Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to electroluminescent (EL) devices. More specifically, embodiments described herein relate to methods for forming arrays of the EL devices and selectively patterning a filler material in the EL devices. The EL device formed from the methods described herein will have improved outcoupling efficiency because of the patterned filler. The methods described herein pattern the filler and provide large area, low cost, and high resolution EL device formation by not relying on ink-jet printing or thermal evaporation with a fine metal mask.

Abstract: A magnetic handling assembly for thin-film processing of a substrate, a system and method for assembling and disassembling a shadow mask to cover a top of a workpiece for exposure to a processing condition. The assembly may include a magnetic handling carrier and a shadow mask disposed over, and magnetically coupled to, the magnetic handling carrier to cover a top of a workpiece that is to be disposed between the shadow mask and the magnetic handling carrier when exposed to a processing condition. A system includes a first chamber with a first support to hold the shadow mask, a second support to hold a handling carrier, and an alignment system to align the shadow mask a workpiece to be disposed between the carrier and shadow mask. The first and second supports are moveable relative to each other.

Abstract: A method for exfoliation of deposited material off a work piece may comprise: immersing the work piece in an ultrasonic bath and applying ultrasonic energy, wherein the ultrasonic bath contains a fluid either held at a constant temperature within the range from greater than room temperature to less than the fluid boiling point, or the fluid is cycled over a ?T chosen within the range between room temperature and less than the fluid boiling point, wherein the temperature is chosen to provide a significant CTE mismatch between the layer and the work piece in order to promote exfoliation of the layer off the work piece, and wherein process time in the ultrasonic bath is within a range from several seconds up to 120 minutes for loosening the layer; cleaning the work piece by rinsing with liquids; and drying the work piece. A system is described for running the exfoliation process.

Abstract: A method of fabricating electrochemical devices may comprise: providing a layer of dielectric material on a metal electrode; enhancing light absorption in the layer of dielectric material within the visible and near UV range, forming a layer of enhanced dielectric material; and laser ablating substantially all of the enhanced dielectric material in select areas of the layer using a laser with a wavelength in the visible and near UV range, wherein the laser ablating leaves the metal electrode substantially intact. In some embodiments, the layer may be provided engineered for higher laser light absorption within the visible and near ultraviolet range, without the need for enhancing. An electrochemical device may comprise: a substrate; a stack of active device layers formed on the substrate; and an encapsulation layer covering the stack, engineered to strongly absorb laser light within the visible and near ultraviolet range.

Abstract: A method of fabricating thin film electrochemical devices may comprise: depositing on a substrate a stack of layers comprising a CCC, a cathode, an electrolyte, an anode and an ACC; laser die patterning the stack to form die patterned stacks; laser patterning the die patterned stacks to reveal contact areas of at least one of the CCC layer and the ACC layer for each of the die patterned stacks, the laser patterning the die patterned stacks forming device stacks; depositing a blanket encapsulation layer over the device stacks; laser patterning the blanket encapsulation layer to reveal contact areas of the ACC layer and the CCC layer for each of the device stacks, the laser patterning of the blanket encapsulation layer forming encapsulated device stacks; and identifying hot spots by thermographic analysis of one or more of the device stacks and the encapsulated device stacks.

Abstract: Disclosed are a cathode active material for a lithium secondary battery, and a lithium secondary battery including the same. The disclosed cathode active material includes a core including a compound represented by Formula 1; and a shell including a compound represented by Formula 2, in which the core and the shell have different material compositions.

Abstract: Microwave radiation may be applied to electrochemical devices for rapid thermal processing (RTP) (including annealing, crystallizing, densifying, forming, etc.) of individual layers of the electrochemical devices, as well as device stacks, including bulk and thin film batteries and thin film electrochromic devices. A method of manufacturing an electrochemical device may comprise: depositing a layer of the electrochemical device over a substrate; and microwave annealing the layer, wherein the microwave annealing includes selecting annealing conditions with preferential microwave energy absorption in the layer. An apparatus for forming an electrochemical device may comprise: a first system to deposit an electrochemical device layer over a substrate; and a second system to microwave anneal the layer, wherein the second system is configured to provide preferential microwave energy absorption in the device layer.

Abstract: A method of fabricating an electrochemical device in an apparatus may comprise: providing an electrochemical device substrate; depositing a device layer over the substrate; applying electromagnetic radiation to the device layer in situ to effect one or more of surface restructuring, recrystallization and densification of the device layer; repeating the depositing and the applying until a desired device layer thickness is achieved. Furthermore, the applying may be during the depositing. A thin film battery may comprise: a substrate; a current collector on the substrate; a cathode layer on the current collector; an electrolyte layer on the cathode layer; and a lithium anode layer on the electrolyte layer; wherein the LLZO electrolyte layer has a crystalline phase, no shorts due to cracks in the LLZO electrolyte layer, and no highly resistive interlayer at the interface between the electrolyte layer and the cathode layer.

Abstract: A thin film battery may include a substrate; with a cathode current collector layer an anode current collector layer, a cathode layer, an electrolyte layer, and an anode layer, wherein a portion of an anode contact area of the anode current collector is not covered by the anode layer, and wherein an electrically insulating buffer area in the electrolyte layer, for electrically isolating the laser cut edge of the cathode layer adjacent to the contact area of the cathode current collector from the laser cut edge of the anode layer, is not covered by the anode layer, the electrically insulating buffer area being between the contact area of the cathode current collector layer and the anode layer, Methods and apparatus for forming thin film batteries are also described herein.

Abstract: Interlayers are included between electrode(s) and solid state electrolyte in electrochemical devices such as thin film batteries (TFBs), electrochromic (EC) devices, etc., Second Electrode in order to reduce the interfacial resistance and over-potential for promoting ion transport, such as lithium ion transport, through certain of the interfaces in the electrochemical device stack. Methods of manufacturing these electrochemical devices, and equipment for the same, are disclosed herein.

Abstract: According to general aspects, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a special mask design that not only increases the ionic conductivity of a deposited LiPON layer but also increases device yield by reducing damage to the deposited layer from RF plasma. In embodiments, the mask includes a conductive bottom surface facing the substrate during deposition and a non-conductive opposite top side. According to aspects of the present disclosure, the conductive portion of the mask at the bottom side allows the formation of a weak secondary local plasma (or greater plasma immersion) to enhance nitrogen incorporation into the LiPON film. The non-conductive top side suppresses local micro-arcing, which will limit the plasma induced damage to the growing film.

Abstract: The present invention relates to sputter targets for electrochemical device layer deposition comprising a lithium-containing target material with near-metallic electrical conductivity which includes (a) at least one metal and (b) a lithium-containing material, the lithium-containing material being selected from the group consisting of lithium metal and a lithium-containing salt, wherein the at least one metal and the lithium-containing material are formed into the lithium-containing target material and wherein the lithium-containing target material is configured with a composition sufficient for physical vapor deposition of a lithium-containing electrode of the electrochemical device in a single step, the lithium-containing electrode as deposited requiring no further lithium doping. Furthermore, the composition of the metallic lithium-containing target material may be configured to provide a low enough electrical resistance to permit DC sputtering.

Abstract: A method of fabricating a thin film battery may comprise: depositing a first stack of blanket layers on a substrate, the first stack comprising a cathode current collector, a cathode, an electrolyte, an anode and an anode current collector; laser die patterning the first stack to form one or more second stacks, each second stack forming the core of a separate thin film battery; blanket depositing an encapsulation layer over the one or more second stacks; laser patterning the encapsulation layer to open up contact areas to the anode current collectors on each of the one or more second stacks; blanket depositing a metal pad layer over the encapsulation layer and the contact areas; and laser patterning the metal pad layer to electrically isolate the anode current collectors of each of the one or more thin film batteries. For electrically non-conductive substrates, cathode contact areas are opened-up through the substrate.

Abstract: A thin film battery may comprise: a substrate comprising a substrate surface; a first current collector (FCC) layer formed on the substrate surface, the FCC layer having a first FCC surface and a second FCC surface and wherein the first FCC surface is in contact with the substrate and the second FCC surface is a first three-dimensional surface; a first electrode layer deposited on the first current collector, and an electrolyte layer deposited on the first electrode layer; wherein the interface between the first electrode layer and the electrolyte layer is a second three-dimensional surface roughly in conformity with the first three-dimensional surface. In embodiments, the substrate surface is a third three-dimensional surface and the first three-dimensional surface is roughly in conformity with the third three-dimensional surface. One of the first or the third three-dimensional surfaces may be formed by a laser ablation patterning process.

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.

Abstract: A solid state thin film battery may comprise: an adhesion promotion and intermixing barrier layer on a substrate, the layer comprising an electrically insulating material having a thickness in the range of 50 nm to 5,000 nm; a metal adhesion layer on the adhesion promotion and intermixing barrier layer; a current collector layer on the metal adhesion layer; a cathode layer on the current collector layer; an electrolyte layer on the cathode layer; and an anode layer on the electrolyte layer; wherein the device layers form a stack on the thin substrate; and wherein the adhesion promotion layer prevents cracking of the stack and delamination from the thin substrate of the stack during fabrication of the stack, including annealing of the cathode at a temperature in the range of 500° C. to 800° C., and/or intermixing of the current collector and cathode layers during annealing of the cathode layer.

Abstract: A method of depositing a dielectric thin film may include: depositing a thin layer of dielectric; stopping deposition of the dielectric layer, and modifying the gas in the chamber if desired; inducing and maintaining a plasma in the vicinity of the substrate to provide ion bombardment of the deposited layer of dielectric; and repeating the depositing, stopping and inducing and maintaining steps until a desired thickness of dielectric is deposited. A variation on this method may include, in place of the repeating step: depositing a thick layer of lower quality dielectric; depositing a thin layer of high quality dielectric; stopping deposition of the dielectric layer, and modifying the gas in the chamber if desired; and inducing and maintaining a plasma in the vicinity of the substrate to provide ion bombardment of the deposited layer of dielectric. The thick layer of dielectric may be deposited more rapidly than the thin layers.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are described for improving the fabrication of thin film electrochemical devices such as thin film batteries and electrochromic devices, with respect to deposition of LiPON, or other lithium ion conducting electrolyte, thin films on electrodes such as Li metal, Li—CoO2, WO3, NiO, etc.

Abstract: A magnetic handling assembly for thin-film processing of a substrate, a system and method for assembling and disassembling a shadow mask to cover a top of a workpiece for exposure to a processing condition. The assembly may include a magnetic handling carrier and a shadow mask disposed over, and magnetically coupled to, the magnetic handling carrier to cover a top of a workpiece that is to be disposed between the shadow mask and the magnetic handling carrier when exposed to a processing condition. A system includes a first chamber with a first support to hold the shadow mask, a second support to hold a handling carrier, and an alignment system to align the shadow mask a workpiece to be disposed between the carrier and shadow mask. The first and second supports are moveable relative to each other.

Abstract: A system for use in substrate polishing includes a conditioner system for conditioning a surface of a polishing pad and a vacuum system having a vacuum port. The conditioner system includes a conditioner head constructed to receive an abrasive conditioner component. The vacuum system is configured to apply suction through the vacuum port to the surface of the polishing pad in a direction away from the surface to remove material on the surface.