Front Edge Technology, Inc.

Other

Hughes Aircraft Company

The United States of America as Represented by the Administrator of the

Kai-Wei Nieh

Victor Krasnov

Su-Jen Ting

Jianchao Li

David B Rensch

Jack Y Josefowicz

Chun-Ting Lin

Tung-Hsiu Shih

Sandeep Makhar

Fan-Hsiu Chang

True-Lon Lin

Jiuh-Ming Liang

Robert W Fathauer

Paul Tang

Weng-Chung Wang

A method of fabricating a battery comprises selecting a battery substrate having cleavage planes, and depositing on the battery substrate, one or more battery component films comprising electrode films that at least partially surround an electrolyte film. Pulsed laser beam bursts are applied to the battery component films at a sufficiently high power level to vaporize portions of the films to form shaped battery features. The pulsed laser bursts shape the films substantially without causing fractures along the cleavage planes of the battery substrate. Pulsed laser shaping can be used to replace the use of a mask in the fabrication of shaped battery components.

Thin film battery fabrication using laser shaping

A battery fabrication method comprises forming at least one battery cell on a battery substrate by depositing a plurality of battery component films on the battery substrate, the battery component films comprising at least a pair of electrodes about an electrolyte. An overlying protective multilayer coating is formed over the battery cell. A plurality of pulsed laser bursts of a pulsed laser beam is applied to the battery substrate, the pulsed laser bursts having sufficient power and duration to cut through the battery substrate and the overlying protective multilayer coating.

Pulsed laser cutting of thin film battery

A battery comprises at least one battery cell on a support, the battery cell comprising a plurality of electrodes about an electrolyte, and having a surface. A thermoplastic material covers the surface of the battery cell, the thermoplastic material comprising a nitrogen permeability or oxygen permeability that is less than 20 cm*mm/(m*day). A cap covers the thermoplastic material.

Battery with protective packaging

A thin film battery manufacturing method is provided for deposition of lithium metal oxide films onto a battery substrate. The films are deposited in a sputtering chamber having a plurality of sputtering targets and magnetrons. The sputtering gas is energized by applying a voltage bias between a pair of the sputtering targets at a frequency of between about 10 and about 100 kHz. The method can provide a deposition rate of lithium cobalt oxide of between about 0.2 and about 4 microns/hr with improved film quality.

Manufacturing method for thin film battery

A method and apparatus for charging a rechargeable battery comprises determining a safe charging voltage Vthat is the maximum open circuit voltage of the battery which provides a minimum battery capacity for a predetermined number of charge and discharge cycles of the battery. The battery is charged with a voltage Vwhich is higher than the V. The charging voltage is removed and open circuit voltage of the battery is measured. The charging and measuring steps are repeated when the open circuit voltage is less than V, and the charging process is terminated when the open circuit voltage is substantially equal to V.

Battery charging apparatus and method

A thin film battery comprises a substrate having a surface, and a plurality of battery cells on the substrate surface. Each battery cell comprises an electrolyte having opposing surfaces, and a plurality of conductors in electrical contact with at least one of the opposing surfaces of the electrolyte, the plurality of conductors including a first conductor in electrical contact with a surface of the electrolyte and a second conductor in electrical contact with the opposing surface of the electrolyte. At least one electrical connector strip connects a conductor of a first battery cell to a conductor of a second battery cell to electrically couple the first and second battery cells to one another.

Thin film battery with electrical connector connecting battery cells

A battery comprises a substrate comprising a first surface comprising a first battery cell having a first non-contact surface, a pliable dielectric abutting the first non-contact surface, the pliable dielectric comprising a peripheral edge, and a first cap about the pliable dielectric.

Thin film battery with protective packaging

In a method of fabricating a battery, a substrate is annealed to reduce surface contaminants or even water of crystallization from the substrate. A series of battery component films are deposited on a substrate, including an adhesion film, electrode films, and an electrolyte film. An adhesion film is deposited on the substrate and regions of the adhesion film are exposed to oxygen. An overlying stack of cathode films is deposited in successive deposition and annealing steps.

Thin film battery and manufacturing method

A method of fabricating a battery comprises selecting a battery substrate having cleavage planes, and cutting the battery substrate with pulsed laser bursts from a pulsed laser beam to control or limit fracture along the cleavage planes. The pulsed laser beam was also found to work well on thin substrates which are sized less than 100 microns. Before or after the cutting step, a plurality of battery component films can be deposited on the battery substrate. The battery component films include at least a pair of electrodes about an electrolyte which cooperate to form a battery.

Thin film battery substrate cutting and fabrication process

A battery comprises a substrate comprising an electrolyte between a pair of conductors, at least one conductor having a non-contact surface. A cap is spaced apart from the non-contact surface of the conductor by a gap having a gap distance dof from about 1 &#x3bc;m to about 120 &#x3bc;m. The gap allows the conductor to expand into the gap. The gap is further bounded by side faces about a surrounding perimeter that may be sealed with a seal. In one version, the ratio of the surface area of the non-contact surfaces on the conductor to the total surface area of the side faces is greater than about 10:1. A pliable dielectric can also be provided in the gap.

A thin film battery manufacturing method comprises annealing a battery substrate to a temperature at which organic materials are burned off the battery substrate to clean the battery substrate. The battery substrate comprises a thickness of less than about 100 microns. After annealing, a plurality of thin films are formed on the annealed battery substrate, the thin films comprising at least one electrolyte between a pair of electrodes, and the thin films adapted to generate or store an electrical charge. The thin films can also be annealed to remove defects in the thin films.

Method of fabricating thin film battery with annealed substrate

A thin film battery comprises a substrate with a front side and a back side. A first battery cell is provided on the front side of the substrate, the first battery cell including an electrolyte between a pair of electrodes. A second battery cell is provided on the back side of the substrate, the second battery cell also including an electrolyte between a pair of electrodes. The battery is capable of providing an energy density of more than 700 wh/l and a specific energy of more than 250 wh/kg. A method of annealing a deposited thin film is also described.

Thin film battery and method of manufacture

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.

In a method of manufacturing a thin film battery in a chamber, a target comprising LiCoOis provided on a magnetron cathode in the chamber, and a substrate is placed facing the target. A process gas is introduced into the chamber and the process gas is energized to form a plasma to sputter the target to deposit LiCoOon the substrate. An ion flux of from about 0.1 to about 5 mA/cmis delivered from the plasma to the substrate to enhance the crystallinity of the deposited LiCoOmaterial on the substrate. The process gas is exhausted from the chamber. The target can also be made of other materials.

Method of manufacturing a thin film battery

A method of depositing lithium phosphorus oxynitride on a substrate, the method comprising loading a substrate into a vacuum chamber having a target comprising lithium phosphate, introducing a process gas comprising nitrogen into the chamber and maintaining the gas at a pressure of less than about 15 mTorr; and forming a plasma of the process gas in the chamber to deposit lithium phosphorous oxynitride on the substrate.

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Monrovia, CA, United States of America

Kai-Wei Nieh