In November 2025, a team of researchers from the Institute of Metals of the Chinese Academy of Sciences developed a "flash annealing" process with a temperature rise and fall rate of 1,000 degrees Celsius per second, requiring only 1 Lead zircon relaxation antiferroelectric film can be prepared on silicon wafers in seconds. This process can "freeze" the material at high temperature and special structure at room temperature, forming a size less than 3 The nano-nano-field of nano-micro-domains at the same time makes the film structure denser and more uniform, locking in volatile lead elements. The capacitors made from this method have an energy storage density of up to 63.5 joules per cubic centimeter and are at -196°C After the extreme temperature cycle of 400°C, the energy storage density and efficiency attenuate by less than 3%, which is suitable for extreme scenarios such as outer space exploration and underground oil and gas exploration. The team is currently in 2 inchA uniform film is prepared on silicon wafers, providing an industrialized feasible solution for chip-level integrated energy storage.

The breakthrough and significance of this technology

1. Subvert traditional craftsmanship: While traditional material annealing processes usually take tens of minutes or even hours, "flash annealing" shortens this process to 1 second, greatly improving production efficiency and reducing energy consumption.

2. Achieve "structural freeze": This is the core scientific innovation. Many materials have excellent properties at high temperatures, but when cooled to room temperature, the structure changes and the properties disappear. This technology acts like a "snapshot" to preserve the ideal structure at high temperatures, resulting in unprecedented material properties at room temperature.

3. Solve materials problems：

• Control nano-microdomains: The microdomain structure of 3 nm is key to achieving high-performance dielectric and antiferroelectric properties that are difficult to control so precisely with traditional methods.

• Inhibits elemental volatilization: For materials containing volatile elements such as lead, prolonged heat treatment can lead to composition deviation and deterioration of performance. The ultrafast process solves this problem perfectly.

4. Create a new path of "chip-level energy storage"：

• This technology is directly inSilicon wafersThe preparation of high-performance energy storage films means that the future can be madeCapacitors are integrated directly inside or next to the chip。

• This will revolutionize the way electronic devices are powered, making them more compact, efficient, and responsive."On-chip power managementIt is revolutionary for artificial intelligence chips, high-performance computing, portable electronic devices, etc.

Application prospects

• Extreme environment electronics：

• Outer space exploration: Able to withstand extremely low temperatures in space and instantaneous high temperatures inside spacecraft.

• Underground oil and gas exploration: Suitable for high temperature and high pressure environments deep underground.

• Next-generation power electronics: Provide high power density and high stability energy storage components for electric vehicles, rail transit and other fields.

• Advanced integrated circuits: As an embedded capacitor, it provides instantaneous high current for microprocessors, memory chips, etc., improving computing performance and stability.

All in all, this "flash annealing" technology of the Institute of Metals of the Chinese Academy of Sciences is not only a breakthrough in material preparation technology, but also opens up a new track for the deep integration of high-performance energy storage components and semiconductor chips, occupying a leading position in the field of high-end electronic materials and devices for our country.