Microwave rapid thermal processing of electrochemical devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9828669-B2
Application number	US-201514853551-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 14, 2015
Priority date	May 21, 2008
Publication date	Nov 28, 2017
Grant date	Nov 28, 2017

Abstract

Microwave radiation may be applied to electrochemical devices for rapid thermal processing (RTP) (including annealing, crystallizing, densifying, forming, etc.) of individual layers of the electrochemical devices, as well as device stacks, including bulk and thin film batteries and thin film electrochromic devices. A method of manufacturing an electrochemical device may comprise: depositing a layer of the electrochemical device over a substrate; and microwave annealing the layer, wherein the microwave annealing includes selecting annealing conditions with preferential microwave energy absorption in the layer. An apparatus for forming an electrochemical device may comprise: a first system to deposit an electrochemical device layer over a substrate; and a second system to microwave anneal the layer, wherein the second system is configured to provide preferential microwave energy absorption in the device layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of manufacturing an electrochemical device comprising:
depositing an electrochemical device stack over a substrate; and
microwave annealing a layer in said electrochemical device stack, wherein said microwave annealing includes selecting annealing conditions with preferential microwave energy absorption in said layer, said layer reaching an annealing temperature, T, while surrounding layers in said electrochemical device stack experience a temperature less than T, wherein said electrochemical device stack further comprises an interlayer, said interlayer reflecting, said microwave energy to facilitate in said preferential microwave energy absorption in said layer.

2. The method as in claim 1 , wherein said electrochemical device is a thin film battery.

3. The method as in claim 1 , wherein said electrochemical device is an electrochromic device.

4. The method as in claim 1 , wherein said electrochemical device is a thick film battery.

5. The method as in claim 2 , wherein said layer is a cathode layer and said microwave annealing crystallizes said cathode layer, and wherein said cathode layer is deposited on a cathode current collector, said cathode current collector being deposited on said substrate.

6. The method as in claim 5 , wherein said cathode layer is a LiCoO 2 layer.

7. The method as in claim 6 , wherein said LiCoO 2 layer is deposited by physical vapor deposition.

8. The method as in claim 3 , wherein said layer is an upper transparent conductive oxide (TCO) layer and said microwave annealing improves optical transmittance and electrical conductivity of said upper TCO layer, and wherein said upper TCO layer is deposited on an electrochromic device stack including a lower TCO layer, a cathode, a solid state electrolyte and an anode.

9. The method as in claim 8 , wherein said upper TCO layer is an indium tin oxide (ITO) layer.

10. The method as in claim 9 , wherein said ITO layer is sputter deposited.

11. The method as in claim 3 , wherein said layer is an electrode including nickel oxide and said microwave annealing forms said electrode.

12. The method as in claim 11 , wherein said electrode is deposited on an electrochromic device stack including a lower TCO layer, a cathode and a solid state electrolyte.

13. The method as in claim 11 , wherein said electrode is deposited on a lower TCO layer.

14. The method as in claim 4 , wherein said thick film battery is a lithium ion battery, said layer is a lithium ion cathode deposited as a slurry and said microwave annealing dries and forms said cathode.

15. An apparatus for forming an electrochemical device, comprising:
a first system to deposit an electrochemical device stack over a substrate; and
a second system to microwave anneal a layer in said electrochemical device stack, wherein said second system is configured to provide preferential microwave energy absorption in said layer, said layer reaching an annealing temperature, T, while surrounding layers in said electrochemical device stack experience a temperature less than T, wherein said electrochemical device stack further comprises a thermoelectric layer, said thermoelectric layer providing a barrier to heat diffusion in said electrochemical device stack during said microwave annealing.

16. The apparatus as in claim 15 , wherein said electrochemical device is a thin film battery, said first system is a system configured to deposit a cathode layer on a cathode current collector formed on a substrate, and said second system is configured to crystallize said cathode layer.

17. The apparatus as in claim 15 , wherein said electrochemical device is an electrochromic device, said first system is a system configured to deposit an upper transparent conductive oxide (TCO) layer on an electrochromic device stack on said substrate, said stack including a lower TCO layer, a cathode, a solid state electrolyte and an anode and said second system is configured to improve the optical transmittance and electrical conductivity of said upper TCO layer.

18. The apparatus as in claim 15 , wherein said electrochemical device is an electrochromic device, said first system is a system configured to deposit a nickel oxide electrode on an electrochromic device stack on said substrate, said stack including a lower TCO layer, an electrode and a solid state electrolyte formed on said substrate and said second system is configured to form said nickel oxide electrode, wherein said nickel oxide electrode is an electrode including nickel oxide.

19. The apparatus as in claim 15 , wherein said electrochemical device is an electrochromic device, said first system is a system configured to deposit a nickel oxide electrode on an electrochromic device stack on said substrate, said stack including a lower TCO layer and said second system is configured to form said nickel oxide electrode, wherein said nickel oxide electrode is an electrode including nickel oxide.

20. The apparatus as in claim 15 , wherein said electrochemical device is a lithium ion battery, said first system is a system configured to deposit a layer of cathode material as a slurry and said second system is configured to dry and form said cathode material.

21. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein said thermoelectric layer is a Bi 2 Te 3 layer.

22. The method of claim 2 , wherein a thickness of said interlayer is selected depending on a predetermined percentage of incident microwave energy that needs to be reflected by said interlayer.

23. The method of claim 3 , wherein said interlayer in a thin layer of metal that is optically transparent.

24. The method of claim 23 , wherein the thickness is less than 100 nm.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Song Daoying
• Jiang Chong
• Kwak Byung-Sung Leo

Classifications

• H01M10/0585

  of accumulators having only flat construction elements, i.e. flat positive electrodes, flat negative electrodes and flat separators · CPC title

• H01M4/525

  of mixed oxides or hydroxides containing iron, cobalt or nickel for inserting or intercalating light metals, e.g. LiNiO2, LiCoO2 or LiCoOxFy · CPC title

• C23C14/08

  Oxides (C23C14/10 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01M4/131

  Electrodes based on mixed oxides or hydroxides, or on mixtures of oxides or hydroxides, e.g. LiCoOx · CPC title

• H01M14/005

  Photoelectrochemical storage cells (light sensitive devices H01G9/20, semiconductors sensitive to light H10F) · CPC title