Thin film battery stacking

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021265606-A1
Application number	US-202016796636-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 20, 2020
Priority date	Feb 20, 2020
Publication date	Aug 26, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

Thin Film Batteries are made of battery layers. Each battery layer has a substrate with one or more battery structures on the substrate surface. The battery structures have a first electrode connection and a second electrode, a first electrode (e.g. a cathode or anode) is electrically connected to the first electrode connection and a second electrode (e.g. an anode or cathode) is electrically connected to the second electrode connection. An electrolyte is at least partial disposed between and electrically connected to the first and second electrodes. A first edge connection on one of the substrate edges is physically and electrically connected to the first electrode connection. A second edge connection on one of the substrate edges is physically and electrically connected to the second electrode connection. An electrically insulating lamination is disposed on the substrate and covers the components except for the first and second edge connections, connected to respective battery electrodes. A first stack external connection electrical connects two or more of the first edge connections and a second stack external connection electrical connects two or more of the second edge connections. A first and second battery pole are connected to the respective first and second stack external connections. The TFBs are hermetically sealed.

First claim

We claim:

1 . A thin film battery (TFB) layer comprising:
a substrate, having a top surface, a bottom surface, and one or more substrate edges; a first electrode connection disposed on the top surface; a second electrode connection disposed on the top surface, the second electrode connection not electrically connected to the first electrode connection; a first electrode electrically connected to the first electrode connection, at least part of the first electrode disposed on the first electrode connection; a second electrode electrically connected to the second electrode connection, at least part of the second electrode disposed on the second electrode connection; an electrolyte, at least part of the electrolyte disposed between and electrically connected to the first and second electrodes; a first edge connection on one of the substrate edges, the first edge connection being physically and electrically connected to the first electrode connection; and a second edge connection on one of the substrate edges, the second edge connection being physically and electrically connected to the second electrode connection.

2 . A TFB layer, as in claim 1 , further comprising an electrically insulating lamination disposed on the substrate and covering the first electrode connection except for the first edge connection, the second electrode connection except for the second edge connection, the first electrode, the electrolyte, and the second electrode.

3 . A TFB layer, as in claim 1 , where the substrate has a substrate thickness between 5 microns and 80 microns.

4 . A TFB layer, as in claim 1 , where the substrate is between 0.5 microns and 5 microns in thickness per square millimeter (mm 2 ) of surface of the substrate 105 with a root mean squared (RMS) of surface roughness between 1 nanometer (nm) and 250 nanometer (nm) per square millimeter (mm 2 ) of surface area of the substrate.

5 . A TFB layer, as in claim 1 , where the substrate is made of one or more of the following materials: mica, Yttrium stabilized Zirconia (YSZ), ceramic, metal with an electrically insulating coating, and insulating materials dielectric oxides (e.g., silicon oxide, SiOx); dielectric nitrides (e.g., silicon nitride (SiN), silicon boron nitride (SiBN), silicon Boron Carbon Nitride (SiBCN), silicon Carbon Nitride (SiCN); dielectric oxynitrides, (e.g. silicon Oxygen Carbon Nitride (SiOCN), Silicon Carbon Oxide (SiCO), and Silicon Carbide (SiC)); or other dielectric combinations thereof.

6 . A TFB layer, as in claim 1 , where the first edge connection and the second edge connection are configured in one or more of the following ways: both the first and second edge connection are on a same edge of the substrate, the first and second edge connections are each on an adjacent substate edge, and the first connection is on one or more first substrate edges the second edge connection is on one or more second substrate edges and the first and second edge connections are opposite substate edges.

7 . A TFB layer, as in claim 1 , where the first electrode is an anode and is closer to the substrate than the second electrode which is a cathode.

8 . A TFB layer, as in claim 1 , where the first electrode is a cathode and is closer to the substrate than the second electrode which is an anode.

9 . A TFB layer, as in claim 1 , where a handler is affixed to the bottom surface of the substrate.

10 . A TFB layer, as in claim 1 , where a handler is affixed to the bottom surface of the substrate and a compression plate bears on the top surface of the substrate, the substrate being sandwiched between the handler and compression plate.

11 . A structure of Thin Film Battery (TFB) layers, the structure comprising:
a plurality of battery layers, each battery layer comprising:
a substrate, having a top surface, a bottom surface, and one or more substrate edges;
a first electrode connection disposed on the top surface;
a second electrode connection disposed on the top surface, the second electrode connection not electrically connected to the first electrode connection;
a first electrode electrically connected to the first electrode connection, at least part of the first electrode disposed on the first electrode connection;
a second electrode electrically connected to the second electrode connection, at least part of the second electrode disposed on the second electrode connection;
an electrolyte, at least part of the electrolyte disposed between and electrically connected to the first and second electrodes;
a first edge connection on one of the substrate edges, the first edge connection being physically and electrically connected to the first electrode connection;
a second edge connection on one of the substrate edges, the second edge connection being physically and electrically connected to the second electrode connection; and
an electrically insulating lamination disposed on the substrate and covering the first electrode connection except for the first edge connection, the second electrode connection except for the second edge connection, the first electrode, the electrolyte, and the second electrode;
a first stack external connection electrical connecting two or more of the first edge connections; and a second stack external connection electrical connecting two or more of the second edge connections.

12 . A structure, as in claim 11 , that is a module of two or more integrated battery structures or stacks.

13 . A structure, as in claim 11 , further comprising a hermetical seal sealing the stack, electrically connected to the first stack external connection and forming a first battery pole and a second battery pole electrically connected to the second stack external connection.

14 . A process of making a structure of Thin Film Batteries (TFBs) comprising the steps of:
securing one or more substrates to a handler, the substrates having a top surface, a bottom surface, and one or more substrate edges; depositing one or more first electrode connections and one or more second electrode connections on the top surface; depositing a first electrode at least partially on and electrically connected to the first electrode connection; depositing an electrolyte on the first electrode; and depositing a second electrode at least partially on and electrically connected to the second electrode connection, the second electrode at least partially covering the electrolyte.

15 . A process, as in claim 14 , further comprising the steps of:
electrically connecting a first edge connection to the first electrode connection; and electrically connecting a second edge connection to the second electrode connection.

16 . A process, as in claim 15 , further comprising the step of:
depositing an electrically insulating lamination on the substrates to cover the first and second electrode connections, the first electrode, the electrolyte, and the second electrode but not the first and second edge connections,
where a battery layer comprises the electrically insulating lamination, first and second electrode connection, the first electrode, the electrolyte, the second electrode, and the first and second edge connection.

17 . A process, as in claim 16 , further comprising the steps of:
stacking two or more of the battery layers upon one another to create a multiple layer structure; singulating the multiple layer structure stack into one or more Thin Film Battery (TFB) stacks, one or more of the first edge connections and one or more of the second edge connections being exposed on one or more respectiv

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Dang Bing
• Knickerbocker John
• Chen Qianwen

Classifications

• H01M50/10 Primary

  Primary casings; Jackets or wrappings · CPC title

• H01M50/502

  Interconnectors for connecting terminals of adjacent batteries; Interconnectors for connecting cells outside a battery casing · CPC title

• H01M50/54

  Connection of several leads or tabs of plate-like electrode stacks, e.g. electrode pole straps or bridges · CPC title

• H01M50/204

  Racks, modules or packs for multiple batteries or multiple cells · CPC title

• H01M50/103

  prismatic or rectangular (H01M50/109, H01M50/11 take precedence) · CPC title