Printed circuit board with integrated thin film battery

• US 8,599,572 B2
• Filed: 09/01/2010
• Issued: 12/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sapurast Research LLC
• Original Assignee: Infinite Power Solutions, Inc. (Apple Inc.)
• Inventors: Neudecker, Bernd J., Keating, Joseph A.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HOA CAO
• Application Number:
  US12/873,953
• Publication Number:
  US 20110048781A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,189 Days
• Field of Search: 361/760, 361/761, 361/762, 361/790, 361/792, 361/793, 174/260, 429/152, 429/211, 429/156
• US Class Current: 361/762
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0436 Small-sized flat cells or batteries for portable equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/425 Structural combination with electronic components, e.g. electronic circuits integrated to the outside of the casing printed circuits H05K1/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/30 Batteries in portable systems, e.g. mobile phone, laptop
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 6/40 Printed batteries , e.g. thin film batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0313 Organic insulating material
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/16 incorporating printed electric components, e.g. printed resistor, capacitor, inductor
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/185 Components encapsulated in the insulating substrate of the printed circuit or incorporated in internal layers of a multilayer circuit semiconductor chips encapsulated by interconnect and support structures H01L23/5389, H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10037 Printed or non-printed battery
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/2036 Permanent spacer or stand-off in a printed circuit or printed circuit assembly pattern for applying drops or paste H05K2203/0545
• 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

The present invention relates to, for example, printed circuit boards having a thin film battery or other electrochemical cell between or within its layer or layers. The present invention also relates to, for example, electrochemical cells within a layer stack of a printed circuit board.

Claims

1. A printed circuit board comprising:

a layer stack having two electrically insulating layers comprising conductor traces,

wherein each of said electrically insulating layers having outside edges that comprises a perimeter; and

an electrochemical cell inserted between said electrically insulating layers, the electrochemical cell having a top layer and a bottom layer,

wherein the top layer and the bottom layer of said electrochemical cell extend laterally beyond the perimeter of one of said insulating layers.

2. The printed circuit board of claim 1, wherein the top layer and the bottom layer are two terminals and said electrochemical cell extends laterally beyond the perimeter of one of said electrically insulating layers to provide direct and external electrical access to one of said terminals.

3. The printed circuit board of claim 1, further comprising an electrical contact in electrical connection with said electrochemical cell, said electrical contact being externally accessible through an access port.

4. The printed circuit board of claim 3 wherein said electrochemical cell comprises a terminal and wherein said electrical contact electrically connects with said terminal and said terminal is not externally accessible through said access port.

5. The printed circuit board of claim 4 further comprising conductor material within said access port and further comprising a cap of insulating material over said access port.

6. The printed circuit board of claim 1 wherein said electrochemical cell is approximately the same thickness as the combination of two of said electrically insulating layers.

7. The printed circuit board of claim 1 wherein said electrochemical cell is thicker than the combination of two of said electrically insulating layers.

8. The printed circuit board of claim 1 wherein said electrochemical cell is thinner than the combination of two of said electrically insulating layers.

9. The printed circuit board of claim 1 wherein said electrochemical cell is thicker than at least one of said insulating layers.

10. The printed circuit board of claim 1 wherein said electrochemical cell is thinner than at least one of said insulating layers.

11. The printed circuit board of claim 1 wherein said electrochemical cell is about the same thickness as at least one of said insulating layers.

12. A printed circuit board comprising:

two insulating layers with at least one electrically insulating layer comprising conductor traces;

an interior defined directly between the two insulating layers;

an electrochemical cell located within the interior of said electrically insulating layers; and

a space located at an edge of said electrochemical cell in the interior, the space defined between said electrochemical cell and the electrically insulating layers.

13. The printed circuit board of claim 12 wherein said electrochemical cell extends laterally beyond the perimeter of said electrically insulating layer.

14. The printed circuit board of claim 12, further comprising an electrically conducting layer wherein said electrochemical cell is embedded between said electrically conducting layer and said electrically insulating layer.

15. The printed circuit board of claim 12, further comprising an electrically conducting layer wherein said electrically conducting layer is embedded between said electrochemical cell and said electrically insulating layer.

16. The printed circuit board of claim 12, further comprising two electrically conducting layers wherein said electrochemical cell is embedded between said electrically conducting layers.

17. The printed circuit board of claim 12, further comprising two electrically conducting layers.

18. The printed circuit board of claim 12, further comprising electrical contact in electrical connection with said electrochemical cell, said electrical contact being externally accessible.