Fuel cell conditioning layer
AssigneeApplied Materials, Inc.
InventorsTae Won, Robert Bachrach, John White, Wendall Blonigan
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and apparatus for depositing a material layer to treat and condition a substrate, such as a fuel cell part, is described. The method includes depositing a hydrophilic material layer on a portion of the surface of the substrate in a process chamber from a mixture of precursors of the hydrophilic material layer. In addition, the method includes reducing a fluid contact angle of the substrate surface. The hydrophilic material layer comprises a wet etch rate of less than about 0.03 Å/min in the presence of about 10 ppm of hydrofluoric acid in water. The material layer can be used to condition various parts of a fuel cell useful in applications to generate electricity.
Claims33
A method for treating a surface of a substrate useful in a fuel cell, comprising:
- placing the substrate in a process chamber, the surface of the substrate having a fluid contact angle;
- generating a plasma inside the process chamber;
- and
- depositing a material layer having a wet etch rate of less than about 0.03 Å/min in the presence of about 10 ppm of hydrofluoric acid in water onto a portion of the surface of the substrate from a mixture of precursors for the material layer to reduce the fluid contact angle.
A fuel cell, comprising:
- a membrane electrode assembly comprising a membrane;
- and
- one or more conductive plates having a material layer on one or more surfaces thereof, the one or more surfaces of the one or more conductive plates having a fluid contact angle and the material layer is deposited onto a portion of the one or more surfaces of the one or more conductive plates in a process chamber by generating a plasma inside the process chamber from a mixture of precursors for the material layer to reduce the fluid contact angle, wherein the material layer has a wet etch rate of less than about 0.03 Å/min in the presence of about 10 ppm of hydrofluoric acid in water.
A bipolar plate having one or more surfaces, comprising:
- a material layer deposited onto a portion of the one or more surfaces, the one or more surfaces having a fluid contact angle and the material layer is deposited in a process chamber by generating a plasma inside the process chamber from a mixture of precursors for the material layer to reduce the fluid contact angle, wherein the material layer has a wet etch rate of less than about 0.03 Å/min in the presence of about 10 ppm of hydrofluoric acid in water.
An apparatus for conditioning a fuel cell part, comprising:
- a chamber body;
- a substrate processing region adapted to process the fuel cell part;
- one or more gas sources adapted to deliver a mixture of precursors comprising one or more of a silicon-containing compound, phosphorus-containing compound, a nitrogen-containing containing, and hydrogen gas (H2). into the substrate processing region,
- a substrate support assembly to support the fuel cell part having a fluid contact angle, and
- a gas distribution assembly connected to one or more power sources adapted to sustain a plasma in the substrate processing region from the mixture of precursors and deposit a hydrophilic material layer, having a wet etch rate of less than about 0.03 Å/min in the presence of about 10 ppm of hydrofluoric acid in water, on a portion of the surface of the fuel cell part to reduce the fluid contact angle of the surface of the fuel cell part.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.