US 12,406,980 B2
Aluminum oxide protected lithium metal tunable 3D silicon batteries
John Collins, Tarrytown, 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. 16/908,145.
Prior Publication US 2021/0399275 A1, Dec. 23, 2021
Int. Cl. H01M 4/131 (2010.01); H01M 10/04 (2006.01); H01M 10/0525 (2010.01); H01M 50/116 (2021.01)
CPC H01M 4/131 (2013.01) [H01M 10/0436 (2013.01); H01M 10/0525 (2013.01); H01M 50/116 (2021.01)] 9 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An energy storage device comprising:
a silicon substrate with one or more trenches, each of the one or more trenches having a trench base, one or more trench sidewalls, and a field region;
an active silicon surface at the trench base, the active silicon surface being part of the silicon substrate and having a 3D surface texture and a porosity;
one or more insulating layers covering the one or more trench sidewalls but not disposed on the active silicon surface;
an agglomerate layer disposed directly on the active silicon surface and at least partially covering the one or more insulating layers and the agglomerate layer being made of one or more particles of aluminum oxide encapsulated by a lithium metal;
a lithium metal anode layer disposed on the agglomerate layer at the trench base, wherein the lithium metal anode layer is confined to the one or more trenches and the lithium metal anode layer contacts the agglomerate layer covering the one or more trench sidewalls; and
a conductive polymer adhesive layer chemically and electrically adhered to a top surface of the lithium metal anode layer, wherein the conductive polymer adhesive layer is confined to the one or more trenches and the conductive polymer adhesive layer contacts the agglomerate layer covering the one or more trench sidewalls.