Mask-less fabrication of thin film batteries
AssigneeApplied Materials, Inc.
InventorsDaoying SONG, Chong JIANG, Byung-Sung Leo KWAK
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Abstract
Thin film batteries (TFB) are fabricated by a process which eliminates and/or minimizes the use of shadow masks. A selective laser ablation process, where the laser patterning process removes a layer or stack of layers while leaving layer(s) below intact, is used to meet certain or all of the patterning requirements. For die patterning from the substrate side, where the laser beam passes through the substrate before reaching the deposited layers, a die patterning assistance layer, such as an amorphous silicon layer or a microcrystalline silicon layer, may be used to achieve thermal stress mismatch induced laser ablation, which greatly reduces the laser energy required to remove material.
Claims14
A thin film battery, comprising:
- a stack of patterned layers on a substrate, the stack comprising a cathode current collector layer, a cathode layer, an electrolyte layer, an anode layer, and an anode current collector layer, wherein the stack is laser die patterned, and wherein the stack is laser patterned to reveal a cathode current collector area and a portion of the electrolyte layer adjacent to the cathode current collector area, and wherein a part of the thickness of the portion of the electrolyte layer is laser removed to form a step in the electrolyte layer;
- and
- an encapsulation layer over the stack of patterned layers.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.