High throughput physical vapor deposition apparatus and method for manufacture of solid state batteries

An apparatus for the manufacture of a solid state electrochemical device using a high speed evaporation process, the apparatus comprising:

• a containment vessel for an anode or other material, the material characterized in a fluid, bendable, meter-able, or dispensable form and characterized by an engineered surface to volume ratio;
• a hot wall reactor region coupled to the containment vessel by a transport mechanism;
• a process region positioned within a vicinity of the hot wall reactor region;
• a work piece provided within the process region and coupled to a transfer device configured to move the work piece from a first region to a second region in a continuous or intermittent manner, the process region within a vicinity of the hot wall reactor to expose the work piece to the hot wall reactor;
• wherein the vicinity between the hot wall reactor and the work piece is about 10 cm to 1 meter;
• a vacuum chamber or plurality of chambers in fluid communication with each other, configured to enclose the containment vessel, hot wall reactor region, process region, and the work piece within the process region;
• and
• an energy source configured to the hot wall reactor to subject the material to thermal energy to substantially evaporate the material within a time period of about one second or less without decomposition into undesirable components and cause deposition of a desired gaseous species derived from the evaporated material onto a surface region of the work piece to form the anode or anode modification component of the solid state electrochemical device.

An apparatus for the manufacture of a solid state electrochemical device using a high speed evaporation process, the apparatus comprising:

• a containment vessel for an electrolyte or other material, the material characterized in a fluid, bendable, meter-able, or dispensable form and characterized by an engineered surface to volume ratio;
• a hot wall reactor region coupled to the containment vessel by a transport mechanism;
• a process region positioned within a vicinity of the hot wall reactor region;
• a work piece provided within the process region and coupled to a transfer device configured to move the work piece from a first region to a second region in a continuous or intermittent manner, the process region within a vicinity of the hot wall reactor to expose the work piece to the hot wall reactor;
• wherein the vicinity between the hot wall reactor and the work piece is about 10 cm to 1 meter;
• a vacuum chamber or plurality of chambers in fluid communication with each other, configured to enclose the containment vessel, hot wall reactor region, process region, and the work piece within the process region;
• and
• an energy source configured to the hot wall reactor to subject the material to thermal energy to substantially evaporate the material within a time period of about one second or less without decomposition into undesirable components and cause deposition of a desired gaseous species derived from the evaporated material onto a surface region of the work piece to form the electrolyte or electrolyte modification component of the solid state electrochemical device.