LITHIUM ION BATTERY AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING OF SUCH BATTERY

• US 20120270114A1
• Filed: 11/30/2010
• Published: 10/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oerlikon Advanced Technologies AG
• Original Assignee: Oerlikon Balzers AG
• Inventors: Reynolds, Glyn Jeremy, Mamazza, Robert Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 8,956,761 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 429/322
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0436 Small-sized flat cells or batteries for portable equipment
• 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 10/0562 Solid materials
• 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 2300/0022 Room temperature molten salts
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/0402 Methods of deposition of the material
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/0404 by coating on electrode collectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/0407 by coating on an electrolyte layer
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/0409 by a doctor blade method, slip-casting or roller coating
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/0414 by screen printing
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/0419 involving spraying
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/0421 involving vapour deposition
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/0426 Sputtering
• 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 4/139 Processes of manufacture
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/661 Metal or alloys, e.g. alloy coatings H01M4/669 take 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: Y02T 10/70 : Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4911 : including sealing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49115 : including coating or impregnating

Abstract

The present invention provides an electrochemical cell comprising an anodic current collector in contact with an anode. A cathodic current collector is in contact with a cathode. A solid electrolyte thin-film separates the anode and the cathode.

Claims

1. An electrochemical cell comprising:

an anodic current collector in contact with an anode;

a cathodic current collector in contact with a cathode; and

a solid electrolyte thin-film separating said anode and said cathode.

2. The electrochemical cell according to claim 1, wherein said anodic current collector further comprising a metal selected from the group consisting of iron, nickel, cobalt, chromium, molybdenum, tungsten and their alloys.

3. The electrochemical cell according to claim 1, wherein said anode further comprising lithium metal or a lithium alloy.

4. The electrochemical cell according to claim 3, wherein said lithium alloy is selected from the group consisting of lithium-carbon alloys, lithium-aluminum alloys, lithium-tin alloys, lithium-silicon alloys, lithium-germanium alloys, lithium-magnesium alloys, lithium-indium alloys and lithium-gallium alloys.

5. The electrochemical cell according to claim 1, wherein said anode further comprising lithium-containing oxides, lithium-containing sulfides or lithium-containing selenides.

6. The electrochemical cell according to claim 1, wherein said solid electrolyte is LiPON.

7. The electrochemical cell according to claim 1, wherein said solid electrolyte is selected from the group consisting of LiPONB, Li_3.6Si_0.6P_0.4O₄, Li_6.1V_0.61Si_0.39O_5.36, LiBO₂, LiBP, Li₂SO₄—

Li₂O—

B₂O₃, Li₂S—

SiS₂—

P₂S₅ and LiI—

Li₂S—

P₂S₅—

P₂O₅.

8. The electrochemical cell according to claim 1, wherein said cathodic current collector is a metal, said metal being resistant to oxidation.

9. The electrochemical cell according to claim 8, wherein said metal is selected from the group consisting of nickel, gold, platinum, rhodium, palladium, iridium and aluminum.

10. The electrochemical cell according to claim 1, wherein said cathode is lithium cobalt oxide or lithium iron phosphate.

11. The electrochemical cell according to claim 1, wherein said solid electrolyte is a molten salt electrolyte.

12. The electrochemical cell according to claim 1, wherein said solid electrolyte is a eutectic mixture of lithium nitrate and potassium nitrate, said eutectic mixture having a melting point of about 133°

C.

13. The electrochemical cell according to claim 12, wherein said eutectic mixture further comprising oxidizing species selected from the group consisting of nitrites, borates, sulfates, phosphates and other nitrates.

14. The electrochemical cell according to claim 1, wherein said solid electrolyte having a thickness of less than or equal to 2 microns.

15. A method for fabricating a lithium battery comprising:

providing a substrate;

coating said substrate with a cathodic current collector;

depositing a cathode onto said cathodic current collector;

applying a heat treatment to the substrate after said deposition of said cathode; and

depositing an anodic current collector onto said cathode after said heat treatment step.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein said cathode further comprising:

depositing an active electrode material;

depositing a solid electrolyte material; and

depositing an electronic conductor.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising mixing nanopowders of said active electrode material with lithium nitrate and potassium nitrate.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising adding graphite powder to said mixture.

19. The method according to claim 16, wherein said solid electrolyte material is LiPON, said LiPON being deposited as a thin-film using radio-frequency physical vapor deposition from a lithium phosphate target in an ambient containing nitrogen gas.

20. The method according to claim 16, further comprising:

loading said substrate coated with said cathodic current collector into a vacuum load lock;

evacuating the vacuum load lock;

transferring said substrate to a first deposition chamber;

depositing said active electrode material in said first deposition chamber;

transferring said substrate with said deposited active electrode material to a second deposition chamber;

depositing said solid electrolyte material in said second deposition chamber;

transferring said substrate with said deposited solid electrolyte material to a third deposition chamber;

depositing said electronic conductor in said third deposition chamber;

transferring said substrate with said deposited electronic conductor to said the vacuum load lock; and

removing said substrate from the vacuum load lock.

21. The method according to claim 16, further comprising densificating said cathode by simultaneously applying heat and pressure to said cathode.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein said densification occurs at a temperature higher than a softening point of said solid electrolyte material.

23. The method according to claim 21, further comprising planarizing a surface of said cathode after densification.

24. The method according to claim 15, further comprising attaching an anode onto said anodic current collector.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein said anode further comprising placing lithium foil in contact with said anodic current collector.

26. The method according to claim 24, wherein said anode further comprising pouring molten lithium onto said anodic current collector.

27. The method according to claim 15, wherein said anodic current collector is selected from the group consisting of a metal foil, a metal container, a metal film and a combination thereof.

28. The method according to claim 15, further comprising hermetically sealing the lithium battery.

29. A method for fabricating a lithium battery comprising:

providing a substrate;

coating said substrate with a cathodic current collector;

placing said substrate with said cathodic current collector into a vacuum processing system;

depositing a thin layer of cathode material onto said cathodic current collector in a first processing station of said vacuum processing system;

transferring under vacuum said substrate with said cathode material to a second processing station within said vacuum processing system;

depositing a thin film of a solid electrolyte material onto said cathode material in said second processing station of said vacuum processing system;

transferring under vacuum said substrate with said solid electrolyte material to a third processing station within said vacuum processing system;

depositing a thin layer of anode material onto said solid electrolyte material in said third processing station of said vacuum processing system;

removing said substrate with said anode material from said vacuum processing system;

depositing an anode onto said anode material; and

depositing an anodic current collector onto said anode.