Sakti3, Inc.

Dow Global Technolgoies LLC

Dyson Technology Limited

Marc Guy Langlois

Ann Marie Sastry

Myoungdo Chung

HyonCheol Kim

Yen-Hung Chen

Stephen Buckingham

Chia-Wei Wang

Xiangchun Zhang

Robert Thomas Nilsson

Jennifer E Gerbi

Steve Buckingham

Marty W DeGroot

Hyon Cheol Kim

A method for manufacturing a solid-state battery device. The method can include providing a substrate within a process region of an apparatus. A cathode source and an anode source can be subjected to one or more energy sources to transfer thermal energy into a portion of the source materials to evaporate into a vapor phase. An ionic species from an ion source can be introduced and a thickness of solid-state battery materials can be formed overlying the surface region by interacting the gaseous species derived from the plurality of electrons and the ionic species. During formation of the thickness of the solid-state battery materials, the surface region can be maintained in a vacuum environment from about 10to 10Torr. Active materials comprising cathode, electrolyte, and anode with non-reactive species can be deposited for the formation of modified modulus layers, such a void or voided porous like materials.

Thermal evaporation process for manufacture of solid state battery devices

A thin film solid state battery configured with barrier regions formed on a flexible substrate member and method. The method includes forming a bottom thin film barrier material overlying and directly contacting a surface region of a substrate. A first current collector region can be formed overlying the bottom barrier material and forming a first cathode material overlying the first current collector region. A first electrolyte can be formed overlying the first cathode material, and a second current collector region can be formed overlying the first anode material. The method also includes forming an intermediary thin film barrier material overlying the second current collector region and forming a top thin film barrier material overlying the second electrochemical cell. The solid state battery can comprise the elements described in the method of fabrication.

Barrier for thin film lithium batteries made on flexible substrates and related methods

A monolithically integrated thin-film solid-state lithium battery device to supply energy to a mobile communication device. The battery device comprises multiple layers ranging from greater than 100 layers to less than 20,000 layers of lithium electrochemical cells. The lithium electrochemical cells are connected in parallel or in series to conform to a spatial volume. The device is substantially free from a substrate member. The overlying multiple layers are free from any intermediary substrate member. The multiple layers are configured to form a plurality of electrochemical cells configured in a parallel arrangement or a serial arrangement using either a self terminated or post terminated connector configuration.

Monolithically integrated thin-film solid state lithium battery device having multiple layers of lithium electrochemical cells

A high speed deposition apparatus for the manufacture of solid state batteries. The apparatus can be used for the manufacture of solid state multilayer stacked battery devices via a vacuum deposition process. In various embodiments, the manufacturing apparatus can include a containment vessel, a reactor region, a process region, a work piece, one or more vacuum chambers, and an energy source. A complete stack of battery layers can be manufactured in a single vacuum cycle, having background gas, pressure, and deposition rate optimized and controlled for the deposition of each layer. The work piece can include a drum and a substrate, which can be a commercial polymer or metallic web, that are temperature controlled. Masks can be used to delineate or shape layers within the multi-layer stacked electrochemical device manufactured by embodiments of the apparatus.

Multilayer electrochemical device

Elements of an electrochemical cell using an end to end process. The method includes depositing a planarization layer, which manufactures embedded conductors of said cell, allowing a deposited termination of optimized electrical performance and energy density. The present invention covers the technique of embedding the conductors and active layers in a planarized matrix of PML or other material, cutting them into discrete batteries, etching the planarization material to expose the current collectors and terminating them in a post vacuum deposition step.

Embedded solid-state battery

The present invention provides strategies for making high quality CIGS photoabsorbing materials from precursor films that incorporate a sub-stoichiometric amount of chalcogen(s). Chalcogen(s) are incorporated into the CIGS precursor film via co-sputtering with one or more other constituents of the precursor. Optional annealing also may be practiced to convert precursor into more desirable chalcopyrite crystalline form in event all or a portion of the precursor has another constitution. The resultant precursors generally are sub-stoichiometric with respect to chalcogen and have very poor electronic characteristics. The conversion of these precursors into CIGS photoabsorbing material via chalcogenizing treatment occurs with dramatically reduced interfacial void content. The resultant CIGS material displays excellent adhesion to other layers in the resultant photovoltaic devices. Ga migration also is dramatically reduced, and the resultant films have optimized Ga profiles in the top or bottom portion of the film that improve the quality of photovoltaic devices made using the films.

Chalcogenide-based materials and improved methods of making such materials

A method for manufacturing a solid-state battery device. The method can include providing a substrate within a process region of an apparatus. A cathode source and an anode source can be subjected to one or more energy sources to transfer thermal energy into a portion of the source materials to evaporate into a vapor phase. An ionic species from an ion source can be introduced and a thickness of solid-state battery materials can be formed overlying the surface region by interacting the gaseous species derived from the plurality of electrons and the ionic species. During formation of the thickness of the solid-state battery materials, the surface region can be maintained in a vacuum environment from about 10&#x2212;6 to 10&#x2212;4 Torr. Active materials comprising cathode, electrolyte, and anode with non-reactive species can be deposited for the formation of modified modulus layers, such a void or voided porous like materials.

A method and system for recharging a solid state battery device. The method can include providing the solid state battery in a fully or partially discharged state. The solid state battery can be coupled to a pair of electrodes. An energy source coupled to the electrodes can be used to supply energy to the solid state battery. This supply of energy can use a first constant current recharge process followed by a constant voltage recharge process. This supply of energy can cause an increase of an energy level of the solid state battery to the maximum energy level within a predetermined amount of time. The predetermined amount of time can be determined as being less than a time period associated with recharging the solid state battery using solely a constant current recharge process.

Method and system for recharging a solid state battery

The present invention is premised upon an improved photovoltaic cell assembly that include at least plurality of photovoltaic cells with a photoactive portion with a top surface, a top collection structure on the top surface and an opposing conductive substrate layer on a side of the photoactive portion opposite the top surface. Also including a first conductive element with a first surface and wherein the first conductive element is bent at least once and wherein the first surface is in contact with the top collection structure and/or the top surface of a first photovoltaic cell and the opposing conductive substrate layer of an adjacent second photovoltaic cell; further wherein at least a portion of the first surface is held in contact to the cells by an adhesive.

Photovoltaic cell assembly

A method for manufacturing a solid-state battery device. The method can include providing a substrate within a process region of an apparatus. A cathode source and an anode source can be subjected to one or more energy sources to transfer thermal energy into a portion of the source materials to evaporate into a vapor phase. An ionic species from an ion source can be introduced and a thickness of solid-state battery materials can be formed overlying the surface region by interacting the gaseous species derived from the plurality of electrons and the ionic species. During formation of the thickness of the solid-state battery materials, the surface region can be maintained in a vacuum environment from about 10-6 to 10-4 Torr. Active materials comprising cathode, electrolyte, and anode with non-reactive species can be deposited for the formation of modified modulus layers, such a void or voided porous like materials.

The present invention provides strategies for making high quality CIGS photoabsorbing materials from precursor films that incorporate a sub-stoichiometric amount of chalcogen(s). Chalcogen(s) are incorporated into the CIGS precursor film via co-sputtering with one or more other constituents of the precursor. Optional annealing also may be practiced to convert precursor into more desirable chalcopyrite crystalline form in event all or a portion of the precursor has another constitution. The resultant precursors generally are sub-stoichiometric with respect to chalcogen and have very poor electronic characteristics. The conversion of these precursors into CMS photoabsorbing material via chalcogenizing treatment occurs with dramatically reduced interfacial void content. The resultant CIGS material displays excellent adhesion to other layers in the resultant photovoltaic devices. Ga migration also is dramatically reduced, and the resultant films have optimized Ga profiles in the top or bottom portion of the film that improve the quality of photovoltaic devices made using the films.

A method and system for designing a manufacturing facility for solid state thin film battery devices. The method can include providing a plurality of processing tools for arrangement within a predetermined spatial region of one or more manufacturing facilities. A plurality of variables can be assigned for the plurality of processing tools. A target financial variable can be defined to evaluate different manufacturing processing tool configurations. The plurality of variables in the tensor relationship can be processed to reduce a magnitude of the target variable. An optimized set of the plurality of processing tools and respective configuration with the plurality of tools associated with the reduced magnitude of the target variable can be determined through processing. The optimized set of the plurality of processing tools in the respective configuration can be used in the one or more manufacturing facilities for the manufacture of a solid state thin film battery device.

Growing community of inventors

Midland, MI, United States of America

Marc Guy Langlois