The Alberta Research Council Inc. (ARC) is developing Tubular Micro Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (µSOFC) for portable applications. The small diameter tubular design has two main potential advantages, substantial increase in the electrolyte surface area per unit volume and quick start up of a stack. The Table shows a dramatic increase in the electrolyte surface area when reducing a single cell diameter. Since power is directly proportional to electrolyte surface area, a similar enhancement in power can be expected as a result of reduction in diameter of a single cell. At ARC, initial development work has been conducted using ~2mm diameter single cell, but ARC's manufacturing process is capable of fabricating a single cell with a diameter as small ~10µm. Pictures will show the SEM micrograph of a Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia electrolyte tube fabricated using an Electrophoretic Deposition technique. Decreasing the single cell diameter from 22mm to 2mm will increase the electrolyte surface area in a stack at least eight times. Due to its thin wall (2mm diameter single cell has a wall thickness ~250µm), a µSOFC has extremely high thermal shock resistance and low thermal mass. A single cell can be repeatedly introduced in a micro-burner flame from room temperature without developing cracks, thereby confirming the high thermal shock resistance of the cell. These low thermal mass and high thermal shock resistance characteristics are fundamental to reducing start up and turn off time for the SOFC system. ARC has tested single cell devices using a gas burner as a heat source and found they can be started up in seconds. ARC is designing an µSOFC stack with rapid start up and with physical properties to withstand mechanical shocks associated with portable application.