METHOD FOR HIGH VOLUME MANUFACTURE OF ELECTROCHEMICAL CELLS USING PHYSICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION

• US 20110212268A1
• Filed: 05/06/2011
• Published: 09/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sakti3, Inc
• Original Assignee: Sakti3, Inc
• Inventors: Albano, Fabio, Wang, Chia-Wei, Sastry, Ann Marie
• Granted Patent: US 9,303,315 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 427/446
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/562 for coating elongated substrates
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/545 for coating elongated substrates
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/052 Li-accumulators
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0562 Solid materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0565 Polymeric materials, e.g. gel-type or solid-type
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0587 of accumulators having only wound construction elements, i.e. wound positive electrodes, wound negative electrodes and wound separators
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/0421 involving vapour deposition
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/139 Processes of manufacture
• 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

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention relate to apparatuses and methods for fabricating electrochemical cells. One embodiment of the present invention comprises a single chamber configurable to deposit different materials on a substrate spooled between two reels. In one embodiment, the substrate is moved in the same direction around the reels, with conditions within the chamber periodically changed to result in the continuous build-up of deposited material over time. Another embodiment employs alternating a direction of movement of the substrate around the reels, with conditions in the chamber differing with each change in direction to result in the sequential build-up of deposited material over time. The chamber is equipped with different sources of energy and materials to allow the deposition of the different layers of the electrochemical cell.

Claims

1-15. -15. (canceled)

16. A process for forming an electrochemical cell, the process comprising:

moving a substrate spooled between two reels in a first direction through a deposition chamber;

depositing an anode or a cathode layer on the substrate in the chamber under a first set of deposition conditions;

moving the anode or cathode layer back into the chamber;

depositing an electrolyte layer over the anode or cathode layer within the chamber under a second set of deposition condition;

moving the electrolyte layer back into the chamber; and

depositing another of the anode or cathode layer over the electrolyte layer within the chamber under a third set of deposition conditions, to form the electrochemical cell.

17. The process of claim 16 wherein depositing the anode or cathode layer, the electrolyte layer, or the other of the anode or cathode layer, is performed utilizing one or a combination of the methods selected from the group consisting of evaporation, physical vapor deposition (PVD), chemical vapor deposition, sputtering, radio frequency magnetron sputtering, microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (MPECVD), pulsed laser deposition (PLD), laser ablation, spray deposition, spray pyrolysis, spray coating or plasma spraying.

18. The process of claim 16 wherein the cathode or anode layer is moved into the chamber in a second direction opposite to the first direction, and the electrolyte layer is moved into the chamber in the first direction.

19. The process of claim 16 wherein the cathode or anode layer and the electrolyte layer are moved into the chamber in the first direction by rotation of the substrate around the reels.

20. The process of claim 16 wherein the electrolyte layer is deposited over the anode layer, and the cathode layer is deposited over the electrolyte layer.

24. The process of claim 16 wherein deposition of the layers is repeated on a fresh portion of the substrate to form a plurality of discrete electrochemical cells.

25. The process of claim 16 wherein deposition of the layers is repeated on an existing electrochemical cell to form a plurality of stacked electrochemical cells.

26. The process of claim 16 wherein depositing the anode or cathode layer comprises depositing nanowire structures, nanotube structures, or nanobelt structures, or a combination of those structures.

27. The process of claim 16 wherein depositing the anode layer, the cathode layer, or the electrolyte layer comprises depositing Group III-IV semiconductor nanowires, zinc (Zn) or zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires, nanobelts of semiconducting oxides of zinc, tin, indium, cadmium, and gallium), carbon nanotubes, or carbon meso-structures.

21-23. -23. (canceled)

28-51. -51. (canceled)

52. A process for forming a solid state battery cell using a reel to reel process apparatus, the process comprising:

moving a substrate in a first direction through a deposition chamber, the substrate being spooled between at least a pair of reels, the reels being configured to rotate and move the substrate in the first direction and under a control of a computing system;

performing a plurality of processes to sequentially deposit a plurality of different materials derived from respective plurality of material sources to form a resulting electrochemical cell overlying the substrate, the plurality of processes comprising at least;

depositing a first current collector overlying the substrate;

depositing a first electrode layer that is capable of an electrochemical reaction with ions overlying current collector in the deposition chamber;

depositing an electrolyte material overlying the cathode that is capable of ionic diffusion, the electrolyte material having an electrical conductivity and being a solid state material;

depositing a second electrode layer overlying the electrolyte material; and

depositing a second current collector overlying the second electrode layer; and

moving the resulting electrochemical cell from the chamber; and

collecting the resulting electrochemical cell as a roll.

53. The process of claim 52 wherein the resulting electrochemical cell is configured as the roll and collected;

wherein first electrode layer is a cathode and wherein second electrode layer is an anode.

54. The process of claim 53 wherein the deposition chamber is a single chamber;

wherein the processes are continuously provided in the single chamber.

55. The process of claim 52 wherein the substrate is configured between the pair of reels to move in a second direction.

56. The process of claim 52 further comprising providing the electrochemical cell in a stack;

57. A process for forming a solid state battery cell, the process comprising:

moving a substrate spooled between two reels in a first direction through a deposition chamber, the deposition chamber being configured to perform a first set of deposition conditions, a third set of deposition conditions, and a third set of deposition conditions;

depositing a first electrode layer overlying the substrate using at least one of the first set of deposition conductions, the second set of deposition conditions, or the third set of deposition conditions;

depositing a first current collector within a vicinity of the first electrode layer using at least one of the first set of deposition conductions, the second set of deposition conditions, or the third set of deposition conditions;

depositing an electrolyte material using at least one of the first set of deposition conductions, the second set of deposition conditions, or the third set of deposition conditions;

the electrolyte material overlying the cathode that is capable of ionic diffusion, the electrolyte material being configured as a solid state material;

depositing a second electrode layer overlying the electrolyte material; and

collecting a roll from the deposition chamber.

58. The process of claim 57 wherein the resulting electrochemical cell is configured as the roll and collected.

59. The process of claim 57 wherein the deposition chamber is a single chamber.

60. The process of claim 57 wherein the substrate is configured between the pair of reels to move in a second direction, the deposition chamber being in fluid communication with a plurality of sources.

61. The process of claim 57 wherein the depositing of the first or second electrode layer comprises a sputtering process;

wherein the deposition chamber comprises a first material source and a second material source.

62. The process of claim 61 wherein the first electrode layer is a cathode structure and the second electrode layer is an anode structure.