Electrochemical Apparatus With Barrier Layer Protected Substrate

• US 20090307895A1
• Filed: 08/21/2009
• Published: 12/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sapurast Research LLC
• Original Assignee: Sapurast Research LLC
• Inventors: Neudecker, Bernd J., Snyder, Shawn W.
• Granted Patent: US 9,793,523 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 29/623.500
• 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:

(a) providing a metallic, a polymeric, or a silicon substrate with a first side;

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

(c) fabricating a first electrochemically active cell comprising a positive part and a negative part, said parts further comprising one or more terminals, said cell located on said first side on top of said first barrier layer, said barrier layer chemically separating said first electrochemically active cell from said substrate; and

(d) fabricating said first barrier layer from a plurality of chemically different sublayers.

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

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

a) selecting said sublayers from the group of electrically conducting, electrically insulating, or electrically semi-conducting materials;

b) prohibiting said positive part of said first electrochemically active cell from electrically contacting said negative part of said first electrochemically active cell;

c) providing a positive cathode, a cathode current collector, and a positive terminal on said positive part of said first electrochemically active cell; and

d) providing a negative anode, an anode current collector, and a negative terminal on said negative part of said first electrochemically active cell.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising providing said cathode current collector as said positive terminal.

5. The method of claim 3 further comprising providing said anode current collector as said negative terminal.

6. The method of claim 3 further comprising providing said anode current collector as said anode.

7. The method of claim 3 further comprising providing said anode current collector as said anode current collector, said anode, and said negative terminal.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing said sublayers with each sublayer comprising a same shape and area size.

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

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising covering said substrate only partially with said first barrier layer such that at least said positive part of said first electrochemically active cell is chemically separated from said substrate.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing said first barrier layer only partially covering said substrate such that at least the negative part of said first electrochemically active cell is chemically separated from said substrate.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising fabricating said sublayers 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 from the group of high-temperature stable organic polymers and high-temperature stable silicones.

13. 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.

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

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising fabricating a positive cathode on said first electrochemically cell by an in-situ or ex-situ temperature process between 100°

C. and up to the melting point of said substrate so that said positive cathode comprises crystallites having a size of at least 100 Å

.

16. The method of claim 1 further comprising protecting said first electrochemically active cell or said electrochemical apparatus, respectively, against at least mechanical and chemical factors from the ambient environment by providing a protective encapsulation or a protective encasing.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising fabricating said encapsulation or said encasing with at least one opening allowing direct electrical contact to said one or more terminals of said first electrochemically active cell.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising providing an electrolyte in one said electrochemically active cell and separating said electrolyte from said one or more terminals by a moisture protection layer.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising fabricating said moisture protection layer from materials that possess moisture blocking properties and selecting a chemical compound for said protection layer:

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.

20. The method of claim 18 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.

21. The method of claim 1 further comprising depositing a second layer onto a second side of said substrate for the purpose of chemical protecting said substrate and said first electrochemically active cell on said first side of the substrate from the ambient environment prior to the fabrication of said first electrochemically active cell;

and chemically protecting said first electrochemically active cell by blocking the diffusion of contaminants from the ambient environment.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising fabricating said second layer 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.

23. The method of claim 21 further comprising thermally relieving said first barrier layer and said second layer by an in-situ or ex-situ temperature process between 100°

C. and up to the melting point of said substrate and wherein said ex-situ temperature process further comprises applying said temperature process after deposition of said first barrier layer and said second layer.