Electrochemical apparatus with barrier layer protected substrate

• US 8,535,396 B2
• Filed: 08/21/2009
• Issued: 09/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sapurast Research LLC
• Original Assignee: Infinite Power Solutions, Inc. (Apple Inc.)
• Inventors: Snyder, Shawn W., Neudecker, Bernd J.
• Primary Examiner(s): MEKHLIN, ELI S
• Application Number:
  US12/545,683
• Publication Number:
  US 20090307896A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,488 Days
• Field of Search: 429/162, 429/176, 429/149, 429/152, 429/156, 296/235
• US Class Current: 29/623.5
• 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 2004/021 Physical characteristics, e.g. porosity, surface area
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/02 Electrodes composed of, or comprising, active material
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/0421 involving vapour deposition
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/139 Processes of manufacture
• 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 29/49115 including coating or impregnating

Abstract

The present invention relates to apparatus, compositions and methods of fabricating high performance thin-film batteries on metallic substrates, polymeric substrates, or doped or undoped silicon substrates by fabricating an appropriate barrier layer composed, for example, of barrier sublayers between the substrate and the battery part of the present invention thereby separating these two parts chemically during the entire battery fabrication process as well as during any operation and storage of the electrochemical apparatus during its entire lifetime. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention thin-film batteries fabricated onto a thin, flexible stainless steel foil substrate using an appropriate barrier layer that is composed of barrier sublayers have uncompromised electrochemical performance compared to thin-film batteries fabricated onto ceramic substrates when using a 700° C. post-deposition anneal process for a LiCoO₂ positive cathode.

Claims

1. A method of fabricating an electrochemical apparatus comprising the following steps:

(a) providing a metallic, a polymeric, or a doped or undoped silicon substrate with a first and a second side;

(b) depositing a first barrier layer on said first side;

(c) depositing a second barrier layer on said second side;

(d) fabricating a first electrochemically active cell on said first side on a top surface of said first barrier layer, which chemically separates said first electrochemically active cell from said substrate, directly on the top surface of said first barrier layer;

(e) fabricating a second electrochemically active cell on said second side on top of said second barrier layer, which chemically separates said second electrochemically active cell from said substrate;

(f) composing said first barrier layer with a plurality of chemically different sublayers, said plurality of chemically different sublayers having at least one top sublayer at the top surface of said first barrier layer comprising electrically conducting material such that the top sublayer of the first barrier layer is one of a positive part of the electrochemical active cell and a negative part of the electrochemical active cell; and

(g) composing said second barrier layer of a plurality of chemically different sublayers.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing a plurality of said electrochemically active cells on said first side of said substrate.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing a plurality of said electrochemically active cells on said second side of said substrate.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

(a) avoiding electrical contact between a positive part of said electrochemically active cells with a negative part of said electrochemically active cells on both sides of said substrate;

(b) providing on said positive part of said electrochemically active cells a positive cathode, a cathode current collector, and a positive terminal;

(c) providing on said negative part of said electrochemically active cells a negative anode, an anode current collector, and a negative terminal.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising said cathode current collector as said positive terminal.

6. The method of claim 4 further comprising providing said anode current collector as said negative terminal.

7. The method of claim 4 further comprising providing said anode current collector as said anode.

8. The method of claim 4 further comprising providing said anode current collector as said anode current collector, said anode, and said negative terminal.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing said sublayers comprising a same shape and area size.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing at least one of said sublayers comprising a different shape and area size than another of said plurality of sublayers.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising only partially covering said substrate with at least one of said barrier layers wherein at least the positive part of said electrochemically active cells is chemically separated from said substrate.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising only partially covering said substrate with at least one of said barrier layers wherein at least the negative part of said electrochemically active cells is chemically separated from said substrate.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising fabricating said sublayers on both sides of said substrate from a chemical compound selected:

(a) from the group of metals, semi-metals, alloys, borides, carbides, diamond, diamond-like carbon, silicides, nitrides, phosphides, oxides, fluorides, chlorides, bromides, iodides;

(b) from the group of any multinary compounds composed of borides, carbides, silicides, nitrides, phosphides, oxides, fluorides, chlorides, bromides, and iodides;

or

(c) from the group of high-temperature stable organic polymers and high-temperature stable silicones.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising fabricating said sublayers from a single phase of crystalline, nano-crystalline, amorphous, or glassy material or any poly-phase mixture or composite thereof.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising fabricating said sublayers from a single phase of amorphous or glassy material.

16. The method of claim 1 further comprising thermally relieving said first barrier layer and said second barrier layer by an in-situ or ex-situ temperature process between 100°

C. and up to the melting point of substrate, and wherein ex-situ temperature process is applied after said deposition of said first barrier layer and said second barrier layer.

17. The method of claim 1 further comprising fabricating said positive cathodes of said electrochemical cells by an in-situ or ex-situ temperature process between 100°

C. and up to the melting point of said substrate to provide positive cathodes comprising crystallites having a size of at least 100A.

18. The method of claim 1 further comprising fabricating each of said electrochemically active cells or said electrochemical apparatus with a protective encapsulation or protective encasing, protecting each of said electrochemically active cells or said electrochemical apparatus against at least mechanical and chemical factors from an ambient environment.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising fabricating said encapsulation or said encasing with at least one opening per said encapsulation or said encasing allowing direct electrical contact to at least one of the terminals of each of said electrochemically active cells.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising providing an electrolyte in said electrochemically active cells and separating said electrolyte from said terminals by a moisture protection layer.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising fabricating said moisture protection layer from materials that possess moisture blocking properties and comprise a chemical compound selected:

(a) from the group of metals, semi-metals, alloys, borides, carbides, diamond,

diamond-like carbon, silicides, nitirides, phosphides, oxides, fluorides, chlorides, bromides, iodides;

(b) from the group of any multinary compounds composed of borides, carbides, silicides, nitrides, phosphides, oxides, fluorides, chlorides, bromides, and iodides;

or

(c) from the group of high-temperature stable organic polymers and hightemperature stable silicones.

22. The method of claim 20 further comprising fabricating said moisture protection layer from materials that comprise a single phase of crystalline, nano-crystalline, amorphous, or glassy material or any poly phase mixture or composite thereof.