THIN-FILM BATTERIES WITH POLYMER AND LiPON ELECTROLYTE LAYERS AND METHOD

• US 20070015061A1
• Filed: 07/17/2006
• Published: 01/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cymbet Corporation
• Original Assignee: Cymbet Corporation
• Inventors: Klaassen, Jody
• Granted Patent: US 7,776,478 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 429/322
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/052 Li-accumulators
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/056 characterised by the materials used as electrolytes, e.g. mixed inorganic/organic electrolytes
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2300/0094 in the form of layered products, e.g. coatings
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/13 Electrodes for accumulators with non-aqueous electrolyte, e.g. for lithium-accumulators; Processes of manufacture thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/131 Electrodes based on mixed oxides or hydroxides, or on mixtures of oxides or hydroxides, e.g. LiCoOx
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/134 Electrodes based on metals, Si or alloys
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/139 Processes of manufacture
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/366 as layered products
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/661 Metal or alloys, e.g. alloy coatings H01M4/669 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 6/187 Solid electrolyte characterised by the form
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49108 Electric battery cell making
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49112 including laminating of indefinite length material
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49115 including coating or impregnating

Abstract

A method and apparatus for making thin-film batteries having composite multi-layered electrolytes with soft electrolyte between hard electrolyte covering the negative and/or positive electrode, and the resulting batteries. In some embodiments, foil-core cathode sheets each having a cathode material (e.g., LiCoO₂) covered by a hard electrolyte on both sides, and foil-core anode sheets having an anode material (e.g., lithium metal) covered by a hard electrolyte on both sides, are laminated using a soft (e.g., polymer gel) electrolyte sandwiched between alternating cathode and anode sheets. A hard glass-like electrolyte layer obtains a smooth hard positive-electrode lithium-metal layer upon charging, but when very thin, have randomly spaced pinholes/defects. When the hard layers are formed on both the positive and negative electrodes, one electrode'"'"'s dendrite-short-causing defects on are not aligned with the other electrode'"'"'s defects. The soft electrolyte layer both conducts ions across the gap between hard electrolyte layers and fills pinholes.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a first battery cell having a negative electrode, a positive electrode, and an electrolyte structure, wherein

the negative electrode includes a LiPON layer covering at least a portion of the negative electrode;

the positive electrode includes a cathode material and a LiPON layer covering at least a portion of the positive electrode; and

the electrolyte structure includes a polymer electrolyte material sandwiched between the LiPON layer of the negative electrode and the LiPON layer of the positive electrode.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cathode material includes LiCoO₂ that is deposited on a positive electrode current-collector material, and the LiPON layer of the positive electrode is deposited on the LiCoO₂.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the positive electrode current-collector material includes a metal mesh around which the cathode material is deposited.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the negative electrode includes a negative-electrode current collector made of a metal that does not readily alloy with lithium during a plating operation, and lithium metal is plated onto the negative-electrode current collector through the LiPON layer covering the negative electrode.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the metal of the negative-electrode current collector includes copper.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, the negative electrode includes a mask layer covers a periphery of the negative-electrode current collector and lithium metal is plated through the LiPON layer covering the negative electrode onto an area of the metal negative-electrode current collector defined by the mask.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the negative electrode includes a current-collector metal layer and an anode material, and

the anode material includes lithium metal deposited on at least one of two major faces of the metal layer, which is at least partially covered by the LiPON layer of the negative electrode.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein:

the anode material is deposited on both major faces of the metal layer of the negative electrode, each face at least partially covered by the LiPON layer of the negative electrode.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the positive electrode includes a current-collector metal layer, and

the cathode material is deposited on both major faces of the metal layer and is at least partially covered by the LiPON layer.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the negative electrode includes a current-collector metal layer and an anode material, and

the anode material includes lithium metal plated onto both major faces of the negative-electrode current-collector metal layer through the LiPON layer covering the negative electrode.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the soft electrolyte layer includes a gel.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the soft electrolyte layer includes a polyvinylidene difluoride, propylene carbonate, and a lithium salt.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the negative electrode includes a current-collector contact foil coated on a first major face with an anode material and the LiPON layer of the negative electrode,

the lithium anode material includes lithium metal plated onto a first major face of the current-collector contact foil through the LiPON layer covering the current-collector contact foil,

lithium cathode material of a second battery cell is deposited onto a second major face of the current-collector contact foil of the negative electrode of the first battery cell, and a LiPON layer covering the cathode material of the second battery cell is then deposited by sputtering.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the positive electrode includes a current-collector foil,

the lithium cathode material is deposited onto both major faces of the positive electrode current-collector contact foil, and

the LiPON barrier/electrolyte layer covering the positive electrode is then deposited by sputtering on both major faces of the positive electrode.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the positive electrode includes a current-collector contact mesh,

the lithium cathode material is deposited onto both major faces of the cathode current-collector contact mesh, and

the LiPON barrier/electrolyte layer covering the positive electrode is then deposited by sputtering on both major faces of the positive electrode.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

an encapsulating material surrounding the battery cell; and

one or more electrical leads connecting from the battery cell to an exterior of the encapsulating material.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

an electronic device; and

a housing holding the electrical device, wherein the battery cell is within the housing and supplies power to the electronic device.

18. A method comprising:

providing a first sheet that includes an anode material and a LiPON layer covering the anode material;

providing a second sheet that includes a cathode material that includes lithium and a LiPON layer covering the cathode material; and

sandwiching a polymer electrolyte material between the LiPON layer covering the anode material of the first sheet and the LiPON layer covering the cathode material of the first cathode sheet.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

providing a third sheet that includes an anode material and a LiPON layer covering the anode material;

providing a fourth sheet that includes a cathode material that includes lithium and a LiPON layer covering the cathode material;

sandwiching a polymer electrolyte material between the LiPON layer covering the anode material of the third sheet and the LiPON layer covering the cathode material of the fourth sheet; and

sandwiching a polymer electrolyte material between the LiPON layer covering the anode material of the third sheet and the LiPON layer covering the cathode material of the second sheet.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the anode material of the first sheet is deposited as a lithium-metal layer on a copper anode-current-collector layer through the LiPON layer.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the deposition of a lithium anode is done by electroplating in a propylene carbonate/lithium-salt electrolyte solution prior to assembling the cell.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the first sheet includes a cathode material on a face opposite the anode material and a LiPON layer covering the cathode material, and the second sheet includes an anode material on a face opposite the cathode material and a LiPON layer covering the anode material;

the method further comprising;

providing a third sheet that includes an anode material and a LiPON layer covering the anode material on a first face, and a cathode material that includes lithium and a LiPON layer covering the cathode material on a second face opposite the first face; and

sandwiching a polymer electrolyte material between the LiPON layer covering the anode material of the third sheet and the LiPON layer covering the cathode material of the second sheet.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein the soft electrolyte layer includes a gel.

24. The method of claim 18, wherein the soft electrolyte layer includes a polyvinylidene difluoride, propylene carbonate, and a lithium salt.

25. An apparatus comprising:

a first sheet that includes a LiPON layer covering a first face of the first sheet;

a second sheet that includes a cathode material that includes lithium and a LiPON layer covering the cathode material on a second face of the second sheet; and

means for passing lithium ions between the LiPON layer on the first face of the first sheet and the LiPON layer on the second face of the second sheet to form a first battery cell.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the second sheet includes a cathode material that includes lithium and a LiPON layer on a first face of the second sheet, the apparatus further comprising:

a third sheet that includes a LiPON layer covering a first face and second face of the third sheet;

a fourth sheet that includes a cathode material that includes lithium and a LiPON layer covering the cathode material on a second face of the fourth sheet and a cathode material that includes lithium and a LiPON layer covering the cathode material on a first face of the fourth sheet;

means for passing ions between the LiPON layer on the first face of the third sheet and the LiPON layer on the second face of the fourth sheet to form a second battery cell; and

means for passing ions between the LiPON layer on the first face of the second sheet and the LiPON layer on the second face of the third sheet to form a third battery cell.

27. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the first sheet includes a copper anode current-collector layer;

and

the anode material includes lithium deposited as a lithium-metal layer on the copper anode current-collector layer through the LiPON layer of the first sheet.

28. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein a periphery of the lithium-metal layer is defined by a mask, and the deposition of a lithium anode is done by electroplating in a liquid-solvent/lithium-salt electrolyte solution.

29. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the first sheet includes a cathode material on a second face opposite the anode material on the first face and a LiPON layer covering the cathode material of the first sheet, the apparatus further comprising:

a third sheet having an anode material that includes lithium and a LiPON layer covering the anode material on a first face of the third sheet; and

means for passing ions between the LiPON layer on the second face of the first sheet and the LiPON layer on the first face of the third sheet to form a series-connected pair of battery cells.

30. The apparatus of claim 25, further comprising:

an encapsulating material surrounding the battery cell; and

one or more electrical leads connecting from the battery cell to an exterior of the encapsulating material.

31. The apparatus of claim 25, further comprising:

an electronic device; and

a housing holding the electrical device, wherein the battery cell is within the housing and supplies power to the electronic device.