BARRIER LAYER FOR THIN FILM BATTERY

• US 20100190051A1
• Filed: 01/29/2009
• Published: 07/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Corning Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Corning Incorporated
• Inventors: Lim, James R., Aitken, Bruce Gardiner, Mazumder, Prantik, Quesada, Mark Alejandro, St. Clair, Todd Parrish
• Granted Patent: US 9,799,914 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 429/162
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/052 Li-accumulators
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0525 Rocking-chair batteries, i.e. batteries with lithium insertion or intercalation in both electrodes; Lithium-ion batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0565 Polymeric materials, e.g. gel-type or solid-type
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0585 of accumulators having only flat construction elements, i.e. flat positive electrodes, flat negative electrodes and flat separators
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/209 adapted for prismatic or rectangular cells H01M50/216 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 6/40 Printed batteries , e.g. thin film batteries
• 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

Abstract

A thin film battery comprises a substrate, anode and cathode current collector layers formed over the substrate, anode and cathode layers formed over and in electrical contact with respective ones of the current collector layers, and an electrolyte layer formed between the anode and cathode layers. The thin film battery further comprises a barrier layer formed from a material such as tin oxide, tin phosphate, tin fluorophosphate, chalcogenide glass, tellurite glass or borate glass. The barrier layer is configured to encapsulate the thin film battery layers and substantially inhibit or prevent exposure of the thin film battery layers to air or moisture.

Claims

1. A thin film battery comprising:

a substrate;

an anode current collector layer and a cathode current collector layer formed on the substrate;

a cathode layer formed over the cathode current collector layer, an electrolyte layer formed over the cathode layer;

an anode layer formed over both the anode current collector layer and the electrolyte layer, and

a barrier layer formed over the anode layer and the electrolyte layer, wherein the barrier layer comprises a material selected from the group consisting of tin oxide, tin phosphate, tin fluorophosphate, chalcogenide glass, tellurite glass and borate glass.

2. The thin film battery according to claim 1, wherein the anode and cathode current collector layers comprise indium tin oxide.

3. The thin film battery according to claim 1, wherein the anode and cathode current collector layers each comprise a plurality of spaced conducting lines.

4. The thin film battery according to claim 1, wherein the cathode layer comprises LiCoO₂, LiMnO₂, LiFeO₂, LiNiO₂ and/or V₂O₅.

5. The thin film battery according to claim 1, wherein the anode layer comprises lithium metal or Li₆C.

6. The thin film battery according to claim 1, wherein the electrolyte layer comprises LiPON.

7. The thin film battery according to claim 1, wherein the barrier layer has an average thickness of about 100 nanometers to 35 micrometers.

8. The thin film battery according to claim 1, wherein the barrier layer has an average thickness of about 2 to 5 micrometers.

9. The thin film battery according to claim 1, wherein the barrier layer is an amorphous layer.

10. The thin film battery according to claim 1, wherein the barrier layer is configured to substantially inhibit air and water from contacting the anode layer.

11. The thin film battery according to claim 1, wherein the barrier layer is configured to limit diffusion therethrough of oxygen to less than about 10⁻

2 cm³/m²/day, and limit diffusion of water therethrough to less than about 10<sup>−

2</sup> g/m²/day.

12. The thin film battery according to claim 1, wherein a near surface region of the barrier layer is oxidized to form a passivation layer.

13. The thin film battery according to claim 1, wherein a near surface region of the barrier layer is oxidized to form a crystalline passivation layer.

14. A method for forming a thin film battery, comprising:

forming an anode current collector layer and a cathode current collector layer on a substrate;

forming a cathode layer over the cathode current collector layer, forming an electrolyte layer over the cathode layer;

forming an anode layer over both the anode current collector layer and the electrolyte layer, and

forming a barrier layer over the anode layer and the electrolyte layer, wherein the barrier layer comprises a material selected from the group consisting of tin oxide, tin phosphate, tin fluorophosphate, chalcogenide glass, tellurite glass and borate glass.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein after forming the cathode layer but prior to forming the electrolyte layer, the cathode layer is heated under conditions effective to crystallize the cathode layer.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein the barrier layer is formed by sputtering.

17. The method according to claim 14, wherein the barrier layer is formed by room temperature sputtering.

18. The method according to claim 14, wherein the barrier layer has an average thickness of about 100 nanometers to 35 micrometers.

19. The method according to claim 14, wherein the barrier layer has an average thickness of about 2 to 5 micrometers.

20. The method according to claim 14, wherein the barrier layer is amorphous.

21. The method according to claim 14, further comprising passivating the barrier layer.

22. The method according to claim 14, further comprising passivating the barrier layer by exposing the barrier layer to at least one of a controlled temperature, moisture content or oxygen content.

23. The method according to claim 14, further comprising oxidizing a near surface region of the barrier layer to form a crystalline passivation layer.

24. The method according to claim 14, where the forming of at least the anode layer and the barrier layer are carried out in a single vacuum chamber or cluster tool without exposure to ambient conditions between formation of the anode layer and barrier layer.

25. The method according to claim 14, wherein the forming of the anode current collector layer, cathode current collector layer, cathode layer, anode layer, electrolyte layer and barrier layer are carried out in a single vacuum chamber or cluster tool without exposure to ambient conditions between formation of any of said layers.