A business plan based on nano-structured low-k dielectrics has won the one-million yen grand prize in a contest in Japan intended to establish a business model for nanotechnology ventures.

“Low-k dielectric materials are one of the key enablers to continue Moore’s Law,” said Nathen Fox, President and CEO of Atomic-Scale Design Incorporated, which won the award. “These materials are needed for the interlayer dielectrics (insulators) required in future computer chips that can satisfy the ITRS roadmap for the next ten years and will help insure the continued performance increases demanded in the logic-chip industry.”

The prize was awarded for Atomic-Scale Design’s business model and strategy, showing a combination of research and development in pilot-scale production, along with a strategy to partner with larger, well-established companies to establish the company’s low-k material in the market. In addition, the company described how a licensing strategy for many nanotechnology companies, including ASD, makes sense and can provide the highest return to shareholders.

The contest was held at the First International Nanotechnology Business Plan Contest, sponsored by NEDO (New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization of the Japanese Government) and Mitsubishi Research Institute.