# US 12,183,520 B2 · Metal-insulator-metal (MIM) energy storage device with layered stack and manufacturing method

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- Number: US 12,183,520 B2
- Document ID: US12183520B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/911,698
- Filed: 2021-04-13
- Published: 2023-05-11
- Granted: 2024-12-31
- Earliest claimed: 2020-04-17
- Assignees: Smoltek AB
- Applicants: Smoltek AB
- Inventors: M Shafiqul Kabir; Vincent Desmaris; Anders Johansson; Ola Tiverman; Karl Lundahl; Rickard Andersson; Muhammad Amin Saleem; Maria Bylund; Victor Marknäs
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12183520B2

## CPC

- H01G 4/005: Electrodes
- H01G 9/04: Electrodes {or formation of dielectric layers thereon}
- H01G 4/06: Solid dielectrics
- H01G 4/33: Thin- or thick-film capacitors {(thin- or thick-film circuits; capacitors without a potential-jump or surface barrier specially adapted for integrated circuits, details thereof, multistep manufacturing processes therefor)}
- H01G 9/07: Dielectric layers
- H01G 9/15: Solid electrolytic capacitors (H01G11/00 takes precedence)
- H05K 1/181: associated with surface mounted components
- H10D 1/042: {using deposition processes to form electrode extensions}
- H10D 1/716: {having vertical extensions}
- H10W 20/496: {Capacitor integral with wiring layers}
- B82Y 10/00: Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic
- H05K 2201/10015: Non-printed capacitor
- H10D 62/122: {oriented at angles to substrates, e.g. perpendicular to substrates}
- H01G: CAPACITORS; CAPACITORS, RECTIFIERS, DETECTORS, SWITCHING DEVICES, LIGHT-SENSITIVE OR TEMPERATURE-SENSITIVE DEVICES OF THE ELECTROLYTIC TYPE (selection of specified materials as dielectric H01B3/00; capacitors having potential barriers H10D1/62, H10K10/10)
- H05K: PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
- H10D: INORGANIC ELECTRIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
- H10W: GENERIC PACKAGES, INTERCONNECTIONS, CONNECTORS OR OTHER CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10
- B82Y: SPECIFIC USES OR APPLICATIONS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MEASUREMENT OR ANALYSIS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF NANOSTRUCTURES

## Abstract

A MIM energy storage device comprising a bottom electrode; a plurality of electrically conductive vertical nanostructures; a bottom conduction-controlling layer conformally coating each nanostructure in the plurality of electrically conductive vertical nanostructures; and a layered stack of alternating conduction-controlling layers and electrode layers conformally coating the bottom conduction-controlling layer, the layered stack including at least a first odd-numbered electrode layer at a bottom of the layered stack, a first odd-numbered conduction-controlling layer directly on the first odd-numbered electrode layer, and a first even-numbered electrode layer directly on the first odd-numbered conduction-controlling layer. Each even-numbered electrode layer in the layered stack is electrically conductively connected to the bottom electrode; and each odd-numbered electrode layer in the layered stack is electrically conductively connected to any other odd-numbered electrode layer in the layered stack.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A metal-insulator-metal (MIM) energy storage device comprising:
a plurality of electrically conductive vertical nanostructures, each extending from a first end of the nanostructure to a second end of the nanostructure;
a bottom conduction-controlling layer conformally coating each nanostructure in the plurality of electrically conductive vertical nanostructures; and
a layered stack comprising alternating conduction-controlling layers and electrode layers conformally coating the bottom conduction-controlling layer, the layered stack including at least a first odd-numbered electrode layer at a bottom of the layered stack, a first odd-numbered conduction-controlling layer directly on the first odd-numbered electrode layer, and a first even-numbered electrode layer directly on the first odd-numbered conduction-controlling layer,
wherein:
each even-numbered electrode layer in the layered stack is electrically conductively connected to the nanostructures; and
each odd-numbered electrode layer in the layered stack is electrically conductively connected to any other odd-numbered electrode layer in the layered stack,
wherein the electrically conductive vertical nanostructures in the plurality of electrically conductive vertical nanostructures are carbon nanofibers.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The MIM energy storage device according to claim 1, wherein:
the MIM energy storage device further comprises a top electrode; and
a topmost odd-numbered electrode layer in the layered stack is electrically conductively connected to the top electrode.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The MIM energy storage device according to claim 2, wherein the topmost odd-numbered electrode layer in the layered stack is electrically conductively connected to the top electrode at a plurality of connection locations, each being along a straight line passing through the first end and the second end of a respective one of the nanostructures in the plurality of electrically conductive vertical nanostructures.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The MIM energy storage device according to claim 1, wherein each of the carbon nanofibers has a corrugated surface structure and/or is a branched nanofiber.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The MIM energy storage device according to claim 1, wherein the nanostructures in the plurality of electrically conductive vertical nanostructures are grown from a bottom electrode.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The MIM energy storage device according to claim 5, further comprising a catalyst layer between the bottom electrode and the first end of each nanostructure in the plurality of electrically conductive vertical nanostructures.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The MIM energy storage device according to claim 6, wherein the catalyst layer is a pre-patterned catalyst layer.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The MIM energy storage device according to claim 7, wherein the catalyst layer is pre-patterned in a periodic configuration.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The MIM energy storage device according to claim 1, wherein each conduction-controlling layer is made of solid dielectric material.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The MIM energy storage device according to claim 1, wherein each conduction-controlling layer is an electrolyte.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The MIM energy storage device according to claim 1, further comprising:
a first connecting structure for external electrical connection of the MIM energy storage device; and
a second connecting structure for external electrical connection of the MIM energy storage device, wherein:
the nanostructures and each even-numbered electrode layer in the layered stack are electrically conductively connected to the first connecting structure; and
each odd-numbered electrode layer in the layered stack is electrically conductively connected to the second connecting structure.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The MIM energy storage device according to claim 11, wherein the MIM energy storage device comprises:
a MIM energy storage device layer including the plurality of electrically conductive vertical nanostructures, the bottom conduction-controlling layer, and the layered stack;
a connecting structure layer including the first connecting structure and the second connecting structure; and
a redistribution layer arranged between the MIM energy storage device layer and the connecting structure layer, the redistribution layer being configured to electrically conductively connect the nanostructures of the MIM energy storage device layer with the first connecting structure of the connecting structure layer, and electrically conductively connecting at least one odd-numbered electrode layer in the layered stack of the MIM energy storage device layer with the second connecting structure of the connecting structure layer.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The MIM energy storage device according to claim 12, wherein the redistribution layer comprises:
a first redistribution sub-layer having a first conductor pattern layer including a first pad electrically conductively connected to the nanostructures of the MIM energy storage device layer, and a second pad electrically conductively connected to at least one odd-numbered electrode layer in the layered stack of the MIM energy storage device layer; and
a second redistribution sub-layer having a second conductor pattern layer including a first conductor trace electrically conductively connecting the first pad of the first redistribution sub-layer with the first connecting structure of the connecting structure layer, and a second conductor trace electrically conductively connecting the second pad of the first redistribution sub-layer with the second connecting structure of the connecting structure layer.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The MIM energy storage device according to claim 12, wherein the redistribution layer further comprises at least one via, passing through the redistribution layer to electrically conductively connect a first side of the redistribution layer with a second side of the redistribution layer.

### Claim 15 (depends on 11)

The MIM energy storage device according to claim 11, wherein each of the first connecting structure and the second connecting structure at least partly forms an outer boundary surface of the MIM energy storage device.

### Claim 16 (depends on 11)

An electronic device comprising:
a printed circuit board (PCB);
an integrated circuit (IC) on the PCB; and
the MIM energy storage device according to claim 11 connected to the IC.

### Claim 17

A method of manufacturing a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) energy storage device, comprising the steps of:
providing a substrate with a bottom electrode;
providing, on the bottom electrode, a plurality of electrically conductive nanostructures in such a way that each nanostructure in the plurality of electrically conductive nanostructures extends substantially vertically from the bottom electrode and a first end of the nanostructure is in electrically conductive contact with the bottom electrode;
applying a conformal bottom conduction-controlling layer on each nanostructure in the plurality of electrically conductive nanostructures provided on the bottom electrode; and
forming, on the bottom conduction-controlling layer, a layered stack of alternating conduction-controlling layers and electrode layers conformally coating the bottom conduction-controlling layer, the layered stack including at least a first odd-numbered electrode layer at a bottom of the layered stack, a first odd-numbered conduction-controlling layer directly on the first odd-numbered electrode layer, and a first even-numbered electrode layer directly on the first odd-numbered conduction-controlling layer,
wherein the layered stack is formed in such a way that each even-numbered electrode layer in the layered stack is electrically conductively connected to the bottom electrode, and each odd-numbered electrode layer in the layered stack is electrically conductively connected to any other odd-numbered electrode layer in the layered stack.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The method according to claim 17, further comprising the steps of:
forming a first connecting structure for external electrical connection of the MIM energy storage device;
forming a second connecting structure for external electrical connection of the MIM energy storage device; and
at least partly embedding the MIM energy storage device in an electrically insulating encapsulation material, in such a way that the first connecting structure and the second connecting structure are uncovered by the electrically insulating encapsulation material.
