# US 8,784,511 B2 · Method for forming a thin-film lithium-ion battery

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- Number: US 8,784,511 B2
- Document ID: US8784511B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 12/877,344
- Filed: 2010-09-08
- Published: 2011-03-31
- Granted: 2014-07-22
- Earliest claimed: 2009-09-28
- Assignees: STMicroelectronics (Tours) SAS
- Applicants: Pierre Bouillon
- Inventors: Pierre Bouillon
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8784511B2

## CPC

- H01M 10/0436: {Small-sized flat cells or batteries for portable equipment}
- H01M 4/0423: {Physical vapour deposition}
- H01M 4/5815: {Sulfides}
- H01M 10/0525: Rocking-chair batteries, i.e. batteries with lithium insertion or intercalation in both electrodes; Lithium-ion batteries
- H01M 10/0562: Solid materials
- H01M 10/0585: of accumulators having only flat construction elements, i.e. flat positive electrodes, flat negative electrodes and flat separators
- H01M 4/0421: {involving vapour deposition}
- H01M 4/525: of mixed oxides or hydroxides containing iron, cobalt or nickel for inserting or intercalating light metals, e.g. LiNiO2, LiCoO2 or LiCoOxFy
- H01M 4/661: {Metal or alloys, e.g. alloy coatings (H01M4/669 take precedence)}
- H01M 2010/0495: {Nanobatteries}
- Y02E 60/10: Energy storage using batteries
- Y02P 70/50: Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product
- Y10T 29/49108: Electric battery cell making
- H01M: PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS
- Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION

## Abstract

A method for forming a lithium-ion type battery including the steps of forming, over an at least locally conductive substrate, an insulating layer having a through opening; successively and conformally depositing a stack comprising a cathode collector layer, a cathode layer, an electrolyte layer, and an anode layer, this stack having a thickness smaller than the thickness of the insulating layer; forming, over the structure, an anode collector layer filling the space remaining in the opening; and planarizing the structure to expose the upper surface of the insulating layer.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for forming a battery comprising:
forming, over a substrate, an insulating layer comprising an opening;
successively and conformally depositing a stack onto the insulating layer and the opening, the stack comprising a cathode collector layer, a cathode layer, an electrolyte layer, and an anode layer, the stack having a thickness within the opening that is smaller than a thickness of the insulating layer; and
forming, over the stack, an anode collector layer in the opening.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising planarizing the stack and the anode collector layer to expose the upper surface of the insulating layer.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, further comprising forming at least one protection layer over the insulating layer, the stack and the anode collector layer.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, further comprising:
defining an opening in said protection layer above the anode collector layer; and
forming a conductive region in the opening of the protection layer.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, further comprising forming a first contact on the conductive region and a second contact on the substrate.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein defining an opening in said protection layer comprises defining an opening having a width ranging from about 50 μm to about 500 μm.

### Claim 7 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein forming the conductive region comprises forming a conductive region with a stack of aluminum and tantalum, of aluminum and titanium, or of aluminum and tantalum nitride.

### Claim 8 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein forming a protection layer over the insulating layer, the stack and the anode collector layer comprises forming a first layer made of ceramic, Al2O3, SiN, or ZrO2, and a second layer made of SiO2.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising, before forming, over the stack, an anode collector layer, forming a seed layer.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein forming, over the stack, the anode collector layer comprises forming, over the stack, the anode collector layer by electrolytic growth at low temperature.

### Claim 11 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein forming the seed layer comprises forming a stack of titanium and copper.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein forming the insulating layer over a substrate comprises forming the insulating layer over a substrate made of doped silicon or metal.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein depositing the stack comprising a cathode collector layer, a cathode layer, an electrolyte layer, and an anode layer comprises forming the cathode collector layer, the cathode layer, the electrolyte layer, and the anode layer by physical vapor deposition.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein forming, over a substrate, an insulating layer comprises forming, over a substrate, an insulating layer having a thickness ranging between 5 and 30 μm.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein forming, over a substrate, an insulating layer, comprises forming an insulating layer over an at least locally conductive substrate.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein forming, over a substrate, an insulating layer comprising an opening comprises forming, over a substrate, an insulating layer comprising a through opening.

### Claim 17 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein forming, over the stack, an anode collector layer in the opening comprises forming, over the stack, an anode collector layer completely filling the opening.

### Claim 18 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein successively and conformally depositing a stack comprising a cathode collector layer comprises successively and conformally depositing a stack comprising a cathode collector layer made of titanium, tungsten, molybdenum, tantalum, platinum, or of an alloy or a stack of these materials.

### Claim 19 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein successively and conformally depositing a stack comprising a cathode layer comprises successively and conformally depositing a stack comprising a cathode layer made of titanium lithium oxysulfide, of cobalt lithium oxide, or of any material capable of inserting lithium.

### Claim 20 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein successively and conformally depositing a stack comprising an electrolyte layer comprises successively and conformally depositing a stack comprising an electrolyte layer made of lithium phosphorus oxynitride.

### Claim 21 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein successively and conformally depositing a stack comprising an anode layer comprises successively and conformally depositing a stack comprising an anode layer made of silicon, germanium, carbon, or an alloy or a stack of these materials.

### Claim 22 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein successively and conformally depositing a stack comprising an anode collector layer comprises successively and conformally depositing a stack comprising an anode collector layer made of copper.

### Claim 23 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein successively and conformally depositing a stack comprising a cathode collector layer comprises forming a cathode collector layer having a thickness ranging between 100 and 500 nm.

### Claim 24 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein successively and conformally depositing a stack comprising a cathode layer comprises forming a cathode layer having a thickness ranging between 1 and 10 μm.

### Claim 25 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein successively and conformally depositing a stack comprising an electrolyte layer comprises forming an electrolyte layer having a thickness ranging between 1 and 3 μm.

### Claim 26 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein successively and conformally depositing a stack comprising an anode layer comprises forming an anode layer having a thickness ranging between 10 and 800 nm.

### Claim 27

A method for forming a battery comprising:
providing an insulating layer disposed on a substrate, wherein the insulating layer includes an opening;
depositing a stack in the opening, wherein the stack comprises a first collector layer, a cathode layer, an electrolyte layer, and an anode layer, wherein the stack has a thickness within the opening that is smaller than a thickness of the insulating layer; and
forming a second collector layer over the stack.

### Claim 28 (depends on 27)

The method of claim 27 further comprising planarizing the stack and the second collector layer to expose the upper surface of the insulating layer.

### Claim 29 (depends on 27)

The method of claim 27, wherein forming the second collector layer over the stack comprises filling the opening with the second collector layer.

### Claim 30 (depends on 27)

The method of claim 27, wherein the opening is a through opening in the insulating layer.

### Claim 31 (depends on 27)

The method of claim 27, wherein the opening in the insulating layer is associated with a portion of the substrate that is at least locally conductive.