阅读说明：本技术 能量存储装置 (Energy storage device ) 是由 J.霍华德 于 2019-07-19 设计创作，主要内容包括：一种方法,包括在基底的第一部分上提供第一电极层,在第一电极层上提供电解质层,以及在电解质层上提供第二电极层。在基底的第二部分上提供集流体层的至少一局部。在第一电极层的暴露表面和电解质层的暴露表面上沉积电绝缘材料。在电绝缘材料上沉积导电材料,以将第二电极层连接至集流体层的至少一局部。(A method includes providing a first electrode layer on a first portion of a substrate, providing an electrolyte layer on the first electrode layer, and providing a second electrode layer on the electrolyte layer. At least a portion of the current collector layer is provided on the second portion of the substrate. An electrically insulating material is deposited on the exposed surface of the first electrode layer and the exposed surface of the electrolyte layer. Depositing an electrically conductive material on the electrically insulating material to connect the second electrode layer to at least a part of the current collector layer.)

1. A method of manufacturing an energy storage device, the method comprising:

providing a first electrode layer on a first portion of a substrate;

providing an electrolyte layer on the first electrode layer;

providing a second electrode layer on the electrolyte layer;

providing at least a portion of the current collector layer on a second portion of the substrate;

depositing an electrically insulating material on the exposed surface of the first electrode layer and the exposed surface of the electrolyte layer; and

depositing an electrically conductive material on the electrically insulating material to connect the second electrode layer to at least a part of the current collector layer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the current collector layer on the second portion of the substrate is a first portion of the current collector layer, and the method comprises:

providing a second portion of the current collector layer on the first portion of the substrate to provide the first electrode layer on the first portion of the substrate before providing said first electrode layer on the second portion of the current collector layer.

3. The method of claim 2, comprising providing the current collector layer on the substrate, comprising:

providing a first portion of a current collector layer on a second portion of a substrate;

providing a second portion of the current collector layer on the first portion of the substrate;

a third portion of the current collector layer is provided on a third portion of the substrate between the first portion of the substrate and the second portion of the substrate.

4. The method of claim 3, comprising: after at least one of providing the first electrode layer on the first portion of the substrate, providing the electrolyte layer on the first electrode layer, or providing the second electrode layer on the electrolyte layer, removing a third portion of the current collector layer to expose a third portion of the substrate.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein removing the third portion of the current collector layer comprises laser ablating the third portion of the current collector layer.

6. The method according to any of claims 1 to 5, wherein providing the second electrode layer is performed after depositing the electrically insulating material.

7. The method of any of claims 1 to 6, wherein at least one of:

depositing an electrically insulating material comprises ink jet printing the electrically insulating material; or

Depositing the conductive material includes ink jet printing the conductive material.

8. A method, comprising:

providing a stack for an energy storage device on a substrate, the stack comprising:

a current collector layer;

an electrolyte layer; and

a first electrode layer between the current collector layer and the electrolyte layer;

removing a portion of the first electrode layer and a portion of the electrolyte layer to expose a portion of the current collector layer;

removing a part of the portion of the current collector layer such that a first portion of the current collector layer does not overlap the first electrode layer and the electrolyte layer and a second portion of the current collector layer overlaps the first electrode layer and the electrolyte layer;

depositing an electrically insulating material between the first portion of the current collector layer and the second portion of the current collector layer and on the exposed surface of the first electrode layer and the exposed surface of the electrolyte layer;

providing a second electrode layer on the electrolyte layer; and

a conductive material is deposited on the electrically insulating material to connect the second electrode layer to the first portion of the current collector layer.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein depositing the electrically insulating material comprises depositing the electrically insulating material between a first portion of the current collector layer and a second portion of the current collector layer without substantially overlapping the first portion of the current collector layer.

10. The method of claim 8 or 9, wherein removing a portion of the current collector layer exposes a portion of the substrate, and depositing the electrically insulating material comprises depositing the electrically insulating material to contact the portion of the substrate.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein depositing the electrically insulating material comprises depositing the electrically insulating material to contact a first portion of the substrate and not to contact a second portion of the substrate.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein depositing the conductive material comprises depositing the conductive material to contact a second portion of the substrate.

13. The method of any of claims 8 to 12, wherein depositing the electrically conductive material comprises depositing an electrically conductive material on an electrically insulating material to connect the second electrode layer to the first portion of the current collector layer without the electrically conductive material substantially overlapping the first portion of the current collector layer.

14. The method of any of claims 8 to 13, wherein at least one of:

removing a portion of the first electrode layer and a portion of the electrolyte layer comprises laser ablating the portion of the first electrode layer and laser ablating the portion of the electrolyte layer; or

Removing a portion of the current collector layer comprises laser ablating the portion of the current collector layer.

15. An energy storage device formed by the method of any one of claims 1 to 14.

16. An energy storage device, comprising:

a substrate;

a stack on a first portion of a substrate, the stack comprising:

a first electrode;

a second electrode farther from the substrate than the first electrode; and

an electrolyte between the first electrode and the second electrode;

at least a portion of the current collector on a second portion of the substrate different from the first portion of the substrate;

an electrically insulating material on exposed surfaces of the stack to insulate the first electrode from the second electrode; and

a conductive material on the electrically insulating material to connect the second electrode to at least a portion of the current collector.

17. The energy storage device of claim 16, wherein at least a portion of the current collector on the second portion of the substrate is a first portion of the current collector, and the energy storage device includes a second portion of the current collector on the first portion of the substrate between the first portion of the substrate and the stack.

18. The energy storage device of claim 17, wherein the electrically insulating material contacts a third portion of the substrate between the first portion of the substrate and the second portion of the substrate to insulate the first portion of the current collector from the second portion of the current collector.

19. The energy storage device of any of claims 16-18, wherein a portion of the second electrode overlaps the electrically insulating material such that the electrically insulating material is at least partially between the portion of the second electrode and the substrate.

20. An intermediate structure for manufacturing an energy storage device, the intermediate structure comprising:

a substrate;

a stack on a first portion of a substrate, the stack comprising:

an electrolyte layer; and

a first electrode layer between the electrolyte layer and the substrate;

at least a portion of the current collector layer on a second portion of the substrate different from the first portion of the substrate,

the substrate includes a third portion that does not overlap each of the stack and the current collector layer, the third portion being between the first portion and the second portion.

21. An intermediate structure as claimed in claim 20, comprising depositing an electrically insulating material on at least a part of the third portion of the substrate, the electrically insulating material overlapping less than the entire second portion of the substrate, the electrically insulating material at least partially covering the exposed surface of the first electrode layer.

22. The intermediate structure of claim 21, wherein there is substantially no electrically insulating material overlapping the second portion of the substrate.

23. An intermediate structure as claimed in any of claims 20 to 22, wherein a part of the third portion of the substrate is free of electrically insulating material.

24. An intermediate structure according to any one of claims 20 to 23, wherein at least part of the current collector layer on the second portion of the substrate is a first portion of the current collector layer and the current collector layer comprises a second portion on the first portion of the substrate between the first portion of the substrate and the stack.

25. The intermediate structure of any one of claims 20 to 24, wherein the stack comprises a second electrode layer, an electrolyte layer being between the first and second electrode layers.

26. The intermediate structure of claim 25, wherein a portion of the second electrode layer at least partially overlaps the third portion of the substrate.

Technical Field

The invention relates to a method of manufacturing an energy storage device, an energy storage device and an intermediate structure for manufacturing an energy storage device.

Background

Energy storage devices, such as solid state thin film batteries, may be produced by forming a stack of layers on a substrate. The stack of layers typically includes a first electrode layer, a second electrode layer, and an electrolyte layer between the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer. The combination of stack and substrate may then be cut into individual parts to form individual cells.

It is desirable to provide a method of manufacturing an energy storage device that is simpler or more efficient than known manufacturing methods.

Disclosure of Invention

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing an energy storage device, the method comprising:

providing a first electrode layer on a first portion of a substrate;

providing an electrolyte layer on the first electrode layer;

providing a second electrode layer on the electrolyte layer;

providing at least a portion of the current collector layer on a second portion of the substrate;

depositing an electrically insulating material on the exposed surface of the first electrode layer and the exposed surface of the electrolyte layer; and

depositing an electrically conductive material on the electrically insulating material to connect the second electrode layer to at least a part of the current collector layer.

Connecting the second electrode layer to at least a portion of the current collector layer using a conductive material allows the energy storage device to be connected to an external circuit via the current collector layer. The current collector layer may be deposited in a direct manner, for example by coating the substrate with a conductive material to act as a current collector layer.

The deposition of the current collector layer for connecting the second electrode layer to an external circuit is for example more easily controllable than the deposition of other materials. For example, if the conductive material is deposited in the form of an ink, the deposition process may be affected by changes in the ink particle size or rheological effects (e.g., affecting the flow of the conductive material and causing a change in the amount or location of the deposited conductive material). Thus, the current collector layer connecting the second electrode layer to an external circuit may be provided using a more easily controlled process than using the conductive material itself to connect the second electrode layer to an external circuit.

In addition, a smaller amount of conductive material may be deposited than if the external circuit were connected to the energy storage device through the conductive material itself. This may improve the efficiency of the manufacturing process, for example, by reducing the amount of time it takes to manufacture the energy storage device and/or by reducing material waste, such as conductive material. For example, because a smaller amount of conductive material may be deposited, the time required to dry and/or cure the conductive material may be reduced (e.g., if the conductive material is deposited as an ink).

A plurality of batteries for the energy storage device may be separately manufactured in the same manner. In this case, the current collector layers of each of the plurality of batteries may be connected to each other to connect the plurality of batteries in parallel. This allows the multi-cell energy storage device to be efficiently manufactured in a simple manner.

In an example, at least a part of the current collector layer on the second portion of the substrate is a first portion of the current collector layer, and the method comprises providing the second portion of the current collector layer on the first portion of the substrate to provide the first electrode layer on the first portion of the substrate before providing the first electrode layer on the second portion of the current collector layer.

Thus, in these examples, the second portion of the current collector layer may be disposed below the stack comprising the first electrode layer, the electrolyte layer, and the second electrode layer. The first and second portions of the current collector layer may, for example, be disconnected or separated from each other such that the first and second portions of the current collector layer are electrically insulated from each other. This provides greater flexibility for the energy storage device and reduces the risk of short circuits, for example. For example, the first portion of the current collector layer may also be connected to an external circuit to connect the first electrode layer to the external circuit. This may further simplify the manufacturing process.

In an example, a first portion of the current collector layer is provided on a first portion of the substrate, a second portion of the current collector layer is provided on a second portion of the substrate, and a third portion of the current collector layer is provided on a third portion of the substrate between the first portion of the substrate and the second portion of the substrate. This allows, for example, the current collector layer to be deposited as a continuous layer that, for example, covers or overlaps the first, second, and third portions of the substrate. This may allow the current collector layer to be deposited simply with less restrictive requirements on the location of deposition of the current collector layer on the substrate.

In an example, after at least one of providing the first electrode layer on the first portion of the substrate, providing the electrolyte layer on the first electrode layer, or providing the second electrode layer on the electrolyte layer, the third portion of the current collector layer is removed to expose the third portion of the substrate. In this way, the first and second portions of the current collector layer may be electrically disconnected from each other. This avoids, for example, a short circuit that might otherwise occur if the first and second electrode layers were in electrical contact with each other (e.g., through the current collector layer after connecting the second electrode layer to the current collector layer using a conductive material). Furthermore, such a method of providing the current collector layer as a layer and removing the third portion of the current collector layer may be more straightforward or easier to implement than other methods (e.g., attempting to accurately deposit the current collector layer only on the second portion of the substrate).

Removing the third portion of the current collector layer may include laser ablating the third portion of the current collector layer. Laser ablation can be performed quickly and controlled relatively easily, thus allowing the third portion of the current collector layer to be accurately removed without removing other portions of the current collector layer.

In an example, the second electrode layer is provided after depositing the electrically insulating material. This reduces the risk of the second electrode layer making contact with the first electrode layer during deposition, which may lead to short circuits during use of the energy storage device, for example. For example, an electrically insulating material may be deposited to ensure that the first electrode layer is not exposed or sufficiently insulating prior to deposition of the second electrode layer. This may also relax the deposition requirements for the deposition of the second electrode layer, since if the first electrode layer is already insulated, the deposition accuracy of the second electrode layer may not need to be as accurate as would otherwise be the case (where the second electrode layer would be in contact with the first electrode layer unless it was deposited very accurately).

In an example, at least one of the electrically insulating material or the electrically conductive material is inkjet printed. For example, inkjet printing allows electrically insulating and/or conductive materials to be precisely deposited, thereby reducing the amount of deposition of these materials. This may also increase the efficiency of the manufacturing process by reducing the waste of electrically insulating and/or conductive material that may occur if such materials are deposited using less precise methods.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a method comprising:

providing a stack for an energy storage device on a substrate, the stack comprising:

a current collector layer;

a first electrode layer; and

an electrolyte layer between the current collector layer and the first electrode layer;

removing a portion of the first electrode layer and a portion of the electrolyte layer to expose a portion of the current collector layer;

removing a part of the portion of the current collector layer such that a first portion of the current collector layer overlaps the first electrode layer and the electrolyte layer and a second portion of the current collector layer overlaps the first electrode layer and the electrolyte layer;

depositing an electrically insulating material between the first portion of the current collector layer and the second portion of the current collector layer and on the exposed surface of the first electrode layer and the exposed surface of the electrolyte layer;

providing a second electrode layer on the electrolyte layer; and

a conductive material is deposited on the electrically insulating material to connect the second electrode layer to the first portion of the current collector layer.

Similar to the first aspect of the invention, the second aspect of the invention allows, for example, the energy storage device to be manufactured more directly or more efficiently.

In an example, the electrically insulating material is deposited between a first portion of the current collector layer and a second portion of the current collector layer without substantially overlapping the first portion of the current collector layer. In this way, the electrically insulating material has, for example, a relatively small surface area. This may further increase the efficiency of the manufacturing method by further reducing the amount of conductive material to be deposited (since the conductive material is deposited on, for example, an electrically insulating material having a smaller surface area). In addition, the amount of electrically insulating material may be reduced, which may also improve the efficiency of the process.

In an example, removing a portion of the current collector layer exposes a portion of the substrate. In such an example, an electrically insulating material may be deposited to contact the portion of the substrate. In this way, the electrically insulating material may further reduce the risk of short circuits by insulating the first part of the current collector layer (and thus the second electrode layer connected to the first part of the current collector layer) from the first electrode layer.

In an example, the electrically insulating material is deposited to contact a first part of the portion of the substrate and not to contact a second part of the portion of the substrate. As described above, this may reduce the amount of electrically insulating material used and may reduce the surface area of the electrically insulating material on which the electrically conductive material is to be deposited. This may improve the efficiency of the process.

In an example, the conductive material is deposited to contact a second portion of the substrate. This facilitates, for example, the accommodation of the electrically conductive material between the electrically insulating material and the edge of the first portion of the current collector layer, thereby improving the connection between the second electrode layer and the first portion of the current collector layer.

In an example, a conductive material is deposited on the electrically insulating material to connect the second electrode layer to the first portion of the current collector layer, without the conductive material substantially overlapping the first portion of the current collector layer. In this way, rather than depositing a large amount of conductive material to overlap the first portion of the current collector layer, a relatively small amount of conductive material may be deposited.

In an example, at least one of a portion of the first electrode layer, a portion of the electrolyte, or a portion of the current collector layer is removed using laser ablation. As mentioned above, laser ablation is a fast and easily controlled process, for example, which may improve the overall efficiency of the method.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an energy storage device comprising:

a substrate;

a stack on a first portion of a substrate, the stack comprising:

a first electrode;

a second electrode farther from the substrate than the first electrode; and

an electrolyte between the first electrode and the second electrode;

at least a portion of the current collector on a second portion of the substrate different from the first portion of the substrate;

an electrically insulating material on exposed surfaces of the stack to insulate the first electrode from the second electrode; and

a conductive material on the electrically insulating material to connect the second electrode to at least a portion of the current collector.

Similar to the first aspect of the invention, a third aspect of the invention relates to an energy storage device that may be more straightforward or efficient to manufacture than other energy storage devices.

In an example, the at least a portion of the current collector on the second portion of the substrate is a first portion of the current collector, and the energy storage device includes a second portion of the current collector on the first portion of the substrate between the first portion of the substrate and the stack. As mentioned above, this reduces the risk of short circuits, for example. Furthermore, such an energy storage device may be more directly manufactured.

In an example, the electrically insulating material contacts a third portion of the substrate between the first portion of the substrate and the second portion of the substrate to insulate the first portion of the current collector from the second portion of the current collector. As mentioned above, this for example further reduces the risk of short circuits.

In an example, a portion of the second electrode overlaps the electrically insulating material such that the electrically insulating material is at least partially between the portion of the second electrode and the substrate. This, for example, further reduces the amount of electrically conductive material in the energy storage device compared to an example where the second electrode does not overlap with the electrically insulating material. In this case, the conductive material may overlap with the electrically insulating material to contact the second electrode, which may increase the amount of conductive material required. In the case where a part of the second electrode overlaps with the electrically insulating material, the deposition requirement for the second electrode can be relaxed as compared with the example where the second electrode is deposited such that the second electrode does not overlap with the electrically insulating material at all. Thus, such an energy storage device can be manufactured more directly.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an intermediate structure for use in the manufacture of an energy storage device, the intermediate structure comprising:

a substrate;

a stack on a first portion of a substrate, the stack comprising:

an electrolyte layer; and

a first electrode layer between the electrolyte layer and the substrate;

at least a portion of the current collector layer on a second portion of the substrate different from the first portion of the substrate,

the substrate includes a third portion that does not overlap each of the stack and the current collector layer, the third portion being between the first portion and the second portion.

A fourth aspect of the invention, similar to the first aspect of the invention, relates to an intermediate structure for an energy storage device, which intermediate structure can be manufactured more directly or more efficiently.

In an example, the intermediate structure comprises an electrically insulating material on at least a part of the third portion of the substrate, the electrically insulating material overlapping less than the entire second portion of the substrate, the electrically insulating material at least partially covering the exposed surface of the first electrode layer. The electrically insulating material for example insulates the first electrode layer, which may reduce the risk of a short circuit between the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer (which may be deposited subsequently).

In such an example, there is substantially no electrically insulating material overlapping the second portion of the substrate. In these examples, the intermediate structure may include a smaller amount of electrically insulating material than otherwise, which may allow the intermediate structure to be manufactured more efficiently than otherwise.

In an example, a portion of the third portion of the substrate is absent of electrically insulating material. This provides, for example, a recess in which the conductive material may be subsequently provided, which may simplify the deposition of the conductive material and reduce the amount of conductive material to be deposited.

In an example, at least a portion of the current collector layer on the second portion of the substrate is a first portion of the current collector layer, and the current collector layer includes a second portion on the first portion of the substrate between the first portion of the substrate and the stack. As mentioned above, this reduces the risk of short circuits, for example. Furthermore, such an energy storage device may be more directly manufactured.

In an example, the stack includes a second electrode layer, the electrolyte layer being between the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer. This allows, for example, the stack to be used as an energy storage device, for example as a thin film battery cell.

In an example, a portion of the second electrode layer at least partially overlaps with a third portion of the substrate. As described above, this reduces the amount of conductive material in the energy storage device (after manufacturing), for example, as compared to an example in which the second electrode does not overlap with the third portion of the substrate. Furthermore, this simplifies the manufacturing of the energy storage device, for example by relaxing the deposition requirements for the second electrode layer.

Other features will become apparent from the following description, given by way of example only, which is made with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a stack for an energy storage device according to an example;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example for processing the stack of FIG. 1 to manufacture an energy storage device, according to an example;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a portion of an energy storage device, according to an example;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a plurality of electrically connected batteries of an energy storage device according to an example;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating features of a method of manufacturing an energy storage device according to an example; and

fig. 6 is a flow chart illustrating a method of manufacturing an energy storage device according to a further example.

Detailed Description

The details of the method, structure and apparatus according to the examples will become apparent from the accompanying drawings, which are referenced, by way of example. In this specification, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details of certain examples are set forth. Reference in the specification to "an example" or similar language means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the example is included in at least one example, but not necessarily in other examples. It should also be noted that certain examples are schematically depicted, where certain features are omitted and/or have to be simplified in order to facilitate explanation and understanding of the concepts underlying the examples.

Fig. 1 shows a stack 100 of layers for an energy storage device. For example, the stack 100 of fig. 1 may be used as part of a thin film energy storage device having a solid electrolyte.

In fig. 1, a stack 100 is on a substrate 102. The substrate 102 is, for example, glass or a polymer, and may be rigid or flexible. The substrate 102 is generally planar. Although the stack 100 is shown in fig. 1 as directly contacting the substrate 102, in other examples, one or more additional layers may be present between the stack 100 and the substrate 102. Thus, unless stated otherwise, reference herein to an element being "on" another element is understood to include direct or indirect contact. In other words, one element on another element may be contacting the other element or not be in contact with the other element, but is typically supported by one or more intervening elements, yet still be on or overlapping the other element.

The stack 100 of fig. 1 includes a first electrode layer 104, an electrolyte layer 106, and a second electrode layer 108. In the example of fig. 1, the second electrode layer 108 is further from the substrate 102 than the first electrode layer 104, and the electrolyte layer 106 is located between the first electrode layer 104 and the second electrode layer 108.

The first electrode layer 104 may function as a positive current collector layer. In such an example, the first electrode layer 104 may form a positive electrode layer (i.e., may correspond to a cathode during discharge of a cell including the energy storage device of the stack 100). The first electrode layer 104 may include a material suitable for storing lithium ions through a stable chemical reaction, such as cobalt lithium oxide, lithium iron phosphate, or an alkali polysulfide salt.

In alternative examples, there may be a separate positive current collector layer, which may be located between the first electrode layer 104 and the substrate 102. In these examples, the separate positive current collector layer may comprise a nickel foil; it will be appreciated that any suitable metal may be used, for example aluminium, copper or steel, or a metallised material comprising a metallised plastic, for example aluminium on polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

The second electrode layer 108 may serve as a negative current collector layer. In this case, the second electrode layer 108 may form a negative electrode layer (which may correspond to an anode during discharge of a cell including the energy storage device of the stack 100). The second electrode layer 108 may include lithium metal, graphite, silicon, or Indium Tin Oxide (ITO). For the first electrode layer 104, in other examples, the stack 100 may include a separate negative current collector layer, which may be on the second electrode layer 108, with the second electrode layer 108 between the negative current collector layer and the substrate 102. In examples where the negative current collector layer is a separate layer, the negative current collector layer may include a nickel foil. However, it should be understood that any suitable metal may be used for the negative current collector layer, such as aluminum, copper, or steel, or a metalized material including a metalized plastic, such as aluminum on polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

The first and second electrode layers 104, 108 are generally electrically conductive. Accordingly, since ions or electrons flow through the first electrode layer 104 and the second electrode layer 108, a current may flow through the first electrode layer 104 and the second electrode layer 108.

Electrolyte layer 106 may comprise any suitable material that is ionically conductive, but it is also an electrical insulator, such as lithium phosphorus oxynitride (LiPON). As described above, the electrolyte layer 106 is, for example, a solid layer, and may be referred to as a fast ion conductor. The solid electrolyte layer may have a structure between a liquid electrolyte, which lacks a regular structure and contains ions that can move freely, for example, and a crystalline solid. Crystalline materials have, for example, a regular structure with an ordered arrangement of atoms, which may be arranged as a two-dimensional or three-dimensional lattice. Ions of crystalline materials are generally immobile and therefore may not be able to move freely throughout the material.

For example, the stack 100 may be manufactured by depositing the first electrode layer 104 on the substrate 102. An electrolyte layer 106 is subsequently deposited on the first electrode layer 104, and then a second electrode layer 108 is deposited on the electrolyte layer 106. Each layer of the stack 100 may be deposited by flood deposition, which provides a simple and efficient way of producing a highly uniform layer, although other deposition methods are also possible.

The stack 100 of fig. 1 may also undergo further processing to fabricate an energy storage device. An example of a process that may be applied to the stack 100 of fig. 1 is schematically illustrated in fig. 2.

In fig. 2, the stack 100 and the substrate 102 together form an intermediate structure 110 for manufacturing an energy storage device. In this example, the intermediate structure 110 is flexible, allowing it to be wound around a roll 112 as part of a roll-to-roll manufacturing process (sometimes referred to as an axle-to-axle manufacturing process). The intermediate structure 110 may be gradually unwound from the roll 112 and further processed.

In the example of fig. 2, a first laser 114 may be used to form a groove through intermediate structure 110 (e.g., through stack 100). The first laser 114 is arranged to apply a laser beam 116 to the intermediate structure 110 to remove portions of the intermediate structure 100, thereby forming grooves in the stack 100. This process may be referred to as laser ablation.

After forming the grooves, an electrically insulating material may be deposited in at least some of the grooves using material deposition system 118. The material deposition system 118 fills at least some of the recesses, for example, with a liquid 120 such as an organic suspending liquid material. The liquid 120 may then be solidified in the groove to form an electrically insulating plug in the groove. Electrically insulating materials may be considered non-conductive and therefore may conduct relatively small amounts of current when subjected to an electric field. Generally, an electrically insulating material (sometimes referred to as an insulator) conducts less current than a semiconducting or electrically conductive material. However, there is still a small amount of current flowing through the electrically insulating material under the influence of the electric field, since even insulators may comprise charge carriers carrying a small amount of current. In the examples herein, a material may be considered electrically insulating, where the material is sufficiently electrically insulating to perform the function of an insulator. This function may be performed, for example, where the material sufficiently insulates one element from another element to avoid shorting.

Referring to fig. 2, after depositing the electrically insulating material, the intermediate structure 110 is cut along at least some of the grooves to form individual cells for the energy storage device. In the example shown in fig. 2, hundreds and possibly thousands of cells may be cut from a roll of intermediate structure 110, allowing multiple cells to be manufactured in an efficient manner.

In fig. 2, the cutting operation is performed using a second laser 122, the second laser 122 being arranged to apply a laser beam 124 to the intermediate structure 110. Each cut may, for example, pass through the centre of the insulating plug so that the plug is divided into two parts, each part forming a protective covering over the exposed surface to which it has been attached, including the edges. Cutting through the entire stack in this manner forms exposed surfaces of the first and second electrode layers 104, 108.

Although not shown in fig. 2 (only schematically), it should be understood that after depositing the electrically insulating material, the intermediate structure 110 may be folded back on itself to form a z-folded structure having at least ten layers, possibly hundreds, and possibly even thousands of layers, with each insulating plug aligned. The laser cutting process performed by the second laser 122 may then be used to cut the z-fold structure for each of the aligned sets of plugs in a single cutting operation.

After cutting the cell, electrical connectors may be provided along opposite sides of the cell, such that the first electrical connector on one side of the cell contacts the first electrode layer 104 (which may be considered to form the first electrode after the cell has been separated from the rest of the intermediate structure 110), but is prevented from contacting other layers by the electrically insulating material. Similarly, a second electrical connector on the opposite side of the cell may be arranged in contact with the second electrode layer 108 (which may be considered to form the second electrode after the cell has been separated from the rest of the intermediate structure 110), but is prevented from contacting other layers by the insulating material. Thus, the insulating material may reduce the risk of short circuits occurring between the first and second electrode layers 104, 108 and other layers in each cell. The first and second electrical connectors may be, for example, a metallic material applied to an edge of the stack 110 (or to an edge of the intermediate structure 110) by sputtering. Therefore, the batteries can be efficiently and easily connected in parallel.

Fig. 3 schematically illustrates a portion of an energy storage device herein according to an example. The corresponding description should be taken. In the example of fig. 3, a portion of an energy storage device includes a first stack 200a, which is similar to stack 100 of fig. 1. Features of the first stack 200a of figure 3 that are similar to corresponding features of figure 1 are identified with the same reference numerals increased by 100 and appended with the letter "a".

The first stack 200a includes a first electrode 204a, an electrolyte 206a, and a second electrode 208 a. The electrolyte 206a is between the first electrode 204a and the second electrode 208 a. The elements of the first stack 200a of fig. 3 are shown to have different relative widths than the corresponding elements of the stack 100 of fig. 1. However, this is merely an illustrative example (shown schematically), and other relative widths are possible in other examples. The first stack 200a is disposed on a substrate 202, which may be similar or identical to the substrate 102 of fig. 1.

The first stack 200a is arranged on a first portion of the substrate 102, the second electrode layer 208a being further away from the substrate 102 than the first electrode layer 204 a. The extent of the first portion of the substrate 102 is indicated by reference numeral 102i in fig. 3. At least a portion of the current collector (in fig. 3, the first portion 126a of the current collector) is on a second portion of the substrate 102 that is different from the first portion of the substrate 102. The extent of the second portion of the substrate 102 is indicated in fig. 3 by reference numeral 102 ii.

In the example of fig. 3, the energy storage device further includes a second portion 128a of the current collector on the first portion of the substrate 102. However, in some examples, the current collector may not be present in the first portion of the substrate 102. The first stack 200a is disposed on the second portion 128a of the current collector, which in turn is located on the first portion of the substrate 102. Thus, the second portion 128a of the current collector is between the first portion of the substrate 102 and the first stack 200 a.

In the example of fig. 3, the current collector (which includes the first portion 126a and the second portion 128a) may thus be considered to correspond to a separate or disconnected metallization layer on the substrate 202. This may be referred to as a breakaway because the first portion 126a of the current collector is broken away from the second portion 128a of the current collector.

An electrically insulating material 130a is disposed on the exposed surface of the first stack 200a to insulate the first electrode 204a from the second electrode 208 a. In this context, the exposed surface of the stack is, for example, the surface of the stack that was not covered or otherwise in contact with another layer prior to deposition of the electrically insulating material 130 a. In this manner, for example, the exposed surfaces of the stack are not covered, exposed, or displayed prior to deposition of the electrically insulating material 130 a.

In an example such as fig. 3, prior to depositing electrically insulating material 130a, the exposed surface of a stack such as first stack 200a may be considered to include five portions: a top portion (e.g., which corresponds to an upper or top surface of the first stack 200a, e.g., the surface of the first stack 200a furthest from the substrate 202) and four sides, which correspond to, e.g., the short sides of the stack. In fig. 3, the rightmost face of the stack (forming part of the exposed surface of the stack) is covered by an electrically insulating material 130 a. However, in other examples, other portions of the exposed surface may be covered by electrically insulating material 130a in addition to or instead of the portions shown in fig. 3. Further, in other examples, the exposed surface may include more or less than five portions, which may have different shapes and/or sizes than the example of fig. 3.

The electrically insulating material 130a may be deposited to partially or fully cover a portion (or all) of the exposed surface to insulate the first electrode 204a from the second electrode 208a, although this may depend on the shape and/or location of the first and second electrodes 204a, 208 a. In general, the electrically insulating material 130a may be considered to insulate the first electrode 204a from the second electrode 208a, with a sufficient amount of the electrically insulating material 130a deposited in place to substantially prevent or limit current flow between the first electrode 204a and the second electrode 208 a. This may be the case, for example, during charging or discharging of the energy storage device, the current between the first electrode 204a and the second electrode 208a is sufficiently small to avoid a short circuit between the first electrode 204a and the second electrode 208 a.

In the example of fig. 3, the electrically insulating material 130a contacts a third portion of the substrate 102 between the first portion of the substrate 102 (on which the first stack 200a is disposed) and the second portion of the substrate 102 (on which the first portion of the current collector 126a is disposed). The extent of the third portion of the substrate 102 is indicated in fig. 3 by reference numeral 102 iii. With this arrangement, in addition to insulating the first electrode 204a from the second electrode 208a, the electrically insulating material 130a also insulates the first portion 126a of the current collector from the second portion 128a of the current collector. However, in other examples, electrically insulating material 130a may instead not be in direct contact with substrate 102. For example, one or more additional layers may be present between electrically insulating material 130a and substrate 102. In further examples, additional insulating material may be used to electrically insulate the first and second portions of the current collectors 126a, 128a from each other (rather than the electrically insulating material 130 a). However, if the electrically insulating material 130a is used to insulate the first and second electrodes 204a, 208a from each other and insulate the first and second portions of the current collectors 126a, 128a from each other, the energy storage device may be more efficiently manufactured.

In an example, electrically insulating material 130a may overlap less than the entire second portion of substrate 102. In the energy storage device of fig. 3, there is substantially no electrically insulating material 130a overlapping the second portion of the substrate 102. For example, at least 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, or 95% of the second portion of substrate 102 may not overlap electrically insulating material 130 a. In this manner, most or all of the second portion of the substrate 102 may be exposed for contact by the conductive material 132a (discussed further below).

The electrically conductive material 132a is disposed on the electrically insulating material 130a to connect the second electrode 208a to at least a portion of the current collector (in this example, to the first portion 126a of the current collector). In an example such as that of fig. 3, electrically conductive material 132a may cover or contact at least a portion of the exposed surface of electrically insulative material 130 a. The conductive material 132a may be deposited as a relatively thin layer, but the layer is still thick enough to conduct current from the second electrode 208a to the first portion 126a of the current collector without interrupting the flow of current (e.g., without melting) during normal use of the energy storage device.

As can be seen in fig. 3, the conductive material 132a may be provided as a relatively thin layer of material along an edge of the first stack 200 a. For example, the conductive material 132a may be elongated along an exposed face of the first stack 200a (e.g., such that the conductive material 132a extends along a length of the first stack 200a, e.g., in a direction parallel to a plane of the substrate 202). The conductive material 132a may also or alternatively extend in a direction perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the plane of the substrate 202 in order to connect the second electrode 208a to the first portion 126a of the current collector. Where a direction is approximately perpendicular to a plane, the direction may be considered substantially perpendicular to the plane, for example within measurement tolerances or within plus or minus 5, 10 or 20 degrees of deviation from perpendicular.

In this case, the amount of conductive material 132a in the energy storage device may be relatively small compared to other arrangements. As an example, the electrically conductive material 132a may be arranged to extend to completely overlap with the second portion of the substrate 102, e.g., such that electrical connectors extending along edges of the substrate 102 are accessible in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the substrate 102. In this case, however, the energy storage device may include a greater amount of conductive material 132a than, for example, in the example of fig. 3, which may result in less efficient manufacture of the energy storage device.

For example, in some cases (e.g., the case of fig. 3), the conductive material 132a may not overlap the first portion 126a of the current collector. In this case, the conductive material 132a may instead be adjacent to or may contact one side of the first portion 126a of the current collector, rather than being generally supported by or above the first portion 126a of the current collector. This may further reduce the amount of conductive material 132a used to fabricate the energy storage device.

In an example such as that of fig. 3, electrically insulating material 130a may contact or overlap a portion of the third portion of substrate 102, without contacting the entire third portion of substrate 102. This is illustrated in fig. 3, where a portion of the third portion of the substrate 102 is absent of the electrically insulating material 130 a. This therefore provides an uneven or non-planar surface for the substrate 102 (prior to depositing the conductive material 132 a). For example, the substrate 102 may include a recess in which the conductive material 132a may be deposited. One wall or side of the recess may be formed by one side of the first portion 126a of the current collector and the opposite side of the recess may be formed by the electrically insulating material 130 a. Such recesses may help retain the conductive material 132a during manufacturing of the energy storage device and may help reduce the flow of the conductive material 132a onto the first portion 126a of the current collector during deposition. This may further reduce the amount of conductive material 132a deposited, further increasing the efficiency of manufacturing the energy storage device.

In the example of fig. 3, a portion 134a of the second electrode 208a overlaps the electrically insulating material 130 a. With such an arrangement, the electrically insulating material 130a may be at least partially between the portion 134a of the second electrode 208a and the substrate 102. As can be seen from fig. 3, with this arrangement, after depositing the electrically insulating material 130a and the second electrode 208a, a side of the second electrode 208a may be substantially aligned with a side of the electrically insulating material 130a, e.g. forming a substantially flat exposed surface (in a direction substantially perpendicular to the plane of the substrate 102) of the first stack 200 a. An electrically conductive material 132a may then be deposited on the electrically insulating material 130a to connect the portion 134a of the second electrode 208a to the first portion 126a of the current collector. A smaller amount of conductive material 132a may be used than in other examples where the second electrode 208a does not overlap the electrically insulating material 130a, and where one side of the second electrode 208a may be recessed or removed from the side of the electrically insulating material 130a on which the conductive material 132a is deposited.

In this case, the portion 134a of the second electrode 208a may at least partially overlap with the third portion of the substrate 102. For example, the portion 134a of the second electrode 208a may overlap substantially the same portion of the third portion of the substrate 102 overlapped by the electrically insulating material 130 a. As already explained, this reduces the amount of conductive material 132a in the energy storage device, for example.

The combination of first stack 200a, electrically insulating material 130a, electrically conductive material 132a, and first portion of current collector 126a may be considered to correspond to first cell 136a for an energy storage device. However, energy storage devices typically include multiple batteries.

For example, as shown in fig. 3, there may be a second battery 136b located on a second side of the substrate 102 opposite the first side of the substrate 102 on which the first battery 136a is disposed. In the example of fig. 3, the first battery 136a and the second battery 136b are identical to each other. Features of the second battery 136b are labeled with the same reference numerals as corresponding features of the first battery 136a, but with the letter "b" appended instead of the letter "a". The corresponding description should be taken. However, in other examples, the cells on one side of the substrate may be different from the cells on the opposite side of the substrate.

In some examples, the first plurality of cells 136a may be fabricated on a first side of the substrate 202 and the second plurality of cells 136b may be fabricated on a second side of the substrate 202, e.g., as part of a roll-to-roll fabrication process. In this case, the substrate 202 may be folded so as to stack a plurality of cells on top of each other. This therefore allows manufacturing an energy storage device comprising a plurality of cells.

Fig. 4 is an example illustrating a plurality of electrically connected batteries of an energy storage device. The batteries shown in fig. 4 include the first battery 136a and the second battery 136b, and the third and fourth batteries 136c, 136d of fig. 3. Before folding the substrate 202 to provide the stacked structure shown in fig. 4, the third cell 136c and the fourth cell 136d may be identical to the first cell 136a and the second cell 136b, but the third cell 136c and the fourth cell 136d may be disposed at different positions on the substrate 202. Features of figure 4 that are similar to corresponding features of figure 3 are identified with the same reference numerals increased by 200; a corresponding description should be taken. For clarity, some features shown in FIG. 3 are not labeled in FIG. 4. Further, features of the third and fourth batteries 136c, 136d are labeled with the same reference numerals as corresponding features of the first battery 136a, but with the letter "c" or "d" appended, respectively, rather than the letter "a".

As can be seen in fig. 4, the substrate 202, for example, insulates the elements of the first cell 136a from the elements of the second cell 136 b. Similarly, the substrate 202 (e.g., a different portion of the same substrate 202 between the first and second batteries 136a, 126 b) also insulates the third battery 136c from the fourth battery 136 d. However, the second electrode 208b of the second cell 136b is in contact with the second electrode of the third cell 136 c. Similarly, the conductive material 132b of the second cell 136b is in contact with the conductive material 132c of the third cell 136 c. Thus, the second battery 136b and the third battery 136c are electrically connected to each other. The first cell 136a may be electrically connected to the second cell 136b by electrically connecting the first portions 126a, 126b of the current collectors of the first cell 136a and the second cell 136 b. Similarly, the third cell 136c may be electrically connected to the fourth cell 136d by electrically connecting the first portions 126c, 126d of the current collectors of the first and second cells 136c, 136 d. This may be performed directly, for example, by disposing an electrical connector between the first portions 126a, 126b of the current collectors of the first and second cells 136a, 136b and disposing an electrical connector between the first portions 126c, 126d of the current collectors of the first and second cells 136c, 136 d. For example, a single electrical connector may be disposed along one side of the stacked structure of fig. 4 to connect the first portions 126a-126d of the current collectors of each cell 136a-136d together. In this manner, the second electrodes 208a-208d of each cell 136a-136d may be connected together. Where the second electrodes 208a-208d are negative electrodes, they correspond, for example, to anodes during discharge of the batteries 136a-136d, such that each anode may be connected together by an electrical connector. Thus, the electrical connector may provide a contact point for a first terminal of the energy storage device, such as a positive terminal of the energy storage device.

It should be appreciated that a similar process may be performed on opposite sides of the batteries 136a-136d such that each first electrode 204a-204d is electrically connected together using an electrical connector to provide a contact point for a second terminal of the energy storage device (which is, for example, a negative terminal of the energy storage device). Thus, in practice, the batteries 136a-136d may be connected in parallel. The negative and positive terminals may be electrically connected across a load to power the load, thereby providing a multi-cell energy storage device. Such a multi-cell energy storage device may be manufactured in a simple manner, since, for example, electrical connectors are provided directly to contact the metal layer (e.g., the first portion 126a-126d of the current collector of each cell 136a-136 d).

Fig. 5 (including fig. 5a to 5h) schematically shows an example of manufacturing the first battery 136a of fig. 3 and 4. It should be understood, however, that the method according to fig. 5 may also be used to manufacture batteries or energy storage devices other than those of fig. 3 and 4. Features of figure 5 that are identical to corresponding features of figures 3 and 4 are identified with the same reference numerals. The corresponding description should be taken.

In fig. 5a, a substrate 202 is provided. The current collector layer 138a is disposed on the substrate 202, for example, by sputtering. For example, the current collector layer 138a may be considered to correspond to a metal layer, which may completely cover the substrate 202, or may alternatively cover a portion of the substrate 202. The current collector layer 138a may provide contact for the terminals of the cell to be fabricated, as described further below.

In fig. 5b, a first electrode layer 140a is provided on the current collector layer 138 a. The first electrode layer 140a may be provided, for example, by a vapor deposition process such as Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) or Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD), or by a coating process used with a roll-to-roll system, such as slot die coating (sometimes referred to as slot coating).

In fig. 5c, an electrolyte layer 142a is provided on the first electrode layer 140 a. As for providing the first electrode layer 140a, the electrolyte layer 142a may be provided by a vapor deposition or coating process.

Although in fig. 5, the current collector layer 138a, the first electrode layer 140a, and the electrolyte layer 142a are sequentially disposed, in other examples, the substrate 202 may be partially assembled. For example, a stack comprising the current collector layer 138a, the first electrode layer 140a and the electrolyte layer 142a (or a subset of these layers) may have been arranged on the substrate 202 before the substrate 202 is provided. In other examples, it may be considered that providing the current collector layer 138a, the first electrode layer 140a, and the electrolyte layer 142a on the substrate 202 corresponds to providing a stack including these layers, which may be disposed on the substrate 202.

In fig. 5d, a portion of the first electrode layer 140a and a portion of the electrolyte layer 142a are removed. In this example, the first electrode 204a of fig. 3 and 4 remains after a portion of the first electrode layer 140a is removed. Similarly, after a portion of electrolyte layer 142a is removed, electrolyte 206 of fig. 3 and 4 remains. Portions of the first electrode layer 140a and the electrolyte layer 142a may be removed, for example, using laser ablation in which the surfaces of the portions of the first electrode layer 140a and the electrolyte layer 142a to be removed are irradiated with a laser beam. For example, this causes portions of the first electrode layer 140a and the electrolyte layer 142a to evaporate, sublimate, or be converted into plasma, and thus, be removed. The amount of the first electrode layer 140a and the electrolyte layer 142a removed by laser ablation can be controlled by controlling the properties of the laser beam, such as the wavelength of the laser beam or the pulse length of the pulsed laser beam. Laser ablation generally allows for controlled removal of portions of first electrode layer 140a and electrolyte layer 142a in a direct and rapid manner. However, in other examples, alternative methods such as photolithography techniques may be used to remove portions of the first electrode layer 140a and the electrolyte layer 142 a. As shown in fig. 5d, a portion 144a of the current collector layer 138a is exposed by removing portions of the first electrode layer 140a and the electrolyte layer 142 a.

Referring now to fig. 5e, a portion of the portion 144a of the current collector layer 138a is removed to leave a first portion 126a of the current collector layer 138a (the first portion 126a of the current collector shown in fig. 3 and 4). The first portion 126a of the current collector layer 138a does not overlap the first electrode layer or the electrolyte layer (and thus does not overlap the first electrode 204a and the electrolyte 206a after removing portions of the first electrode layer and the electrolyte layer). However, a second portion 128a of the current collector layer 138a (e.g., the second portion 128a of the current collector shown in fig. 3 and 4) remains, which overlaps the first electrode layer and the electrolyte layer (e.g., overlaps the first electrode 204a and the electrolyte 206a, as shown in fig. 5 e). A portion of the portion 144a of the current collector layer 138a may be removed in a similar manner as portions of the first electrode layer and the electrolyte layer are removed, for example using laser ablation or another technique.

The structure shown in fig. 5e may be considered to correspond to an intermediate structure for manufacturing an energy storage device. Such a structure for example comprises a substrate 202 and a stack on a first part of the substrate, the stack comprising an electrolyte 206a and a first electrode 204a between the electrolyte 206a and the substrate 202. At least a portion of the current collector layer (first portion 126a) is present on a second portion of the substrate 202, which is different from the first portion on which the stack is disposed. The substrate 202 also includes a third portion that does not overlap with the stack or current collector layer. The third portion is between the first portion and the second portion and, for example, separates the first portion and the second portion from each other. Such an intermediate structure may then undergo the process described with reference to fig. 5 f-5 g or other processes to produce an energy storage device.

In fig. 5f, an electrically insulating material 130a is deposited between the first portion 126a of the current collector layer and the second portion 128a of the current collector layer. Electrically insulating material 130a may be deposited using inkjet printing, which, for example, allows electrically insulating material 130a to be accurately and precisely deposited. As explained above with reference to fig. 3, the electrically insulating material 130 is deposited on the exposed surface of the first electrode 204a and the exposed surface of the electrolyte 206 a.

In an example such as fig. 5f, the electrically insulating material 130a may be deposited between the first portion 126a of the current collector layer and the second portion 128a of the current collector layer without substantially overlapping the first portion 126a of the current collector layer. This may be performed using a sufficiently accurate deposition process such as inkjet printing, for example. Furthermore, as explained above with reference to fig. 3, this may reduce the amount of conductive material to be deposited at a later stage of the manufacturing process.

In fig. 5f, an electrically insulating material 130a is deposited to contact a portion of the substrate 202 that is exposed when a portion of the portion 144a of the current collector layer 138a is removed (as shown in fig. 5 h). In this way, the electrically insulating material 130a insulates the first portion 126a and the second portion 128a of the current collector layer from each other.

As explained above with reference to fig. 3, and as shown in fig. 5, the electrically insulating material 130a may be deposited to contact a first part of the portion of the substrate 202 (which is exposed when a part of the portion 144a of the current collector layer 138a is removed). This may leave a second portion of the substrate 202 on which the conductive material 132a may be subsequently deposited.

In fig. 5g, a second electrode layer (which for example corresponds to the second electrode 208a of fig. 3 and 4) is provided on the electrode 206 a. The second electrode 208a may be provided similarly to the first electrode layer, for example by a vapor deposition or coating process.

In fig. 5f, a conductive material 132a is deposited on the electrically insulating material 130a to connect the second electrode 208a to the first portion 126a of the current collector layer. The conductive material 132a may be deposited using an inkjet process, but other deposition processes are also possible. As explained above with reference to fig. 3, the conductive material 132a may be deposited to connect the second electrode 208a to the first portion 126a of the current collector layer without the conductive material 132a substantially overlapping the first portion 126a of the current collector layer to further reduce the amount of conductive material deposited in the method of fig. 5.

Fig. 5 provides an example of manufacturing an energy storage device. However, it should be understood that the methods described herein may be used to manufacture different energy storage devices, or may be modified or altered while still providing the effects described with reference to fig. 5.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart summarizing another example method of manufacturing an energy storage device. At item 146 of fig. 6, a first electrode layer is provided on a first portion of the substrate. The first electrode layer and the substrate may be similar to the first electrode layer 204a, and may be similarly disposed. The substrate may be similar to substrate 202 described above. However, in some cases, the current collector layer may not be disposed on the substrate (or, the current collector layer may not be disposed on the first portion of the substrate on which the first electrode layer is disposed) prior to providing the first electrode layer.

At item 148 of fig. 6, an electrolyte layer is provided over the first electrode layer. The electrolyte layer may also be similar to the electrolyte layer 206 described above, and may also be similarly disposed.

At item 150 of fig. 6, a second electrode layer is provided on the electrolyte layer. The second electrode layer may be similar to the second electrode layer 208a described above. However, although the second electrode layer 208a of fig. 5 is provided after depositing the electrically insulating material, in the method of fig. 6, the second electrode layer may be provided before or after providing the electrically insulating material.

At item 152 of fig. 6, at least a portion of the current collector layer is provided on the second portion of the substrate. The second portion of the substrate is, for example, different from the first portion of the substrate and may not overlap the first electrode layer, the electrolyte layer, and/or the second electrode layer. The substrate may further comprise a third portion between the first portion and the second portion, or the first portion and the second portion may be continuous or in contact. The current collector layer may also be similar to the current collector layer 138a described above, and may also be similarly disposed. However, the current collector layer may be disposed only on the second portion of the substrate, rather than on the first and second portions of the substrate. The current collector layer in this example may be provided before or after any of the first electrode layer, the electrolyte layer, or the second electrode layer is provided.

In some cases, the method of fig. 6 may be similar to the method of fig. 5, and may include providing a first portion of a current collector layer on a second portion of the substrate, and providing a second portion of the current collector layer on the first portion of the substrate before disposing the first electrode layer on the second portion of the current collector layer. In these cases, providing the current collector layer on the substrate may include providing a first portion of the current collector layer on a second portion of the substrate, providing a second portion of the current collector layer on the first portion of the substrate, and providing a third portion of the current collector layer on a third portion of the substrate between the first and second portions of the substrate. For example, the current collector layer may be provided as a continuous layer covering the first, second, and third portions of the substrate. After providing at least one of the first electrode layer, the electrolyte layer, or the second electrode layer, a third portion of the current collector layer may be removed to expose a third portion of the substrate. For example, as described above, the third portion of the current collector layer may be removed by laser ablation.

At item 154 of fig. 6, an electrically insulating material is deposited on the exposed surface of the first electrode layer and the exposed surface of the electrolyte layer. The electrically insulating material may be deposited before (as shown in fig. 5) or after the second electrode layer is disposed on the electrolyte layer.

In item 156 of fig. 6, an electrically conductive material is deposited on the electrically insulating material to connect the second electrode layer to at least a portion of the current collector layer. The conductive material may be deposited as described above with reference to fig. 5.

The above examples are to be understood as illustrative examples. Further examples are envisaged.

It is to be understood that any feature described in relation to any one example may be used alone, or in combination with other features described, and may also be used in combination with one or more features of any other example, or any combination of other examples. Furthermore, equivalents and modifications not described above may also be employed without departing from the scope of the accompanying claims.