Apparatus, systems and methods for the production of electrodes for use in batteries

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11811047-B2
Application number	US-202217933924-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 21, 2022
Priority date	Sep 18, 2020
Publication date	Nov 7, 2023
Grant date	Nov 7, 2023

Abstract

A process for delineating a population of electrode structures in a web includes laser ablating the web to form ablations in the web, each ablation being formed by removing a portion of an electrochemically active layer to thereby expose a portion of an electrically conductive layer. The process includes forming alignment features in the web that are formed at predetermined locations on the web. The process also includes laser machining the web to form weakened tear patterns in the web that delineate members of the electrode structure population, each of the delineated members being individually bounded, at least in part, by a member of the weakened tear patterns that is adapted to facilitate separation of delineated members, individually, from the web by an application of a force, the alignment features being used to aid in the formation of the weakened tear patterns.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A process for delineating a population of electrode structures in a web, the web comprising an electrically conductive layer having opposing front and back surfaces and an electrochemically active material layer on the front surface, the back surface, or on both of the front and back surfaces, the web having a down-web direction and a cross-web direction, the down-web and cross-web directions being orthogonal to each other, the process comprising:
laser ablating the web to form a series of ablations in the web that are disposed in the down-web direction or the cross-web direction, each ablation being formed by removing a portion of the electrochemically active layer to thereby expose a portion of the electrically conductive layer;
forming a series of alignment features in the web that are disposed in the cross-web or down-web direction, the series of alignment features being formed at predetermined locations on the web;
laser machining the web to form a series of weakened tear patterns in the web in the down-web direction, the cross-web direction, or each of the cross-web direction and down-web direction that delineate members of the electrode structure population, each of the delineated members being individually bounded, at least in part, by a member of the series of weakened tear patterns that is adapted to facilitate separation of the delineated members, individually, from the web by an application of a force, the series of alignment features being used to aid in the formation of the series of weakened tear patterns; and
forming a population of tie bars between at least some of the delineated members of the electrode structure population, each of the tie bars being sized to provide additional structural stiffness to the web.

2. The process of claim 1 , further comprising:
applying a tension to the web in the cross-web direction prior to the laser machining or to the web in the down-web direction during the laser machining; and
conveying the web in the down-web direction after the laser machining without releasing the delineated members from the web.

3. The process of claim 1 , further comprising controlling a tension of the web in the down-web direction during the laser machining.

4. The process of claim 3 , wherein controlling the tension of the web comprising maintaining a tension on the web of 500 gram force or less.

5. The process of claim 1 , wherein the electrochemically active material layer is on only one of the front and back surfaces of the electrically conductive layer.

6. The process of claim 1 , wherein the electrochemically active material layer is on both of the front and back surfaces of the electrically conductive layer.

7. The process of claim 1 , wherein the electrically conductive layer comprises a material suitable for use as a positive electrode current collector layer or a negative electrode current collector layer.

8. The process of claim 7 , wherein the electrochemically active material layer comprises a cathodically active material or an anodically active material.

9. The process of claim 1 , wherein the web with the delineated members and the population of tie bars has a strength of 10% to 75% of a strength of an unmachined web in the down-web direction and a strength of 5% to 30% of a strength of the unmachined web in the cross-web direction.

10. The process of claim 1 , wherein the forming the series of alignment features comprises laser machining the web after laser ablating to form the series of ablations.

11. The process of claim 1 , wherein the laser machining the web to form the series of weakened tear patterns comprises laser machining a series of outer perforations and a series of inner perforations, the outer perforations having a lower rupture strength than the inner perforations.

12. The process of claim 1 , further comprising conveying the web over a support surface during the laser machining, the support surface comprising aluminum or an aluminum alloy.

13. The process of claim 12 , further comprising dissipating thermal energy from the laser machining using the support surface.

14. A process for delineating a population of electrode structures in a web, the web comprising an electrically conductive layer having opposing front and back surfaces and an electrochemically active material layer on the front surface, the back surface, or on both of the front and back surfaces, the web having a down-web direction and a cross-web direction, the down-web and cross-web directions being orthogonal to each other, the process comprising:
moving the web over a support surface, the support surface comprising a thermally conductive material;
forming a series of alignment features in the web that are disposed in the cross-web or down-web direction;
laser machining the web to form a series of weakened tear patterns in the web in the down-web direction, the cross-web direction, or each of the cross-web direction and down-web direction that delineate members of the electrode structure population, each of the delineated members being individually bounded, at least in part, by a member of the series of weakened tear patterns that is adapted to facilitate separation of the delineated members, individually, from the web by an application of a force, the series of alignment features being used to aid in the formation of the series of weakened tear patterns;
dissipating thermal energy from the laser machining using the support surface; and
forming a population of tie bars between at least some of the delineated members of the electrode structure population, each of the tie bars being sized to provide additional structural stiffness to the web.

15. The process of claim 14 , further comprising laser ablating the web to form a series of ablations in the web that are disposed in the down-web direction or the cross-web direction, each ablation being formed by removing a portion of the electrochemically active layer to thereby expose a portion of the electrically conductive layer.

16. The process of claim 14 , wherein the laser machining is performed while the web is moving over the support surface.

17. The process of claim 16 , further comprising controlling an angle at which a laser beam travels during the laser machining based on a speed at which the web is moving.

18. The process of claim 14 , further comprising controlling a portion of the web to be laser machined to be within about +/−100 microns of a laser focal point of a laser beam.

19. The process of claim 14 , wherein a laser used for the laser machining has a laser power within a range of from 10 watts to 5,000 watts, is a fiber laser, and is capable of laser pulse width types of one or more of continuous wave (cw), microsecond (μs), nanosecond (ns), picosecond (ps) and femtosecond (fs) pulse types or combinations thereof.

20. The process of claim 14 , wherein the laser machining forms the series of weakened tear patterns in each of the cross-web direction and down-web direction, and includes controlling a first laser device to laser machine the web in the cross-web direction and controlling a second laser device to laser machine the web in the down-web direction.

21. A process for delineating a population of electrode structures in a web, the web comprising an electrically conductive layer having opposing front and back surfaces and an electrochemically active material layer on the front surface, the back surface, or on both of the front and back surfaces, the web having a down-web direction and a cro

Assignees

• Enovix Corp

Inventors

• Rust Iii Harrold J
• Ramasubramanian Murali
• Lahiri Ashok
• Valdes Bruno A
• Buck Jeffrey Glenn
• Fortunati Kim Lester
• Busacca Robert S
• Varni John F
• Winans Joshua David
• Sarswat Neal
• Koblmiller Gunther A
• Beaven Miles E
• Moss Jeffery A
• Andres Michael T

Classifications

• H01M4/0469 Primary

  Electroforming a self-supporting electrode; Electroforming of powdered electrode material · CPC title

• H01M4/139 Primary

  Processes of manufacture · CPC title

• B23K26/364 Primary

  for making a groove or trench, e.g. for scribing a break initiation groove · CPC title

• H01M4/0404

  by coating on electrode collectors · CPC title

• H01M4/0435

  Rolling or calendering · CPC title