Rechargeable thin film battery and method for making the same

A low temperature deposition method for making a solid-state, thin film lithium electrochemical cell comprising the steps of:

• depositing a first thin film current collector on a substrate;
• exposing a surface of said first current collector to at least one source of first energetic ions, said first ions having an elemental composition which comprises at least one component element of a first reversible lithium insertion material, said first ion source having an ion beam energy of less than 100 eV;
• thermally evaporating onto said first current collector surface a first evaporant material having an elemental composition which comprises at least one second component element of said first insertion material;
• combining said first energetic ions and said first evaporant material on said first current collector surface to form said first insertion material on said first current collector surface;
• exposing a surface of said first insertion material to at least one source of second energetic ions, said second ions having an elemental composition which comprises at least one first component element of an electrolyte, said first ion source having an ion beam energy of less than 100 eV;
• thermally evaporating onto said first insertion material surface a second evaporant material having an elemental composition which comprises at least one second component element of said electrolyte;
• combining said second energetic ions and said second evaporant material to form a thin film electrolyte on said first insertion material surface;
• exposing a surface of said electrolyte to at least one source of third energetic ions, said ion source having an ion beam energy of less than 100 eV;
• thermally evaporating onto said electrolyte surface a third evaporant material having an elemental composition which comprises at least one component element of said second insertion material;
• contacting said third evaporant material with said third energetic ions on said electrolyte surface to form said second insertion material;
• and
• depositing a second current collector on a surface of said second insertion material.

A folded battery configuration of multi-cell, stackable, rechargeable, thin film solid-state batteries comprising:

• a plurality of multi-cell stacks of electrochemical cells, each cell comprised of
• a dense, non-porous, thin film, unannealed inorganic cathode comprised of a first reversible lithium insertion material:
• a dense, non-porous, thin film inorganic anode comprised of a second reversible lithium insertion material;
• said first and second insertion materials having intrinsically anisotropic crystallographic lithium ion diffusion directions;
• a dense, non-porous, thin film, inorganic, solid-state electrolyte disposed between said cathode and said anode films, said electrolyte film forming a first and second interface respectively with said cathode and anode films;
• a first crystallographic lithium ion diffusion direction of said first insertion material aligned in a predominantly non-parallel orientation to said cathode-electrolyte interface;
• and
• a second crystallographic lithium ion diffusion direction of said second insertion material aligned in a predominantly non-parallel orientation to said anode-electrolyte interface;
• each cathode of said cells electrically connected to a first thin film current collector;
• each anode of said cells electrically connected to a second thin film current collector;
• a first portion of said cells being connected to one another in a stacked series relationship, wherein each of said stacked, series-connected cells is separated from an adjacent stacked, series-connected cell by a shared current collector comprised of an electronically conductive, oxidation resistant, lithium ion blocking layer material;
• a second portion of said cells being connected to one another in a parallel relationship, wherein the cathode of each of said parallel-connected cells is electrically connected to the cathode of said adjacent parallel-connected cells by means of said first current collectors and wherein the anode of said parallel-connected cells is connected to the anode of said adjacent parallel-connected cells by means of said second current collectors;
• each of said stacked portion of series-connected cells and said stacked portion of parallel-connected cells being electrically connected in series, each of said stacks having an exposed cathode current collector at a proximal end surface and an exposed anode current collector at a distal end surface;
• a first flexible current collector electrically connected to a plurality of said exposed cathode current collectors;
• a second flexible current collector electrically connected to a plurality of exposed anode current collectors;
• an electrically insulating material disposed between each of said stacks, said insulating material maintaining a separation between said first and said second flexible current collectors so as to prevent electrical contact between said current collectors upon bending said flexible current collectors;
• a first battery terminal in electrical contact with said first flexible current collector, said firs flexible current collector so configured as to provide a plurality of bends for making electrical contact with said first terminal;
• and
• a second battery terminal in electrical contact with said second flexible current collector, said second flexible current collector so configured as to provide a plurality of bends for making electrical contact with said second terminal;
• wherein the number of said multi-cell stacks, the number of said cells in said stacks, and the number and spacing of bends in said first and said second flexible current collectors are selected so as to establish a characteristic battery operating voltage and current capacity.