Laser patterned thin film battery

A method of manufacturing thin film batteries, comprising:

• blanket depositing on a substrate a current collector layer and a cathode layer;
• laser die patterning said current collector layer and said cathode layer to form a cathode current collector and an anode current collector and laser ablating portions of said cathode layer to reveal a contact area of said cathode current collector and to expose all of said anode current collector, to form a first patterned stack;
• blanket depositing an electrolyte layer over said first patterned stack;
• laser ablating a portion of said electrolyte layer to expose a contact area of said anode current collector, to form a second patterned stack;
• blanket depositing an anode layer and an initial protection layer over said second patterned stack;
• laser die patterning said electrolyte, said anode and said initial protection layers within the die pattern of the laser die patterning of said current collector layer and said cathode layer;
• laser ablating portions of said initial protection, said anode, and said electrolyte layers to reveal said contact area of said cathode current collector, and laser ablating said initial protection layer, said anode layer and a portion of the thickness of said electrolyte layer to form an electrically insulating buffer area in said electrolyte layer to electrically isolate the laser cut edge of the cathode layer adjacent to said contact area of the cathode current collector from the laser cut edge of the patterned anode, and laser ablating a portion of said initial protection layer and said electrolyte layer to reveal said contact area of said anode current collector, to form a third device stack.

An apparatus for manufacturing thin film batteries on a substrate comprising:

• a first system for blanket depositing on a substrate a current collector layer and a cathode layer and laser die patterning said current collector layer and said cathode layer to form a cathode current collector and an anode current collector and laser ablating portions of said cathode layer to reveal a contact area of said cathode current collector and to expose all of said anode current collector, to form a first patterned stack;
• a second system for blanket depositing an electrolyte layer over said first patterned stack and laser ablating a portion of said electrolyte layer to expose a contact area of said anode current collector, to form a second patterned stack;
• and
• a third system for blanket depositing an anode layer and an initial protection layer over said second patterned stack, laser die patterning said electrolyte, said anode and said initial protection layers within the die pattern of the laser die patterning of said current collector layer and said cathode layer, laser ablating portions of said initial protection, said anode, and said electrolyte layers to reveal said contact area of said cathode current collector, laser ablating said initial protection layer, said anode layer and a portion of the thickness of said electrolyte layer to form an electrically insulating buffer area in said electrolyte layer to electrically isolate the laser cut edge of the cathode layer adjacent to said contact area of the cathode current collector from the laser cut edge of the patterned anode, and laser ablating a portion of said initial protection layer and said electrolyte layer to reveal said contact area of said anode current collector, to form a third device stack.