Thin film battery and method of manufacture

• US 20020028384A1
• Filed: 03/22/2001
• Published: 03/07/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: KLA Corporation
• Original Assignee: Front Edge Technology, Inc
• Inventors: Nieh, Kai-Wei, Krasnov, Victor
• Granted Patent: US 7,056,620 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 429/238
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/058 Construction or manufacture
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/04 Processes of manufacture in general
• 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 4/0423 Physical vapour deposition
• 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 4/525 of mixed oxides or hydroxides containing iron, cobalt or nickel for inserting or intercalating light metals, e.g. LiNiO2, LiCoO2 or LiCoOxFy
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/5815 Sulfides
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/5825 Oxygenated metallic salts or polyanionic structures, e.g. borates, phosphates, silicates, olivines
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/661 Metal or alloys, e.g. alloy coatings H01M4/669 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/662 Alloys collectors of lead alloys H01M4/685
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/70 characterised by shape or form
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/75 Wires, rods or strips
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/46 Separators, membranes or diaphragms characterised by their combination with electrodes
• 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 29/10 Battery-grid making
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49115 including coating or impregnating

Abstract

A battery comprises a substrate having a cathode with a lower surface contacting the substrate and an opposing upper surface. A cathode current collector comprises conducting lines that contact the upper surface of the cathode. An electrolyte at least partially extends through the cathode current collector and contacts the cathode. An anode contacts the electrolyte, and optionally, an anode current collector contacts the anode. Also, because the cathode is formed on the substrate before the cathode current collector, the cathode current collector advantageously does not have to be fabricated out of a metal that is capable of withstanding further processing of the cathode, such as annealing of the cathode.

Claims

1. A battery comprising:

a substrate;

a cathode on the substrate, the cathode having a surface;

a cathode current collector comprising one or more conducting lines that contact the surface of the cathode;

an electrolyte at least partially extending through the conducting lines of the cathode current collector to contact the cathode; and

an anode contacting the electrolyte.

2. A battery according to claim 1 wherein the cathode current collector is between electrolyte and the cathode.

3. A battery according to claim 1 wherein the cathode current collector is absent a non-reactive metal containing material.

4. A battery according to claim 1 wherein the cathode current collector comprises aluminum, cobalt, copper, nickel, titanium, tantalum, vanadium, zirconium, and alloys and compounds mixtures thereof.

5. A battery according to claim 1 wherein the conducting lines comprise elongated prongs extending from a base prong.

6. A battery according to claim 1 wherein the conducting lines contact less than 80% of the area of the surface of the cathode.

7. A battery according to claim 1 wherein the substrate comprises mica.

8. A battery according to claim 1 wherein the cathode comprises lithium cobalt oxide.

9. A battery according to claim 1 comprising an anode current collector contacting the anode.

10. A method of fabricating a battery, the method comprising:

forming a substrate;

forming a cathode on the substrate, the cathode having a surface;

forming a cathode current collector comprising one or more conducting lines that contact the surface of the cathode;

forming an electrolyte at least partially extending through the conducting lines of the cathode current collector to contact the cathode; and

forming an anode contacting the electrolyte.

11. A method according to claim 10 comprising forming the cathode current collector between electrolyte and the cathode.

12. A method according to claim 10 comprising forming one or more conducting lines having elongated prongs extending from a base prong.

13. A method according to claim 10 comprising forming the conducting lines by placing a mask on the substrate and depositing material through the openings of the mask.

14. A method according to claim 13 comprising depositing the material by physical vapor deposition.

15. A method according to claim 14 comprising depositing material comprising a metal containing material.

16. A method according to claim 10 comprising forming conducting lines that contact less than 80% of the area of a surface of the cathode.

17. A method according to claim 10 comprising forming a substrate comprising mica.

18. A method according to claim 10 comprising forming a cathode comprising lithium cobalt oxide.

19. A method according to claim 10 comprising forming an anode current collector contacting the anode.