Thin film structures and devices with integrated light and heat blocking layers for laser patterning

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9252308-B2
Application number	US-201514673345-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 30, 2015
Priority date	Aug 8, 2011
Publication date	Feb 2, 2016
Grant date	Feb 2, 2016

Abstract

Selective removal of specified layers of thin film structures and devices, such as solar cells, electrochromics, and thin film batteries, by laser direct patterning is achieved by including heat and light blocking layers in the device/structure stack immediately adjacent to the specified layers which are to be removed by laser ablation. The light blocking layer is a layer of metal that absorbs or reflects a portion of the laser energy penetrating through the dielectric/semiconductor layers and the heat blocking layer is a conductive layer with thermal diffusivity low enough to reduce heat flow into underlying metal layer(s), such that the temperature of the underlying metal layer(s) does not reach the melting temperature, T m , or in some embodiments does not reach (T m )/3, of the underlying metal layer(s) during laser direct patterning.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for forming electrochemical devices, comprising:
a first system for blanket depositing on a substrate a stack including a cathode current collector layer, a heat blocking layer, a light blocking layer, a cathode layer, an electrolyte layer, an anode layer, an anode current collector layer and a protective coating layer; and
a second system for direct laser patterning said stack, said second system comprising at least one laser;
wherein said light blocking layer is a layer of metal characterized by the property of absorbing or reflecting a portion of the laser energy reaching said light blocking layer and said heat blocking layer is a conductive layer with thermal diffusivity, D, low enough to reduce heat flow through said heat blocking layer during laser direct patterning such that the temperature of an adjacent device layer exceeds the melting temperature, T m , of said adjacent device layer.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said first system is a cluster tool.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said first system is an in-line tool.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said first system comprises at least one stand-alone tool.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said second system is a stand-alone tool.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said second system is integrated into said first system.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said electrochemical devices are thin film batteries.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said second system comprises multiple lasers.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said second system comprises lasers positioned above said stack and lasers positioned below said stack and wherein said stack is held on a stage, said stage having apertures below said stack for accommodation of direct laser patterning of said stack by said lasers positioned below said stack.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said second system comprises an ultraviolet-visible laser.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein said ultraviolet-visible laser is a picosecond laser.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said second system comprises an infrared laser.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein said infrared laser is a picosecond laser.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said second system comprises a visible laser.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein said visible laser is a picosecond laser.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the thickness of said heat blocking layer is greater than the thermal diffusion length, √(Dτ), wherein τ is the laser pulse duration of said at least one laser.

17. The device of claim 1 , wherein the thermal diffusivity of said heat blocking layer is less than 0.1 cm 2 /s.

18. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said at least one laser is a nanosecond laser.

19. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said second system, said stack and said substrate are configured for at least one laser beam to pass through said substrate before reaching said heat blocking layer.

20. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said light blocking layer and said heat blocking layer are the same layer.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Song Daoying
• Jiang Chong
• Kwak Byung-Sung Leo
• Gordon Ii Joseph G

Classifications

• H10F19/33

  Patterning processes to connect the photovoltaic cells, e.g. laser cutting of conductive or active layers · CPC title

• H10F77/707

  of the substrates or of layers on substrates, e.g. textured ITO layer on a glass substrate · CPC title

• H10F71/00 Primary

  Manufacture or treatment of devices covered by this subclass (patterning processes to connect thin photovoltaic cells in integrated devices, or assemblies of multiple devices, having photovoltaic cells H10F19/33; manufacture or treatment of encapsulations or containers for integrated devices, or assemblies of multiple devices, having photovoltaic cells H10F19/80; manufacture or treatment of integrated devices, or assemblies of multiple devices, comprising at least one element in which radiation controls the flow of current H10F39/00) · CPC title

• H10F71/137 Primary

  Batch treatment of the devices · CPC title

• H10F77/60

  Arrangements for cooling, heating, ventilating or compensating for temperature fluctuations · CPC title