Laser processing of SnO 2 electrode materials for manufacturing of 3D micro-batteries

The material development for advanced lithium-ion batteries plays an important role in future mobile applications and energy storage systems. It is assumed that electrode materials made of nano-composited materials will improve battery lifetime and will lead to an enhancement of lithium diffusion and thus improve battery capacity and cyclability. A major problem concerning thin film electrodes is, that increasing film thickness leads to an increase in lithium diffusion path lengths and thereby a decrease in power density. To overcome this problem, the investigation of a 3D-battery system with an increased surface area is necessary. UV-laser micromachining was applied to create defined line or grating structures via mask imaging. SnO 2 is a highly investigated anode material for lithium-ion batteries. Yet, the enormous volume changes occurring during electrochemical cycling lead to immense loss of capacity. The formation of micropatterns via laser ablation to create structures which enable the compensation of the volume expansion was investigated in detail. Thin films of SnO 2 were deposited in Ar:O 2 atmosphere via r.f. magnetron sputtering on silicon and stainless steel substrates. The thin films were studied with X-ray diffraction to determine their crystallinity. The electrochemical properties of the manufactured films were investigated via electrochemical cycling against a lithium anode.