US 12,347,831 B2
Energy storage method using aluminum oxide protected lithium metal tunable 3D silicon batteries
John Collins, Tarrytown, NY (US); Stephen W. Bedell, Wappingers Falls, NY (US); John Ott, Greenwood Lake, NY (US); and Devendra K. Sadana, Pleasantville, NY (US)
Assigned to International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY (US)
Filed by International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY (US)
Filed on Jun. 22, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/908,103.
Prior Publication US 2021/0399346 A1, Dec. 23, 2021
Int. Cl. H01M 10/0585 (2010.01); H01M 4/1391 (2010.01); H01M 10/0525 (2010.01); H01M 10/054 (2010.01); H01M 10/0565 (2010.01)
CPC H01M 10/0585 (2013.01) [H01M 4/1391 (2013.01); H01M 10/0525 (2013.01); H01M 10/054 (2013.01); H01M 10/0565 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of making an energy storage device compromising:
cutting or etching one or more trenches in a silicon substrate, each of the trenches having a trench base, the silicon substrate having an electrically active surface at one or more of the trench bases, the trenches having one or more sidewalls, and the silicon substrate having one or more field regions outside of the trench bases;
depositing one or more layers of insulator on the sidewalls;
removing the one or more layers of insulator from the electrically active surface at the trench base; and
forming a layer of lithium-encapsulated aluminum oxide (Li—Al2O3) particles on the electrically active surface, wherein the forming comprises:
depositing Al2O3 particles directly on the electrically active surface;
depositing one or more precursor materials into the trench on the Al2O3 particles, where depositing the precursor materials in the trench includes depositing lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI);
and
cycling a current through the energy storage device to encapsulate the Al2O3 particles in lithium.