To make the Japanese Bayh-Dole Act a permanent system, it was transferred to enforcement under the Indust r ia l Technology Enhancement Act (enforced fromAugust6,2007).

The Background of the Establishment of the Bayh-Dole Acts in the US and Japan

* a-f are project participants

Intellectual Property Management at NEDO2nd　 Featured Article

Case A Case B Case C

As a basic principle, the intellectual property from a project is consolidated and assigned to a single Participant X who serves as a “hub” to provide a strong base for the project structure. This allows all the project participants to conduct research and generate intellectual property using the consolidated accomplishments, supporting the project outcomes and leading to commercialization by each participant.

As a basic principle, licensing of the project results is permitted between participants not only in the same research theme but also across different research themes. This allows to utilize results from a single research theme throughout the entire project and maximize the potential results of the project as a whole.

When a project is focused on early-phase research and its results may be needed for use in a future successor project, researchers can license their results to participants in following projects as a principle.

■ Patterns in the Application of the Intellectual Property Policy

■ NEDO’s Intellectual Property Policy Development Process

Daiki SadamitsuChief Officer, Standardization and Intellectual Property Unit Technology Strategy Center (TSC), NEDO

NEDO has applied the Japanese Bayh-Dole Act since 1999Intellectual property rights belong to the participants of NEDO

projects: supports commercialization

▼A wide range of organizations from the academic, business, and

government communities participate in NEDO projects

▼Each participant has different views on how to handle intellectual

property resulted from NEDO projects

▼It is necessary to set rules for the handling of intellectual property resulted from NEDO projects at the very beginning of the project

▼“Basic Policy for the Management of Intellectual Property in NEDO

Projects” developed in 2010 (currently the 4th version after multiple revisions)

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NEDO has been invited to intellectual property events hosted by local municipalities including Kawasaki City. What kind of roles do you expect NEDO to serve? We expect NEDO to utilize information from a wide range of technical fields and network with large corporations to helprevitalize local economies. The efforts of Kawasaki City have been earning the attention of other local municipalities as the so-called “Kawasaki Model.” What we can do on our own is limited, but we would like to support the revitalization of not only Kawasaki City but also local economies around the country through joint efforts with NEDO.

The “Survey on Utilization of Patents” (hereafter referred to as the “Bayh-Dole Survey”) is a joint effort administered by the Standardization and Intellectual Property Unit and the Asset Management Department. The Bayh-Dole Survey is conducted in order to understand the utilization of approximately twenty-thousand patents generated as outcomes of NEDO projects since the Japanese Bayh-Dole Act was established. NEDO is trying to reduce administrative burdens for project participantsbyprovidingnotificationsoftheproceduresthatmustbe 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. In addition, as part of the Bayh-Dole Survey, a survey focusing on patents which are either already registered or in the process of registration is conducted annually to understand the actual state of application from the perspectives of commercialization by the patent holder, licensing to others, and prevention of technology development by others, The results are published on NEDO’s website*2 (see the graph to the right).

AnewserviceNEDOhasbeenprovidingsince2015is“patentmatching.” With the agreement of the patent holders, the members of the Standardization and Intellectual Property Unit work to coordinate with local municipalities and introduce patented technologies generated through NEDO projects to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). In addition to taking advantage of the intellectual property events to introduce the patents to a large number of SMEs, NEDO also works with the businesses individually by listening to the strengths and needs of each company to explore and recommend potential technology seeds suited to the company’s situation. In June 2016, NEDO and Kawasaki City officially signed an

“Agreement for the Promotion of Next Generation Industries” focused on the further promotion of patent matching. “NEDO attended a lot of intellectual property events - eight times in FY2015 and five times in FY2016 - conducted by localmunicipalities including the cities of Kawasaki, Aomori in Aomori Prefecture, Hamamatsu in Shizuoka Prefecture, Okaya in Nagano Prefecture, and Kitakyushu in Fukuoka. NEDO asks the local municipalities for information on the local needs in advance, and tries to introduce patents tailored to meet the characteristics of each community,” says Sadamitsu.

What is the motivation behind starting to support intellectual property matching? Kawasaki City is known as a “manufacturing town” and many SMEs are gathered here. Some of the local companies have been trying to expand their business; for example, companies doing processing and assembly work as subcontractors have been trying to create their own products and enter new business areas. So we thought about the ways we could help them as a city and started to supportintellectualpropertymatchinginFY2007. 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.

Intellectual Property Rights in Contracted Projects Intellectual property rights resulted from NEDO’s contracted projects include industrial property rights such as patent rights, copyrights, and know-how. As explained on page 12, under the terms of the Japanese Bayh-Dole Act the rights to intellectual property developed through NEDO projects in principle belong to the project participants under certain conditions. However, projectparticipantsarerequiredtoreporttoNEDOwhentheyfileapplications for, register, transfer, and use their intellectual property rights. “NEDO used to require participants to report the necessary information by submitting paperwork, but to reduce the administrativeburdenandimproveoperationalefficiencyNEDOhas allowed them to report those aforementioned four items through an online system since October 2015. We encourageNEDO project participants to make use of the information page*1 on NEDO’s website,” says Director of NEDO’s Asset Management Department Susumu Kubo.

Using the “Bayh-Dole Survey” to Understand the State of PatentsSurvey uncovers the status of utilization of approximately 20,000 patents

Supporting Integrated Exit Strategies through Survey and Matching ServicesNEDO 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.

Building Bridges from Results to Applications through “Patent Matching”Introducing NEDO’s technology seeds through participations in intellectual property exchange meetings around Japan

■ Relationship between Intellectual Property Rights and Industrial Property Rights

Local Municipality Interview! Kawasaki City x NEDO

Revitalizing the Local Economy through Support for Intellectual Property MatchingYoshiji KimuraManager in charge of Open-innovation Promotion, Planning Section, Economic and Labor Affairs Bureau, City of Kawasaki

Intellectual Property Management at NEDO2nd　 Featured Article

■ Results of the Survey on Utilization of Patents (Bayh-Dole Survey)

*1 Information on submitting intellectual property rights-related reports and applications through the online systemhttp://www.nedo.go.jp/itaku-gyomu/chizai_tsuuchi.html (Japanese)

*2 Usage of Bayh-Dole based Research and Development Outcomeshttp://www.nedo.go.jp/jyouhoukoukai/shisankanri_chitekizaisan.html (Japanese)

Survey sample included 16,949 patent applicants and rights holders regarding 13,391patentsregisteredorwithapplicationspendingasofOctober1,2016.(18,639totalresponsesincludingblankresponsesandmultipleanswers)

Survey sample included 16,949 patent applicants and rights holders regarding 13,391patentsregisteredorwithapplicationspendingasofOctober1,2016.(18,639totalresponsesincludingblankresponsesandmultipleanswers)

Licensing negotiation, technology partnership, etc.

Seed holder (large corporations, universities etc.)

Survey responses

Third-partylicensingavailable

Third-partylicensing

not available

Not underconsideration

No response

Third-partylicensingpossible

Understanding the seeds

●Introducing the seeds (open)●Interview (understanding needs)●Exploration/recommendation of seeds (closed)

PresentingNEDO’s seeds

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs)

Presentingstrengths/needs

Presenting needsAdvice/recommendation

Local municipalities,financial institutes, etc.(including coordinators)

CooperationCooperation Understanding theinformation on SMEs

Narrowing down the NEDO seedslikely to match the needs of SMEs

Intermediation

NEDO

Resulted from

the outcomes of

projects contracted by NED

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IndustrialProperty Rights

Patents

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Integrated circuitlayout design rights

Plant breeder’srights

IndustrialProperty Rights, etc.

Copyrights

Right to receiveindustrial property rights

Before theacquisitionof a right

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IntellectualProperty Rights

Commercialized bythe patent holder　　　3.5%Plannedcommercialization bythe patent holder11.2%

Retained as researchand developmentoutcome(with possibility ofcommercialization)35.7%

Retained as research and development outcome(without possibility of commercialization)　　　　15.2%

Commercialization abandoned1.8%

Licensed to a third party(including cross-licensing)4.0%

Planned to licensing to a third party(including cross-licensing)5.1%

No response18.8%

Acquired for defensive purposes4.6%

Mr. Kimura of Kawasaki City (right) and Mr. Sadamitsu of NEDO (left)

A scene from an intellectual property matching event

Here are the key points!

Easy to understand!News Release

A special feature that aims to make news releases full of jargon, technical terms and difficult technologies easier to understand by focusing in on the important points. This conveys NEDO’s state-of-the-art technological achievements and activities with an easy-to-understand explanation.

C ommentary


Glossary

Research and Development Project for Innovative Thermal Management Materials and TechnologiesA NEDO project which conducts integrated technology development of insulation, heat accumulation, and thermoelectric conversion technologies together as thermal management technology, the foundation of technology to effectively utilize dispersed thermal energy, while focusing on the reutilization of unused thermal energy in various environments.

Gelation freezing methodA method to create porous ceramic materials by dispersing a small amount of ceramic powder in a pol-ymer gel capable of holding a large amount of moisture. By freezing the mixture, the water becomes ice and forms cavities within the gel, which is then fired to remove the ice crys-tals, leaving behind a porous ce-ramic material.

RCF (refractory ceramic fiber)“Ceramic fiber” is a collective term for artificial mineral fibers containing alumina (aluminum oxide) and silica (silicon dioxide) as main ingredients. When it has an alumina content of 40-60% and is amorphous (holohyaline), it is called RCF (refractory ce-ramic fiber). RCF is considered a carcinogen when inhaled, and has been designated as a spe-cially-controlled substance un-der the Ordinance on Prevention of Hazards due to Specified Chemical Substances since No-vember 2015. The usage of RCF has been restricted since then.

Featured Technology

In the ceramic products manufacturing industry, where ceramics and refractories are produced, industrial furnaces operated at high temperatures of 800°C or higher are used. Especiallyduringceramicfiringprocessesoperatedat1,500°C or higher, only a small percentage of thermal energy is used for firingtheactualproductandmostoftherestisexhaustedintothe air as waste heat. Given that the electricity used to create the unused thermal heat is effectively wasted, furnaces that minimize the waste heat have long been desired. However, it wasconsideredtobedifficultforinsulationmaterialsusedforfurnaces operated at high temperatures to possess both “high

strength” and “low thermal conductivity” characteristics. Insulation materials developed here can not only minimize the thermalenergydisposedofaswasteheatbutalsosignificantlyreduce the thermal energy wasted through heat accumulation within furnace components by reducing the weight of the materials used for the furnace itself. When using insulation manufactured based on the technology developed in a small electric furnace to measure the electricity consumption, it was found that electricity consumption was reduced by 38%comparedtoafurnaceusingconventionalinsulatingfirebricks.

News Release

Accelerating Energy Conservation Further

Reducing Unused Thermal EnergyThrough 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.

◆ Commentary

An Insulation Material that Realizes both “High Strength” and “Low Thermal Conductivity”

◆ Outlook for the Future

Promoting Further Energy Conservation through Innovative Technology Development Mino Ceramic Co., Ltd. and AIST who successfullydeveloped this technology aim to realize technology to effectively utilize unused thermal energy through the further improvement of the performance of the newly-developed insulation materials (goal: maximum operation temperature of 1,500°C or above, thermal conductivity of 0.2 W/mK, and

compressive strength of 20 MPa) and the development of mass-production technology. NEDO will continue to promote further energy conservation in the industrial, transportation equipment, and housing environment fields through theinnovative technology development of various thermal management materials.

News Release13th of February 2017Fiberless Theral 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 -

Results of the experiment to verify the reduced electricity consumption effect of the developed product

An image of the high-strength, high-performance fiberless insulation material developed in this project (left) and its appearance through an electron microscope (right)

A high-strength, high-performance insulation material which can be used at high temperatures and possess low thermal conductivity while maintaining high strength was developed.

Electricity consumption was reduced by 38% compared to a furnace using conventional insulating firebricks!

The new material does not include RCF (refractory ceramic fiber), which is designated as a specially-controlled substance under regulatory supervision which has restrictions on use.

The material has a thermal conductivity of 0.25 W/mK or lower, a compressive strength of 10 MPa 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.

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Conventional firebrick

Fiberless insulation material

FiberlessThermalInsulatorwithHighStrengthandLowThermalConductivity Capable of Use at High Temperature Developed-EnergyConsumptionReducedbyApproximately38%throughtheCombinationofLowThermalConductivityandHighStrength-

<Summary> Currently, more than half of the primary energy in the transportation, industrial, and civil sectors is unused and converted to waste heat. Against this backdrop, NEDO has focused on the huge amount of unused thermal energy that is released into the environment without being utilized and has been conducting the “Research and Development Project for Innovative Thermal Management Materials and Technologies ” to create innovative elemental technologies enabling societyto“reduce,reuse,andrecycle”wasteheatandestablishnewsystemssinceFY2015. In the ceramic productsmanufacturing industry, approximately 30%of the thermal energyproduced during the high temperature operation of industrial furnaces over 800°C is used to heatproductswhile therest isdisposedofunused.Especially in theceramicfiringprocessathightemperaturesof1,500°C or above, only a small percentage of the total thermal energy is usedforfiringtheproducts,whiletheresteitheraccumulatesinthematerialswithinthedeviceand furnace or is exhausted as waste heat. The amount of waste heat attributable to insulation materials such as heat storage within furnace components and heat dissipation from the furnace wallaccountsfor45%ofthetotal,soinordertoreducetheamountofunusedheatproduced(wasteheat), the development of high-strength, high-heat resistance insulting materials that can be used at high temperatures is very desirable. In this NEDO project, high-strength, high-performance insulation materials with a combination of high strength and low thermal conductivity is being developed by using the gelation freezing method, a technology to create porous ceramic materials developed by the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) Structural Materials Research Institute. Inthisproject,MinoCeramicCo.,Ltd.,amemberoftheThermalManagementMaterialsandTechnology Research Association (TherMAT), in collaboration with AIST, has succeeded in developingmanufacturingtechnologyforafiberlessthermalinsulatorwithoutRCFexhibitingmaterialcharacteristicsincludingamaximumoperatingtemperatureof1,450°C, a compressive strengthof11.0MPa,andathermalconductivityratingof0.25W/mK,achievingalowerthermalconductivity rating while maintaining structural strength similar to conventional insulating firebricksusedinfire-resistantinsulationforindustrialfurnaces.Sincetheinsulationmaterialdevelopedhasasimilarstrengthtoconventionalinsulatingfirebricks,itcanbeappliedasaliningmaterial for the innermost layer of industrial furnaces. As a result, in addition to reducing the amountof thermalenergywasted throughradiation, itcansignificantlyreduce theamountofthermal energy wasted through the accumulation of heat within the furnace by reducing the weight of furnace materials. When using the insulation manufactured based on the developed technology in a small electric furnace to measure electricity consumption, it reduced overall electricityconsumptionby38%comparedtoafurnaceusingconventionalinsulatingfirebricks.

February13,2017NewsReleasehttp://www.nedo.go.jp/news/press/AA5_100717.html(Japanese)http://www.nedo.go.jp/english/news/AA5en_100176.html(English)


The “Super Head Electronic Technology Development Promotion Project” was a NEDO project focused on the R&D of the “electron beam mask writer” which enabled the writing of more miniaturized circuits in preparation for smaller feature size and higher integration in LSIs. NuFlare Technology, Inc. (Toshiba Corporation and Toshiba Machine Co., Ltd. at that time), thanks to the results of this project to enable ultra-microfabrication, has now achieved more than a 90% share of the world market for this technology. This accomplishment has supported the development of lightweight, compact, high-performance information and communication equipment.

Photomasks Enabling the Mass Production of Highly-Miniaturized Circuits for Digital Equipment The unprecedentedly high-integration and further refinement of semiconductor integrated circuits has supported the popularization of digital information and communication equipment such as smartphones and tablet PCs. LSIs are electronic circuits that havea large number of electronic components including resistors, capacitors, diodes, and transistors integrated on a semiconductor substrate such as silicon, and the size of the circuits are already in the nanometer range (one nanometer = one billionth of a meter). The “photomask”, the term for the “photographic negative” equivalent usedinthecreationofLSIcircuits,iswhatenabledthemass-production of those ultra-miniaturized circuits (see Figure 1). To improve the performance of an LSI circuit, it isnecessary to increase the degree of integration of the circuit, which requires technology that allows the writing

of finer circuit pathways on the same-sized chip to doso. In the 1990s, Etec Systems, Inc. in the U.S. led the world in commercial fine electron beam mask writersandcapturedmorethan90%oftheworldmarketatonepoint,butevenusingtheirequipmentitwasdifficulttoachieve the next generation of miniaturized circuits. To conquerthedifficultiesofminiaturizingsemiconductorsfurther, NEDO’s “Super Head Electronic Technology DevelopmentPromotionProject”wasstartedinFY1995with the aim of quickly developing a cost effective and high-precision next-generation “electron beam mask writer”with the ability towrite ahigh-definitionmaskpattern in a short period of time. Challenges Standing in the Way of Developing a Next-Generation “Electron Beam Mask Writer” The companies participating in the project, Toshiba Corporation and Toshiba Machine Co., Ltd. (NuFlareTechnology, Inc. now following a company split-up), had been working on the development of technology to enable thewritingofsmallerfeaturesizecircuitssincethe1970s.Originally, there was a circuit writing technology called “direct-write,” a method of writing circuits directly onto asiliconwafer,butthemass-productionofsmallerLSIcircuits was enabled by using a “photomask” containing the original circuit pattern and exposing it to electrons to copy thedesignonto thesiliconwafer.AsLSIcircuitsachieved smaller feature and higher integration, it was expected that more minute writing would be available by increasing the accelerating voltage of the electron beam used to write the circuit pattern on the photomask. However, it needed to overcome a challenge called the “proximity effect,” a phenomenon where the electrons

within the electron beam are scattered by the glass of the maskand the reflectedbackscatteredelectronspreventcopying of the line pattern design. An accelerating voltage of at least 50 kV is requiredfor electron beams capable of sharp, high-definitionpattern formation. However, when injecting electrons at 50kV,theareaoftheresistaffectedbybackscattering,spreadstoaround30μm.Thesectionswithdensercircuitpatterns receive more backscatter resulting in the lines drawn becoming thicker. It is called the “proximity effect” because sections in the design that are close to each other are affected (see Figure 2). In order to use highly accelerated electrons to write a miniaturized pattern in higher definition with lessbackscatter of electrons, it is necessary to deal with the “proximity effect” caused by the backscattering. The dimensional variability caused by the proximity effect fromanacceleratingvoltageof50kVcanbeashighas200 nm, which is a critical problem for manufacturing maskswhenthetargetfabricationdimensionofanLSIdesignmaskis180nm(720nmonthemask). Besides this challenge, in the course of designing the mask writer that can realize smaller feature size and higheroperationspeedofLSIcircuits,therewerealsomany other challenges to solve in order to enable high-speed, high-accuracy writing, so the technologies the NEDO project worked on covered a wide range.

Conquering the “Proximity Effect” to Write Circuits with Higher Definition Takayuki Abe, senior specialist of NuFlare Technology’s Marketing Department, was the one who tackled the solution to the “proximity effect” issue after originally working on this research for a long time. A new algorithm for real-time control of the dose of the electron beam for the “direct-write” approach had been previously developed and the precision of the technique had been verifiedincomputersimulations.So,inthisproject,theresults from that research were applied to develop the electron beam mask writer. After going through trial and

error, a new calculus equation to quickly and accurately figureout theelectrondosecontrol inaccordancewiththe write time required was developed. As a result, it became possible to reduce the dimensional deviation caused by the proximity effect to 2 nm or less even if anelectronbeamatahighacceleratingvoltageof50kVwas used, compared to around 200 nm without correcting the proximity effect. In addition, it was designed in a way so that the correction calculation for a part of the mask patterns where the circuit patterns will be written later can be performed while another part is being written on the mask. The design also allows the calculation results to be processed quickly and in large volume in electric circuits. Through these efforts, a writer which writes quickly as it calculates the correction of the dosages almost in real-time was created and the resulting high-speed, high-accuracy mask writer was successfully commercialized.

Achieving a World Market Share of Almost 100% and Becoming Essential to the Information and Communication Society With the outcomes from the continuous development of various new technologies including NEDO projects, NuFlare Technology’s new products made a huge difference on performance compared to their competitors’ and now the world market share for their equipmentisalmost100%.Itcanalsobesaidthattheirhigh-definitionmaskexposure technologyhasenabledsmartphones and tablets to become smaller and lighter with more advanced functions. In addition, behind the popularization of these small communication devices, it is essential to maintain and enhance the high speed and high capacity of server computers, and most server computerscontainLSIcircuittechnologydevelopedbyNuFlare Technology. “Itwas our first commercialization effort andwe felthuge pressure too. But because of our hard work we now have the biggest market share in the world and weareverysatisfiedwith it,” saysYoshiakiHattoriofNuFlareTechnology’sMaskLithographyEngineeringDepartment. Starting with the success of developing an electron beam mask writer for 180 nm critical dimension design nodeLSIsin1998, tokeepupwiththestateofannualLSIcircuitproductionminiaturizationadvances,themostup-to-date current model has realized a current density of 1,200 A/cm2, uses a three-stageobjectivedeflectionarchitecture, and incorporates resist heating correction capabilities for the7nm technologynodeLSIcircuits.While most semiconductor-related equipment has a short lifespan due to the development of new technologies, NuFlare Technology’s miniaturized mask processing technology has maintained its position as the world’s most advanced technology for more than ten years. NuFlare Technology has been conducting R&D for the next generation of machines so their electron beam mask writer will continue to support the development of information and communication equipment in the future.

What is the “Super Head Electronic Technology Development Promotion Project”? InFY1995whentheprojectstarted,thefurtherminiaturization ofsemiconductorintegratedcircuits(Large-ScaleIntegration:LSI) was essential to the development of high-performanceinformation communication equipment to support our advanced information society. However, to accomplish the smallerfeaturesizeandhigherintegrationinLSIs,therewerea lot of technical challenges to deal with in order to produce high-definition masks. Therefore, this NEDO project waslaunched and ran through FY2001 to support the improvement of “lithography technology,” which is the core technology used in the semiconductor production process.

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 came after, summarizing past articles in “NEDO Project Success Stories.”

NEDOPROJECT SUCCESS STORIESVol 4.Super Head Electronic Technology Development Promotion ProjectElectron Beam Mask Writer Boasts Overwhelming Global Market Share

Project

Follow Up!

Playback

History

In “NEDO Project Success Stories”, we interview the developers including corporations involved in the project and post success stories on the website.

http://www.nedo.go.jp/content/100799089.pdf

A view of an electron beam mask writer “EBM” main body

A photomask(Picture of a mask used for drawing position calibration)

Figure 1Principles of Creating a Photomask

Figure 2What is the “proximity effect”?

Resist layerMetal layer

Glass

Electron beam exposure

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Image development

Etching

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<LSI data>:<Exposure pattern> <Resulted written pattern>

Patterning

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Resist

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many

few

Backscatteredelectrons

Backscatteredelectrons

The proximity effect is a phenomenon that changes the dimension of a pattern being drawn corresponding to 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 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 where the pattern’ s density is lower will be thinner.

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