Manufacturing of electrodes used in batteries

Abstract

A method for delineating a population of electrode structures in a web is disclosed, the web having a downweb direction, a crossweb direction, an electrochemically active layer, and a conductive layer. The method includes laser processing the web in at least the crossweb direction, delineating members of the population of electrode structures in the web without releasing them from the web, and forming alignment features in the web adapted to position each delineated member of the population of electrode structures in the web.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] Cross-reference of related applications This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 081,686 filed September 22, 2020, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 080,345 filed September 18, 2020. Referencing U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 533,082 filed August 6, 2019, U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 763,078 filed May 11, 2020, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 586,737 filed November 15, 2017, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 715,233 filed August 6, 2018. The contents of each of these applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0002] Technical field The field of this disclosure generally relates to energy storage technologies, such as battery technologies. More specifically, the field of this disclosure relates to systems and methods for manufacturing energy storage systems, such as electrodes for use in batteries, including lithium-based batteries. [Background technology]

[0003] background Lithium-based secondary batteries are a desirable energy source due to their relatively high energy density, output, and storage capabilities. Examples of lithium-based secondary batteries include non-aqueous batteries such as lithium-ion batteries and lithium polymer batteries.

[0004] Known energy storage devices such as batteries, fuel cells, and electrochemical capacitors typically have a two-dimensional laminate structure, such as a planar or spirally wound (i.e., jelly roll) laminate structure, where the surface area of ​​each laminate is approximately the same as its geometric footprint (neglecting porosity and surface roughness).

[0005] Figure 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a known layered secondary battery, generally denoted as 10. The battery 10 includes a positive electrode current collector 15 in contact with a positive electrode 20. The negative electrode 25 is separated from the positive electrode 20 by a separator layer 30. The negative electrode 25 is in contact with a negative electrode current collector 35. As shown in Figure 1, the battery 10 is formed in a stack. The stack may also be covered with another separator layer (not shown) over the negative electrode current collector 35, and then rolled up and placed in a can (not shown) to assemble the battery 10. During the charging process, carrier ions (typically lithium) leave the positive electrode 20 and move through the separator layer 30 to the negative electrode 25. Depending on the anode material used, the carrier ions either intercalate (e.g., settle into the matrix of the material of the negative electrode 25 without forming an alloy) or form an alloy with the material of the negative electrode 25. During the discharge process, carrier ions move away from the negative electrode 25, pass through the separator layer 30, and return to the positive electrode 20.

[0006] Three-dimensional rechargeable batteries may offer increased capacity and lifespan compared to layered rechargeable batteries. However, manufacturing such three-dimensional rechargeable batteries presents manufacturing and cost challenges. While existing precision manufacturing techniques can produce rechargeable batteries with improved cycle life, they come at the expense of productivity and manufacturing costs. However, increasing the speed of known manufacturing techniques may lead to increased defects, reduced capacity, and decreased battery life.

[0007] In a rocking chair-type battery cell, both the positive and negative electrodes of the secondary battery are made of a material into which carrier ions, such as lithium, are inserted and extracted. As the battery discharges, carrier ions are extracted from the negative electrode and inserted into the positive electrode. When the battery is charged, carrier ions are extracted from the positive electrode and inserted into the negative electrode.

[0008] Due to its high specific capacity, silicon is a promising candidate for anodes as an alternative to carbonaceous materials. For example, graphite anodes formed from LiC6 can have a specific capacity of approximately 370 milliampere-hours / gram (mAh / g), but Li 15Crystalline silicon anodes formed from Si4 can have a specific capacity of approximately 3600 mAh / g, which is almost a tenfold increase compared to graphite anodes. However, the use of silicon anodes has been limited because inserting Li carrier ions into them causes a large volume change in silicon (e.g., 300%). This volume change, along with cracking and shattering during charge-discharge cycles, has limited the practical application of silicon anodes. Furthermore, the use of silicon anodes has been limited by their poor initial Columbic efficiency (ICE), which results in capacity loss during the initial formation of secondary batteries utilizing silicon anodes. [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0009] Therefore, it is desirable to improve the performance of secondary batteries that utilize silicon anodes, and more specifically, to mitigate the problems that silicon anodes exhibit with respect to their poor performance in ICEs (Insulated Cells). [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In one embodiment, a method for depicting a group of electrode structures in a web is disclosed. The web has a down-web direction, a cross-web direction, an electrochemically active layer, and a conductive layer. The method includes laser processing the web at least in the cross-web direction to depict members of the group of electrode structures in the web without releasing the members from the web, and forming alignment features within the web that are adapted to position each depicted member of the group of electrode structures in the web.

[0011] In another embodiment, another method for depicting a collection of electrode structures in a web is disclosed. The web has a down-web orientation, a cross-web orientation, an electrochemically active layer, and a conductive layer. The method includes feeding the web to a cutting station and cutting the web at the cutting station at least in the cross-web orientation to depict members of the collection of electrode structures in the web without releasing the members from the web. The method also includes cutting alignment features within the web that are adapted to position each member to be cut in the collection of electrode structures in the web.

[0012] In another embodiment, a different process for describing a collection of electrode structures of a web is disclosed. The web has a down-web orientation, a cross-web orientation, an electrochemically active layer, and a conductive layer. This method includes feeding the web to a laser cutting system, cutting alignment features into the web using the laser cutting system, and establishing the position of the web using at least one of the alignment features. This method further includes performing at least one of a cut action and an ablate action with respect to the web based on the established position.

[0013] In another embodiment, a web comprising an electrochemically active layer and a conductive layer is disclosed. The web has a depicted collection of electrode structures, each electrode structure in the depicted collection of electrode structures being spaced apart from adjacent electrode structures by cross-web cuts of the web. The web further includes alignment features adapted to position each depicted electrode structure in the collection of electrode structures within the web.

[0014] In another embodiment, the web has a group of depicted separator structures. Each separator in the group of depicted separators is spaced apart from adjacent separators by a cross-web cut of the web. The web further includes alignment features adapted to position each depicted separator in the group of separators within the web. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0015] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of an existing lamina battery. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of one preferred embodiment of the electrode manufacturing system according to the present disclosure. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is an enlarged schematic diagram of one preferred embodiment of the laser system according to this disclosure. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is an isometric view of one preferred embodiment of the cutting plenum according to the present disclosure. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a cutaway top view of an exemplary web of a substrate formed on an electrode after processing through the electrode manufacturing system of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is an exemplary top view of a web of a substrate having an electrode pattern formed thereon. [Figure 6A] Figure 6A is a perspective view of a portion of the web of a substrate used as an exemplary negative electrode. [Figure 6B] Figure 6B is a perspective view of a portion of the web of a substrate used as an exemplary positive electrode. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is an enlarged top view of a portion of the web of a substrate having an exemplary electrode pattern formed thereon. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is an isometric view of the base material formed on the web of electrode material, including the electrode pattern, after processing through the electrode manufacturing system of this disclosure. [Figure 8A] Figure 8A is a top view of a portion of the web of the electrode material shown in Figure 8. [Figure 9] Figure 9 is an isometric view of a preferred embodiment of the winding roller of the electrode manufacturing system of the present disclosure. [Figure 10] Figure 10 is a top view of one preferred embodiment of the brushing station of the present disclosure. [Figure 11] Figure 11 is a side view of an exemplary brushing station shown in Figure 10. [Figure 12]Figure 12 is an isometric view of one preferred embodiment of the inspection station according to the present disclosure. [Figure 13] Figure 13 is a top view of a chuck according to one preferred embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 14] Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of the stacked arrangement according to this disclosure. [Figure 15] Figure 15 is a cross-sectional view of a multilayer stack of electrodes according to this disclosure. [Figure 16A] Figure 16A is a side cross-sectional view of a multilayer stack of electrodes according to this disclosure. [Figure 16B] Figure 16B is a partial top view of the multilayer stack of electrodes shown in Figure 16A. [Figure 16C] Figure 16C is a partial top view of the multilayer stack in Figure 16A after the rupture of the second perforation. [Figure 17] Figure 17 is an isometric view of the stacked cell according to this disclosure. [Figure 18A] Figures 18A and 18B are sequential isometric views of a stacked cell having a battery package placed on top of it. [Figure 18B] Figures 18A and 18B are sequential isometric views of a stacked cell having a battery package placed on top of it. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0016] definition As used herein, “a,” “an,” and “the” (i.e., singular) refer to multiple sources unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. For example, in one example, a reference to “electrode” includes both a single electrode and multiple similar electrodes.

[0017] As used herein, “approximately” and “about” refer to plus or minus 10%, 5%, or 1% of the stated value. For example, in one example, approximately 250 μm would include 225 μm to 275 μm. In a further example, in one example, approximately 1,000 μm would include 900 μm to 1,100 μm. Unless otherwise indicated, all numerical values ​​representing quantities (e.g., measured values, etc.) used in the specification and claims are to be understood in all examples to be modified by the term “approximately.” Thus, unless otherwise indicated, the numerical parameters described in the following specification and appended claims are approximations. Each numerical parameter should be interpreted by applying common rounding techniques, at least in light of the reported number of significant figures.

[0018] As used herein in the context of secondary batteries, "anode" refers to the negative electrode in a secondary battery.

[0019] As used herein, "anode material" or "anode activity" means a material suitable for use as the negative electrode of a secondary battery.

[0020] As used herein, “capacity” or “C” refers to the amount of charge that a battery (or a sub-part of a battery including one or more pairs of electrode structures and a counter electrode structure forming two layers) can supply at a predetermined voltage, unless the context explicitly indicates otherwise.

[0021] As used herein in the context of secondary batteries, "cathode" refers to the positive electrode of a secondary battery.

[0022] As used herein, "cathode material" or "cathode activity" means a material suitable for use as the positive electrode of a secondary battery.

[0023] As used herein in the context of the state of a secondary battery, “charged state” means a state in which a secondary battery is charged to at least 75% of its rated capacity, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. For example, a battery can be charged to at least 80% of its rated capacity, at least 90% of its rated capacity, and even at least 95% of its rated capacity, for example, 100% of its rated capacity.

[0024] As used herein, “composite member” or “composite” means a member consisting of two or more constituent members unless the context explicitly indicates otherwise.

[0025] "Converting chemically active material" or "converting chemical material" refers to a material that undergoes a chemical reaction during the charging and discharging cycles of a secondary battery.

[0026] As used herein, the term "counter electrode" may refer to the negative or positive electrode (anode or cathode) opposite to the electrodes of a secondary battery, unless the context explicitly indicates otherwise.

[0027] As used herein, “counter electrode current collector” may refer to the negative or positive (anode or cathode) current collector of a secondary battery, on the opposite side of the electrode current connector, unless the context explicitly indicates otherwise.

[0028] As used herein in the context of cycles of a secondary battery between a charged state and a discharged state, “cycle” means charging and / or discharging the battery to move it in a cycle from a first state, which is either a charged state or a discharged state, to a second state which is the opposite of the first state (i.e., if the first state is a discharged state, then the charged state; if the first state is a charged state, then the discharged state), and then moving the battery back to the first state to complete the cycle. For example, a single cycle of a secondary battery between a charged state and a discharged state may include, as in a charging cycle, charging the battery from a discharged state to a charged state, and then returning it to a discharged state to complete the cycle. Alternatively, a single cycle may include, as in a discharge cycle, discharging the battery from a charged state to a discharged state, and then charging it back to a charged state to complete the cycle.

[0029] As used herein in relation to the negative electrode, “discharge capacity” means the number of carrier ions available for extraction from the negative electrode and insertion into the positive electrode during the discharge operation of the battery between a given set of cell charge termination voltage limits and discharge termination voltage limits, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0030] As used herein in the context of the state of a secondary battery, “discharged state” means a state in which a secondary battery has been discharged to less than 25% of its rated capacity, unless the context explicitly indicates otherwise. For example, a battery may be discharged to less than 20% of its rated capacity, for example, less than 10% of its rated capacity, and even less than 5% of its rated capacity, for example, 0% of its rated capacity.

[0031] As used herein, "electrochemically active material" means an anode-active material (component) or a cathode-active material (component).

[0032] As used herein, “electrode” may refer to the negative or positive electrode of a secondary battery unless the context explicitly indicates otherwise.

[0033] As used herein, "electrode current collector" may mean an anode (e.g., negative) current collector or a cathode (e.g., positive) current collector.

[0034] As used herein, “electrode material” may refer to either an anode material or a cathode material unless the context explicitly indicates otherwise.

[0035] As used herein, “electrode structure” may refer to an anode structure (e.g., negative electrode structure) or a cathode structure (e.g., positive electrode structure) suitable for use in a battery, unless the context explicitly indicates otherwise.

[0036] As used herein, “electrolyte” refers to a non-metallic liquid, gel, or solid substance through which an electric current is carried by the movement of ions, suitable for use in a battery, unless the context explicitly indicates otherwise.

[0037] As used herein, “longitudinal axis,” “horizontal axis,” and “vertical axis” refer to axes perpendicular to each other (i.e., each is orthogonal to the others). For example, as used herein, “longitudinal axis,” “horizontal axis,” and “vertical axis” are analogous to the Cartesian coordinate system used to define three-dimensional aspects or orientations. Therefore, the description of elements of the disclosed subject matter herein is not limited to any particular axis or axis used to describe the three-dimensional orientation of the element. Alternatively, when referring to the three-dimensional aspects of the disclosed subject matter, the axes may be interchangeable.

[0038] As used herein, “microstructure” may refer to the surface structure of a material as revealed by an optical microscope at a magnification of approximately 25x or greater, unless the context explicitly indicates otherwise.

[0039] As used herein, "microporous" may refer to a material containing pores having a diameter of less than approximately 2 nanometers, unless the context explicitly indicates otherwise.

[0040] As used herein, "macroporous" may refer to a material containing pores with a diameter greater than approximately 50 nanometers, unless the context explicitly indicates otherwise.

[0041] As used herein, "nanoscale" or "nanoscopic scale" may refer to structures having a length scale ranging from approximately 1 nanometer to approximately 100 nanometers.

[0042] As used herein, "polymer" may refer to a substance or material consisting of repeating subunits of a polymer, unless the context explicitly indicates otherwise.

[0043] As used herein in relation to electrodes (i.e., positive electrode, negative electrode, or auxiliary electrode), “reversible Coulomb capacity” means the total capacity of the electrode for carrier ions available for reversible exchange with the counter electrode.

[0044] As used herein, “void fraction,” “porosity,” or “void volume fraction” refers to a measurement of void (i.e., empty) space in a material, and is the ratio of the volume of voids to the total volume of the material, expressed as a percentage between 0 and 1, or between 0 and 100%.

[0045] A "weakened region" refers to a portion of the web that has undergone processing operations such as scoring, cutting, or perforation, such that its local fracture strength is lower than that of the unweakened region.

[0046] Detailed explanation Embodiments of this disclosure relate to apparatus, systems, and methods for manufacturing electrode components for batteries, such as three-dimensional rechargeable batteries, which maintain or improve battery capacity and battery life, and increase the manufacturing speed of electrode components while reducing the occurrence of defects during the manufacturing process.

[0047] An exemplary system for manufacturing electrode components, including electrodes and separators for use in batteries, is described with reference to Figure 2. Generally, the electrode production (or manufacturing) system, represented by 100, includes numerous individual stations, systems, components, or apparatus that function to enable the efficient production of precision electrodes for use in batteries. Production system 100 is described in general terms with respect to Figure 2, and then, after a broader production system 100 is introduced, further details of each component are described.

[0048] In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, the production system 100 includes a base unwinding roller 102 for holding and unwinding the web of the substrate 104. The web of the substrate 104 may be an electrode material suitable for manufacturing electrode assemblies for secondary batteries (i.e., a web of anode material 502 or a web of cathode material 504), a separator material, etc. The web of the substrate 104 is a thin sheet of material wound in the form of a roll, having a central through-hole sized for placement on the base unwinding roller 102. In some embodiments, the web of the substrate 104 is a multilayer material including, for example, an electrode current collector layer (i.e., an anode current collector layer 506 or a cathode current collector layer 510) and an electrochemically active material layer on at least one of its main surfaces (i.e., an anode active material layer 508 or a cathode active material layer 512), while in other embodiments, the web of the substrate 104 may be a single layer (e.g., a web of separator material). The base unwinding roller 102 may be formed from metal, metal alloy, composite material, plastic, or any other material that enables the production system 100 to function as described herein. In one embodiment, the base unwinding roller 102 is made of stainless steel and has a diameter of 3 inches (76.2 mm).

[0049] As shown in the embodiment of Figure 2, the web of the substrate 104 is passed over an edge guide 106 to facilitate the unwinding of the web of the substrate 104. In one embodiment, the edge guide 106 uses a through-beam type optical sensor for the position of one edge of the web of the substrate 104 relative to a fixed reference point. Feedback is sent from the edge guide 106 to a “web steering” roller, generally a base unwinding roller 102, which moves in a direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of the web of the substrate 104. In this embodiment, the web of the substrate 104 then passes around an idler 108a and enters the splicing station 110. The idler 108a (may also be called an idler roller) facilitates maintaining the proper position and tension of the web of the substrate 104 and also facilitates changing the orientation of the web of the substrate 104. In the embodiment shown in Figure 2, idler 108a receives the web of the substrate 104 vertically and is partially wrapped around idler 108a such that the web of the substrate 104 leaves idler 108a in an output direction substantially 90 degrees away from the input direction. However, it should be understood that the input and output directions may vary without departing from the scope of this disclosure. In some embodiments, the production system 100 may change direction one or more times as the web of the substrate 104 is transported through the production system 100 using a plurality of idlers 108a-108x. Idlers 108a-108x may be formed from metal, metal alloy, composite, plastic, rubber, or any other material that enables the production system 100 to function as described herein. In one embodiment, idlers 108a-108x are formed from stainless steel and have dimensions of 1 inch (25.4 mm) in diameter × 18 inches (457.2 mm) in length.

[0050] The splicing station 110 is configured to facilitate splicing (e.g., joining) two separate webs together. In a preferred embodiment, the first web of the substrate 104 is unwound so that the trailing edge (not shown) of the web of the substrate 104 stops within the splicing station 110, and the leading edge (not shown) of the second web of the substrate 104 is unwound into the splicing station 110 so that the trailing edge of the first web of the substrate 104 and the leading edge of the second web of the substrate 104 are adjacent to each other. The user may then apply an adhesive, such as adhesive tape, to join the leading edge of the second web of the substrate 104 to the trailing edge of the first web of the substrate 104, forming a seam between the two webs and creating a continuous web of the substrate 104. Such a process may be repeated for multiple webs of the substrate 104 as instructed by the user. In this way, the splicing station 110 makes it possible to splice the webs of multiple substrates together to form a single continuous web. In other embodiments, it should be understood that the user may, as desired, splice together webs of the same or different materials.

[0051] In one preferred embodiment, upon leaving the splicing station 110, the web of the substrate 104 is then transported in the down-web direction WD so that it may enter the nip roller 112. The nip roller 112 is configured to facilitate control of the speed at which the web of the substrate 104 is transported through the production system 100. In one embodiment, the nip roller 112 includes at least two adjacent rollers 114 with space between them that defines a nip. The nip is sized so that the web of the substrate 104 is pressed against each of the two adjacent rollers 114 with enough pressure to move the web of the substrate 104 by friction of the rollers, but with enough pressure not to cause significant deformation or damage to the web of the substrate 104. In some preferred embodiments, the pressure exerted on the web of the substrate 104 by at least two adjacent rollers 114 is set to a force in the cross-web direction XWD of the substrate 104, such as 0 lbs, 5 lbs, 10 lbs, 15 lbs, 20 lbs, 25 lbs, 30 lbs, 35 lbs, 40 lbs, 45 lbs, 50 lbs, 55 lbs, 60 lbs, 65 lbs, 70 lbs, 75 lbs, 80 lbs, 85 lbs, 90 lbs, 95 lbs, 100 lbs, 110 lbs, 120 lbs, 130 lbs, 140 lbs, 150 lbs, 160 lbs, 170 lbs, 180 lbs, 190 lbs, 200 lbs, 210 lbs, and 210 lbs.

[0052] In one preferred embodiment, at least one of the adjacent rollers 114 may be a compliant roller, which may be a high-friction roller driven by an electric motor, and another of the adjacent rollers 114 may be a low-friction passive roller. The compliant roller may have at least an outer surface made of rubber or polymer that can provide sufficient grip to the web of the substrate 104 and impart a pushing or pulling force to the web of the substrate 104 for transport through the production system 100. In one embodiment, at least one of the adjacent rollers 114 is a steel roller having a diameter of about 3.8 inches, for example, 3.863 inches (98.12 mm). In another embodiment, at least one of the adjacent rollers 114 is a rubber roller having a diameter of about 2.5 inches, for example, 2.54 inches (64.51 mm). In yet another embodiment, one or more of the adjacent rollers 114 include a rubber ring positioned on it, which can be adjusted to be positioned at any location along the width of the roller, and each ring has an outer diameter of about 3.90 inches (99.06 mm). It should be understood that the diameter of the roller may be less or greater than such an amount, as long as the roller functions as described herein. In one embodiment, a rubber ring is positioned on the roller so as to contact the web of the substrate 104 with its continuous outer edge in order to drive the web of the substrate 104 in the down-web direction WD. Thus, the speed of the web of the substrate 104 is controlled by controlling the rotational speed of the high-friction roller via the user interface 116. In other embodiments, each of the adjacent rollers 114 may be made of any high-friction or low-friction material, enabling the production system 100 to function as described herein. It should be understood that one or more of the adjacent rollers 114 may be connected to a motor (not shown) for controlling the speed of the web of the substrate 104 as it passes through the nip. The production system 100 may include one or more additional nip rollers 122, 132 to facilitate control of the speed of the web of the substrate 104 being transported through the production system 100, which may be controlled via the user interface 116.When multiple nip rollers 112, 122, and 132 are used, each of the nip rollers 112, 122, and 132 can be set to the same speed via the user interface 116 so that the web of the substrate 104 is smoothly conveyed through the production system 100.

[0053] The production system 100 may also include a dancer 118. As shown in Figure 2, the illustrated dancer 118 includes a pair of rollers spaced apart from each other but connected around a central axis between the pair of rollers of the dancer 118. The pair of rollers of the dancer 118 can rotate around the central axis, thereby passively adjusting the tension on the web of the substrate 104. For example, if the tension on the web of the substrate 104 exceeds a predetermined threshold, the pair of rollers of the dancer 118 rotate around the central axis to reduce the tension on the web. Thus, the dancer 118 may use the mass of the dancer 118 alone (e.g., the mass of one or more of the pair of rollers), a spring, a torsion bar, or other bias / tensioning device which may be user-adjustable or controllable via the user interface 116, so that appropriate tension is consistently maintained on the web of the substrate 104. In one embodiment, the mass and inertia of the dancer 118 are reduced or minimized to allow web tension with a force of 500 grams or less, for example, by using hollow rollers made of aluminum. In other embodiments, the rollers of the Dansa 118 are made of other lightweight materials such as carbon fiber, aluminum alloy, magnesium, other lightweight metals and metal alloys, glass fiber, or any other suitable material that allows for a mass low enough to provide a web tension of 500 grams or less. In yet another embodiment, the rollers of the Dansa 118 are counterbalanced to allow for a web tension of the substrate 104 of 250 grams or less.

[0054] The production system 100 includes one or more laser systems 120a, 120b, and 120c. The embodiment shown in Figure 2 includes three laser systems 120a-c, but it should be understood that any number of laser systems 120 can be used so that the production system 100 functions as described herein. Further description of the laser systems 120a-c is made with reference to Figure 3. In one preferred embodiment, at least one of the laser systems 120a-c includes a laser device 300 configured to emit a laser beam 302 toward a cutting plenum 304. In the illustrated embodiment, the cutting plenum 304 includes a chuck 306 and a vacuum 308. Details of the chuck 306 are best shown in Figures 4 and 13, which are further described below. In one preferred embodiment, adjacent to the laser system 120 are one or more inspection devices 310, 312, which may be visual inspection devices such as cameras, or any other suitable inspection devices that enable the production system 100 to function as further described herein.

[0055] The exemplary production system 100 shown in Figure 2 includes one or more cleaning stations, such as a brushing station 124 and an air knife 126. Each cleaning station is configured to remove or otherwise facilitate the removal of debris (not shown) from the web of the substrate 104, as will be further described herein.

[0056] The production system 100 in Figure 2 includes an inspection station 128 for identifying defects and an associated defect marking system 130 for marking the web of the substrate 104 to locate the identified defects, as will be further described herein.

[0057] In one preferred embodiment, the web of the substrate 104 is wound together with the web of the interleaf material 138 via a winding roller 134 and unwound via an interleaf roller 136 to create a roll of electrodes 140 having layers of electrodes separated by the web of the interleaf material 138. In some embodiments, the web of the substrate 104 can be wound via the winding roller 134 without the web of the interleaf material 138.

[0058] It should be noted that the series of nip rollers 112, 122, and 132, idlers 108a-x, and dancers 118m may be referred to together with the conveying system for transporting the web of the substrate 104 through the production system 100. As used herein, the conveying system or the conveying of the web of the substrate 104 refers to intentionally moving the web of the substrate 104 through the production system 100 in the down-web direction WD.

[0059] Referring to Figure 5, the web of the substrate 104 may be made of any material suitable for manufacturing electrode components for use in batteries as described herein. For example, the web of the substrate 104 may be an electrically insulating separator material 500, an anode material 502, or a cathode material 504. In one preferred embodiment, the web of the substrate 104 is an electrically insulating and ion-permeable polymer fabric material suitable for use as a separator in a secondary battery.

[0060] In another preferred embodiment, the web of the substrate 104 is a web of anode material 502 which may include an anode current collector layer 506 and an anode active material layer 508. In one embodiment, the anode current collector layer 506 is made of a conductive metal such as copper, a copper alloy, or another material suitable as an anode current collector layer. The anode active material layer 508 can be formed as a first layer on a first surface of the anode current collector layer 506 and a second layer on a second opposing surface of the anode current collector layer 506. In another embodiment, the anode current collector layer 506 and the anode active material layer 508 may be mixed. The first surface and the second opposing surface may be referred to as the primary surface, or front and back surface, of the web of the substrate 104. As used herein, primary surface means a surface defined by a plane formed by the length of the web of the substrate 104 in the down-web direction WD and the span of the web of the substrate 104 in the cross-web direction XWD.

[0061] Generally, if the web of the substrate 104 is a web of the anode material 502, the anode active material layer 508 will have a thickness of at least about 10 μm each. For example, in one embodiment, the anode active material layer 508 will have a thickness of at least about 40 μm each. As a further example, in such an embodiment, the anode active material layer 508 will have a thickness of at least about 80 μm each. As a further example, in such an embodiment, the anode active material layer 508 will have a thickness of at least about 120 μm each. However, typically, the anode active material layer 508 will have a thickness of less than about 60 μm each, or even less than about 30 μm each.

[0062] Exemplary anode active materials for use as anode active material layer 508 include any of the following: carbon materials such as graphite, soft carbon or hard carbon, or graphene (e.g., single-walled or multi-walled carbon nanotubes), or metals, metalloids, alloys, oxides, nitrides, and compounds that can intercalate lithium or form alloys with lithium. Specific examples of metals or metalloids that can constitute the anode material 502 include graphite, tin, lead, magnesium, aluminum, boron, gallium, silicon, Si / C composite, Si / graphite blend, and silicon dioxide (SiO₂). x ), porous Si, intermetallic Si alloys, indium, zirconium, germanium, bismuth, cadmium, antimony, silver, zinc, arsenic, hafnium, yttrium, lithium, sodium, graphite, carbon, lithium titanate, palladium, and mixtures thereof. In one exemplary embodiment, the anode active material layer 508 consists of aluminum, tin, or silicon, or its oxides, nitrides, fluorides, or other alloys. In another exemplary embodiment, the anode active material layer 508 consists of silicon or its alloys or oxides.

[0063] In one embodiment, the anode active material layer 508 is microstructured to provide a significant void volume fraction to accommodate the volume expansion and contraction as lithium ions (or other carrier ions) are incorporated into or leave the anode active material layer 508 during the charging and discharging process. Generally, the (each) void volume fraction of the anode active material layer 508 is at least 0.1. However, typically, the (each) void volume fraction of the anode active material layer 508 does not exceed 0.8. For example, in one embodiment, the (each) void volume fraction of the anode active material layer 508 is about 0.15 to about 0.75. As a further example, in one embodiment, the void volume fraction of the anode active material layer 508 is about 0.2 to about 0.7. As a further example, in one embodiment, the (each) void volume fraction of the anode active material layer 508 is about 0.25 to about 0.6.

[0064] Depending on the composition of the microstructured anodic active material layer 508 and the method of its formation, the microstructured anodic active material layer 508 may consist of a macroporous, microporous, or mesoporous material layer, or a combination thereof, such as a combination of microporous and mesoporous, or a combination of mesoporous and macroporous. Microporous materials are typically characterized by pore dimensions of less than 10 nm, wall dimensions of less than 10 nm, pore depths of 1 to 50 micrometers, and pore morphology generally characterized by a “spongy” and irregular appearance, non-smooth walls, and branched pores. Mesoporous materials are typically characterized by pore dimensions of 10 to 50 nm, wall dimensions of 10 to 50 nm, pore depths of 1 to 100 micrometers, and pore morphology generally characterized by somewhat distinct branched or dendritic pores. Macroporous materials are generally characterized by pore dimensions greater than 50 nm, wall dimensions greater than 50 nm, pore depths of 1 to 500 micrometers, and pore morphology that can be varied, linear, branched, or dendritic, and smooth or rough-walled. Furthermore, void volumes may consist of open voids, closed voids, or a combination thereof. In one embodiment, the void volume consists of open voids, i.e., the anode active material layer 508 includes voids having openings on the sides of the anode active material layer 508 from which lithium ions (or other carrier ions) can enter or exit the anode active material layer 508, for example, lithium ions may enter the anode active material layer 508 through void openings after exiting the cathode active material layer 512. In another embodiment, the void volume consists of closed voids, i.e., the anode active material layer 508 includes voids surrounded within the anode active material layer 508. Generally, open voids can provide a larger interfacial surface area for carrier ions, while closed voids tend to be less affected by the solid electrolyte interface, although each provides room for expansion of the anode active material layer 508 as carrier ions enter. Therefore, in certain embodiments, it is preferable that the anode active material layer 508 consists of a combination of open and closed voids.

[0065] In one embodiment, the anode active material layer 508 consists of porous aluminum, tin, or silicon or its alloys, oxides, or nitrides. The porous silicon layer can be formed, for example, by anodizing, by etching (for example, by depositing a noble metal such as gold, platinum, silver, or gold / palladium on the surface of single-crystal silicon and etching the surface with a mixture of hydrofluoric acid and hydrogen peroxide), or by other methods known in the art, such as patterned chemical etching. Furthermore, the porous anode active material layer 508 will generally have a porosity of at least about 0.1, but less than 0.8, and a thickness of about 1 to about 100 micrometers. For example, in one embodiment, the anode active material layer 508 consists of porous silicon, has a thickness of about 5 to about 100 micrometers, and has a porosity fraction of about 0.15 to about 0.75. As a further example, in one embodiment, the anode active material layer 508 is made of porous silicon, has a thickness of about 10 to about 80 micrometers, and has a porosity fraction of about 0.15 to about 0.7. As a further example, in such an embodiment, the anode active material layer 508 is made of porous silicon, has a thickness of about 20 to about 50 micrometers, and has a porosity fraction of about 0.25 to about 0.6. As a further example, in one embodiment, the anode active material layer 508 is made of a porous silicon alloy (such as nickel silicide), has a thickness of about 5 to about 100 micrometers, and has a porosity fraction of about 0.15 to about 0.75.

[0066] In another embodiment, the anode active material layer 508 is composed of fibers of aluminum, tin, or silicon, or alloys thereof. Each individual fiber may have a diameter (thickness dimension) of about 5 nm to about 10,000 nm and a length that roughly corresponds to the thickness of the anode active material layer 508. Silicon fibers (nanowires) can be formed, for example, by chemical vapor deposition or other techniques known in the art, such as vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) and solid-liquid-solid (SLS) deposition. Furthermore, the anode active material layer 508 will generally have a porosity of at least about 0.1, but less than 0.8, and a thickness of about 1 to about 200 micrometers. For example, in one embodiment, the anode active material layer 508 consists of silicon nanowires, has a thickness of about 5 to about 100 micrometers, and has a porosity fraction of about 0.15 to about 0.75. As a further example, in one embodiment, the anode active material layer 508 consists of silicon nanowires, has a thickness of about 10 to about 80 micrometers, and has a porosity fraction of about 0.15 to about 0.7. As a further example, in such an embodiment, the anode active material layer 508 consists of silicon nanowires, has a thickness of about 20 to about 50 micrometers, and has a porosity fraction of about 0.25 to about 0.6. As a further example, in one embodiment, the anode active material layer 508 consists of nanowires of a silicon alloy (such as nickel silicide), has a thickness of about 5 to about 100 micrometers, and has a porosity fraction of about 0.15 to about 0.75.

[0067] Generally, the anode current collector layer 506 will have an electrical conductivity of at least about 103 siemens / cm. For example, in one such embodiment, the anode current collector layer 506 will have a conductivity of at least about 104 siemens / cm. As a further example, in one such embodiment, the anode current collector layer 506 will have a conductivity of at least about 105 siemens / cm. Exemplary conductive materials suitable for use as the anode current collector layer 506 include, for example, metals such as copper, nickel, cobalt, titanium, and tungsten, as well as alloys thereof.

[0068] Generally, the anode current collector layer 506 will have an electrical conductivity of at least about 103 siemens / cm. For example, in one such embodiment, the anode current collector layer 506 will have a conductivity of at least about 104 siemens / cm. As a further example, in one such embodiment, the anode current collector layer 506 will have a conductivity of at least about 105 siemens / cm. Exemplary conductive materials suitable for use as the anode current collector layer 506 include, for example, metals such as copper, nickel, cobalt, titanium, and tungsten, as well as alloys thereof.

[0069] Referring again to Figure 5, in another preferred embodiment, the web of the substrate 104 becomes the web of the cathode material 504, which may include a cathode current collector layer 510 and a cathode active material layer 512. The cathode current collector layer 510 of the cathode material 504 may consist of aluminum, an aluminum alloy, titanium, or other material suitable for use as the cathode current collector layer 510. The cathode active material layer 512 can be formed as a first layer on a first surface of the cathode current collector layer 510 and a second layer on a second opposing surface of the cathode current collector layer 510. The cathode active material layer 512 may be coated on one or both sides of the cathode current collector layer 510. Similarly, the cathode active material layer 512 may be coated on one or both main surfaces of the cathode current collector layer 510. In another embodiment, the cathode current collector layer 510 may be mixed with the cathode active material layer 512.

[0070] Generally, when the web of the substrate 104 is the web of the cathode material 504, the cathode active material layer 512 will (each) have a thickness of at least about 20 μm. For example, in one embodiment, the cathode active material layer 512 will (each) have a thickness of at least about 40 μm. As a further example, in such an embodiment, the cathode active material layer 512 will (each) have a thickness of at least about 60 μm. As a further example, in such an embodiment, the cathode active material layer 512 will (each) have a thickness of at least about 100 μm. However, typically, the cathode active material layer 512 will (each) have a thickness less than about 90 μm, or even less than about 70 μm.

[0071] Exemplary cathode active materials include any of a wide range of cathode active materials. For example, in the case of a lithium-ion battery, the cathode active material layer 512 may consist of a cathode active material selectively used from transition metal oxides, transition metal sulfides, transition metal nitrides, lithium-transition metal oxides, lithium-transition metal sulfides, and lithium-transition metal nitrides. Examples of these transition metal elements in the transition metal oxides, transition metal sulfides, and transition metal nitrides include metal elements having a d-shell or f-shell. Specific examples of such metal elements include Sc, Y, lanthanoids, actinoids, Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, W, Mn, Tc, Re, Fe, Ru, Os, Co, Rh, Ir, Ni, Pb, Pt, Cu, Ag, Au. Additional cathode active materials include LiCoO2, LiNi 0.5 Mn 1.5 O4, Li(Ni x Co y Al z )O2, LiFePO4, Li2MnO4, V2O5, molybdenum oxysulfide, phosphate, silicate, vanadate, sulfur, sulfur compounds, oxygen (atmospheric), Li(Ni x Mn y Co z )O2 and combinations thereof.

[0072] Generally, the cathode current collector layer 510 will have an electrical conductivity of at least about 103 siemens / cm. For example, in one such embodiment, the cathode current collector layer 510 will have an electrical conductivity of at least about 104 siemens / cm. As a further example, in one such embodiment, the cathode current collector layer 510 will have an electrical conductivity of at least about 105 siemens / cm. Exemplary cathode current collector layers 510 include metals such as aluminum, nickel, cobalt, titanium, and tungsten, as well as alloys thereof.

[0073] Referring again to Figure 5, in another preferred embodiment, the web of the substrate 104 is a web of an electrically insulating but ion-permeable separator material. The electrically insulating separator material 500 is adapted to electrically isolate each member of the anode group from each member of the cathode group of the secondary battery. The electrically insulating separator material 500 would typically include a microporous separator material that can be permeated with a non-aqueous electrolyte. For example, in one embodiment, the microporous separator material includes a porous material having pores with a diameter of at least 50 Å, more typically in the range of about 2,500 Å, and a porosity in the range of about 25% to about 75%, more typically in the range of about 35% to 55%.

[0074] Generally, when the web of the substrate 104 is the web of the electrically insulating separator material 500, the electrically insulating separator material 500 will have a thickness of at least about 4 μm. For example, in one embodiment, the electrically insulating separator material 500 will have a thickness of at least about 8 μm. As a further example, in such an embodiment, the electrically insulating separator material 500 will have a thickness of at least about 12 μm. As a further example, in such an embodiment, the electrically insulating separator material 500 will have a thickness of at least about 15 μm. However, typically, the electrically insulating separator material 500 will have a thickness of less than about 12 μm, or less than about 10 μm.

[0075] In one embodiment, the microporous separator material comprises particulate material and a binder and has a void fraction of at least about 20 vol%. The pores of the microporous separator material have a diameter of at least 50 Å and will typically fall in the range of about 250 to 2,500 Å. The microporous separator material will typically have a porosity of less than about 75 vol%. In one embodiment, the microporous separator material has a void fraction of at least about 25 vol%. In one embodiment, the microporous separator material will have a porosity of about 35 to 55 vol%.

[0076] Binders for microporous separator materials can be selected from a wide range of inorganic or polymer materials. For example, in one embodiment, the binder is an organic material selected from the group consisting of silicates, phosphates, aluminates, aluminosilicates, and hydroxides such as magnesium hydroxide and calcium hydroxide. For example, in one embodiment, the binder is a fluorinated polymer obtained from monomers such as vinylidene fluoride, hexafluoropropylene, and tetrafluoropropene. In another embodiment, the binder is a polyolefin such as polyethylene, polypropylene, or polybutene, having any of a range of molecular weights and densities. In yet another embodiment, the binder is selected from the group consisting of ethylene-diene-propenter polymers, polystyrene, polymethyl methacrylate, polyethylene glycol, polyvinyl acetate, polyvinyl butyral, polyacetal, and polyethylene glycol diacrylate. In another embodiment, the binder is selected from the group consisting of methylcellulose, carboxymethylcellulose, styrene rubber, butadiene rubber, styrene-butadiene rubber, isoprene rubber, polyacrylamide, polyvinyl ether, polyacrylic acid, polymethacrylic acid, and polyethylene oxide. In another embodiment, the binder is selected from the group consisting of acrylate, styrene, epoxy, and silicone. In yet another embodiment, the binder is a copolymer or blend of two or more of the aforementioned polymers.

[0077] The microporous separator material, consisting of particulate matter, can be selected from a wide range of materials. Generally, such materials have relatively low electronic and ionic conductivity at operating temperatures and do not corrode under the operating voltage of battery electrodes or current collectors that come into contact with the microporous separator material. For example, in one embodiment, the particulate matter material is 1 × 10⁻¹⁶ -4 It has conductivity to carrier ions (e.g., lithium) of less than S / cm. As a further example, in one embodiment, the particulate material is 1 × 10 -5 It has conductivity to carrier ions of less than S / cm. As a further example, in one embodiment, the particulate material is 1 × 10 -6 It has conductivity to carrier ions less than S / cm. Exemplary particulate materials include particulate polyethylene, polypropylene, TiO2-polymer composites, silica aerogel, fumed silica, silica gel, silica hydrogel, silica xylogel, silica sol, colloidal silica, alumina, titania, magnesia, kaolin, talc, diatomaceous earth, calcium silicate, aluminum silicate, calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate, or combinations thereof. For example, in one embodiment, the particulate material comprises particulate oxides or nitrides such as TiO2, SiO2, Al2O3, GeO2, B2O3, Bi2O3, BaO, ZnO, ZrO2, BN, Si3N4, and Ge3N4. See, for example, "Battery Separators" by P. Arora and J. Zhang, Chemical Reviews 2004, 104, 4419-4462. In one embodiment, the particulate material will have an average particle size of approximately 20 nm to 2 micrometers, more typically 200 nm to 1.5 micrometers. In another embodiment, the particulate material will have an average particle size of approximately 500 nm to 1 micrometer.

[0078] In another embodiment, particulate materials composed of microporous separator materials can be bonded by techniques such as sintering, bonding, and curing while maintaining a porosity desirable for electrolyte penetration to provide ionic conductivity for the function of the battery.

[0079] In assembled energy storage devices, the microporous separator material is impregnated with a non-aqueous electrolyte suitable for use as a secondary battery electrolyte. Typically, the non-aqueous electrolyte consists of a mixture of lithium salts and / or salts dissolved in an organic solvent and / or solvent mixture. Exemplary lithium salts include inorganic lithium salts such as LiClO4, LiBF4, LiPF6, LiAsF6, LiCl, and LiBr, as well as LiB(C6H5)4, LiN(SO2CF3)2, LiN(SO2CF3)3, LiNSO2CF3, LiNSO2CF5, LiNSO2C4F9, and LiNSO2C5F 11 LiNSO2C6F 13 , and LiNSO2C7F 15 It contains organolithium salts such as the following. Specific examples of organic solvents that dissolve lithium salts include cyclic esters, linear esters, cyclic ethers, and linear ethers. Specific examples of cyclic esters include propylene carbonate, butylene carbonate, γ-butyrolactone, vinylene carbonate, 2-methyl-γ-butyrolactone, acetyl-γ-butyrolactone, and γ-valerolactone. Specific examples of linear esters include dimethyl carbonate, diethyl carbonate, dibutyl carbonate, dipropyl carbonate, methyl ethyl carbonate, methyl butyl carbonate, methyl propyl carbonate, ethyl butyl carbonate, butyl propyl carbonate, alkylpropionic acid, dialkylmalonic acid, and alkyl acetates. Specific examples of cyclic ethers include tetrahydrofuran, alkyltetrahydrofuran, dialkyltetrahydrofuran, alkoxytetrahydrofuran, dialkoxytetrahydrofuran, 1,3-dioxolane, alkyl-1,3-dioxolane, and 1,4-dioxolane. Specific examples of linear ethers include 1,2-dimethoxyethane, 1,2-diethoxyethane, diethyl ether, ethylene glycol dialkyl ether, diethylene glycol dialkyl ether, triethylene glycol dialkyl ether, and tetraethylene glycol dialkyl ether.

[0080] In further embodiments, the web of the substrate 104 may be any material suitable for manufacturing electrode components for use in solid-state rechargeable batteries, such as the one described in U.S. Patent No. 9,553,332 issued January 24, 2017, which is incorporated in whole by reference. For example, in some embodiments, the web of the substrate 104 may include an electrode current collector material, such as a negative electrode current collector or a positive electrode current collector material. In some embodiments, the electrode current collector material may include copper, nickel, nickel-clad copper, iron-clad copper, copper-clad aluminum, aluminum, titanium, stainless steel, or other materials known not to alloy with lithium and configured to function as an anode current collector. In another embodiment, the web of the substrate 104 is a positive electrode current collector material consisting of aluminum, aluminum foil, or carbon-clad aluminum foil. In such embodiments, the electrode current collector material may be a metal coating, as opposed to a foil, produced by standard routes such as electroplating, electroless plating, PVD, metal nanoparticle sintering, and / or sol-gel by post-reduction.

[0081] In another embodiment, for example, in the case of a solid-state secondary battery, the web of the substrate 104 may consist of a solid electrolyte material such as that described in U.S. Patent No. 9,553,332, referenced above. In this embodiment, the web of the substrate 104 may consist of a high-speed lithium-ion conductor having a conductivity greater than 10⁻⁵ S / cm, such as garnet, LiPON, antiperovskite, LISICON, thioLISICON, sulfides, oxysulfides, polymers, composite polymers, ionic liquids, gels, or organic liquids. The electrolyte has a thickness ranging from about 0.1 μm to about 40 μm, but includes variations. In some examples, the electrolyte thickness is 25 μm, i.e., 25 microns. In some examples, the electrolyte thickness is 25 μm or less, i.e., 25 microns or less.

[0082] In another embodiment, for example, in the case of a solid-state secondary battery, the web of the substrate 104 may consist of a catholite material such as that described in U.S. Patent No. 9,553,332, referenced above. In this embodiment, the web of the substrate 104 consists of a catholite material comprising a lithium, germanium, phosphorus, and sulfur ("LGPS") material or a lithium, silicon, phosphorus, and sulfur ("LSPS") material, each of which is configured in a polycrystalline or amorphous state. In this embodiment, the catholite material is 10 -4 Greater than S / cm, preferably 10 -3 It has an ionic conductivity greater than S / cm. In one embodiment, the catholite material has a particle size smaller than the active region particle size. For example, in some embodiments, the median diameter of the catholite particles is more than three times smaller than the median diameter of the active particle size. The catholite material may be composed of alternating core-shell structures as coatings around the cathode active material. In further modifications, the catholite material may be composed as nanorods or nanowires. In this embodiment, the web of the substrate 104 may also include cathode electron conduction species such as carbon, activated carbon, carbon black, carbon fibers, carbon nanotubes, graphite, graphene, fullerenes, metal nanowires, super P, and other materials known in the art. The cathode region further includes a binder material to improve the adhesion of the cathode to the substrate and the cohesive force of the cathode to itself during cycling. In one embodiment, the catholite material has an oxygen species composed within a material including LGPS or LSPS. In another embodiment, the oxygen species has a ratio of 1:2 or less to a sulfur species to form an LGPSO material or LSPSO material. In one example, oxygen species make up less than 20% of the LGPSO material.

[0083] In yet another embodiment, the web of substrate 104 may be suitable for the manufacture of electrode components for use in solid-state secondary batteries, such as those described in U.S. Patent No. 9,553,33 referenced above, where the catholite material is characterized as a solid. In this embodiment, the catholite material has a substantially fixed compound structure and behaves like a solid rather than a fluid. In one embodiment, the solid catholite material is manufactured by physical vapor deposition (PVD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), atomic layer deposition (ALD), and solid reaction of powder, mechanical grinding of powder, solution synthesis, evaporation, or any combination thereof. In another embodiment, the catholite material is mixed with an active material in a mixer or mill, or optionally mixed with carbon in different configurations of the physical vapor deposition method, and coated onto a substrate by gravure, comma coating, Meyer rod coating, doctor blade, slot die coating, or conventional techniques. In another embodiment, the catholite material is coated directly onto the cathode-active material using methods such as vapor phase growth, mechanofusion, liquid phase growth, deposition onto particles in a fluidized bed or rotary reactor, or a combination thereof. In another embodiment, the web of the substrate 104 consists of a polymer material containing lithium species. The polymer material may be formed by covering the catholite material. Polymer materials in some embodiments include polyacrylonitrile, polyethylene oxide, PvDF, PvDF-HFP, rubbers such as butadiene rubber and styrene-butadiene rubber, etc.

[0084] In one embodiment, the web of the substrate 104 can have an adhesive tape layer (not shown) attached to one or both surfaces of the anode-active material layer 508 or the cathode-active material layer 512. The adhesive layer can then be removed by ablation and cutting (described later) to remove any unwanted material or debris.

[0085] Embodiments of the laser systems 120a to c will be further described with reference to Figures 2 to 6. The web of the substrate 104 enters the laser system 120 in the down-web direction WD. In one embodiment, the web of the substrate 104 enters the laser system 120a in a first state 400, which has not yet been ablated or cut. Therefore, it is desirable that the web of the substrate 104 in the first state 400 has substantially no defects or changes from its initial state. The web of the substrate 104 passes over a chuck 306 which includes a plurality of vacuum holes 406. The vacuum holes 406 are in fluid communication with the vacuum 308 and draw vacuum pressure into the web of the substrate 104 as it passes over the vacuum holes 406. The vacuum holes 406 can be staggered or chamfered so that the web of the substrate 104 can pass over it more easily without getting stuck. The cross-sectional area of ​​the hole must be small enough to prevent the web of the substrate 104 from being drawn into it, but large enough to allow a suitable airflow from the vacuum through it. The vacuum pressure facilitates maintaining the web of the substrate 104 in a substantially flat / planar state as it is transported across the chuck 306. In some preferred embodiments, the laser system 120 is focus-sensitive, and in such embodiments, it is important to maintain the web of the substrate 104 at a substantially constant distance from the laser output 313, for example, from ±100 microns of a given position, so that the laser beam 302 is focused when it contacts the web of the substrate 104 during the cutting or ablation process. Accordingly, the vacuum pressure through the vacuum hole 406 can be monitored and adjusted in real time, for example via the user interface 116, to keep the web of the substrate 104 in a substantially flat state across the chuck 306 and to prevent it from lifting or buckling during processing. The cross-sectional shape of the vacuum hole 406 may be circular, square, rectangular, elliptical, or any other shape that allows the chuck 306 to function as described herein.

[0086] As shown in Figure 4, the chuck 306 (e.g., a support surface) includes an opening 410 defined by an upstream edge 412 and a downstream edge 414. The illustrated chuck 306 includes a chamfer 416 on the downstream edge 414. In this embodiment, the chamfer 416 facilitates the passage of the web of the substrate 104 over the downstream edge 414 without catching or snagging on it. The angle α of the chamfer 416 can be between 1 and 90 degrees, for example, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85 degrees, or any other angle on which the chamfer 416 can function as described herein. In the illustrated embodiment, for example, the angle α is approximately 25 degrees. It has been found that performance improves when the angle α of the chamfer 416 is greater than the deflection of the web of the substrate 104 passing over the chamfer 416. The upper edge 418 of the chamfer 416 can be radial to provide a smooth transition from the chamfer 416 to the surface of the chuck 306.

[0087] In one preferred embodiment, the chuck 306 is formed from aluminum. However, the chuck 306 may be formed from an aluminum alloy, a composite material, a metal or metal alloy, or any other suitable material that enables the chuck 306 to function as described herein. In one embodiment, the material of the chuck 306, such as aluminum, facilitates heat dissipation from the web during laser processing.

[0088] In one preferred embodiment, the web of the substrate 104 can be ablated by a laser beam 302 (Figure 3) and then an ablation 404 (Figure 4) can be formed on the web of the substrate 104, resulting in a second state 402 after ablation by the laser beam 302. In one embodiment, the web of the substrate 104 is an anode material 502, and the ablation 404 removes the anode active material layer 508 to expose the anode current collector layer 506 (Figure 5). In another embodiment, the web of the substrate 104 is a cathode material 504, and the ablation 404 removes the cathode active material layer 512 to expose the cathode current collector layer 510. In one embodiment, the ablation 404 is configured as an electrode tab (adapted to electrically connect the cathode current collector layer 510 and the anode current collector layer 506 to the positive and negative terminals of a secondary battery, respectively). When using the laser system 120a to create ablation 404 on the web of the substrate 104, the power of the laser beam 302 is set to a level that can substantially completely or completely remove the coating layer without damaging or cutting the current collector layer. During use, the laser beam 302 is controlled, for example, via the user interface 116, to create ablation 404 while the web of the substrate 104 is moving and being transported in the down-web direction WD. The ablation 404 is created on each side of the web of the substrate 104, as best shown in Figure 5. In one embodiment, after creating the ablation 404, the laser system 120a forms fiducial features 602, as further described herein. In another embodiment, multiple laser systems 120a can be used to ablate portions of the web of the substrate 104, each creating one or more ablation 404, thereby increasing the throughput of the production system 100.

[0089] Referring further to Figures 2, 3, and 4, at another stage of the production system, the web of material 104 is transported in the down-web direction WD toward the cutting area 408 of the laser system 120a. The cutting area 408 includes an opening 410 of the chuck 306. In one embodiment, the opening 410 is in fluid communication with the vacuum 308 and is configured to draw vacuum pressure onto the web of the substrate 104 passing over the opening 410. In a preferred embodiment, the opening 410 is wider than the web of the substrate 104 in the cross-web direction XWD so that the entire width of the web of the substrate 104 in the cross-web direction XWD is suspended over the opening 410. In one embodiment, a second vacuum may be present, configured to equalize the pressure on the web of the substrate 104 on the opposite side of the chuck 306. In this embodiment, the equalization of pressure makes it easier to maintain the web of the substrate 104 in a substantially flat / planar state and at a constant height as it passes over the opening 410, and makes it easier to maintain focus of the laser beam 302 on the web of the substrate 104. In one embodiment, a carrier web can be used to support the web of the substrate 104. In some embodiments, the carrier web is removably attached to the web of the substrate 104 using a low-tack adhesive or electrostatic pinning. In such embodiments, the attachment remains attached to the web of the substrate 104 during processing but has sufficient adhesive strength to be removed without damaging the web of the substrate 104. In one embodiment, the carrier web is a material that does not absorb the laser wavelength used during processing of the web of the substrate 104, so that the carrier web does not tear, vaporize or ablate and can be reused on other webs of the substrate 104 accordingly.

[0090] The laser system 120a is configured to cut one or more patterns (individual electrode patterns 800 (Figure 8), which may also be called electrode tear patterns or weakening tear patterns, etc.) in the web of the substrate 104 to define each member of a group of electrode structures while the web of the substrate 104 is over an opening 410. In one embodiment, there may be multiple openings 410, so that one or more electrode patterns 800 are cut while the web of the substrate 104 is over each of them. Referring to Figure 6, the patterns may include one or more longitudinal edge cuts 600 that define the longitudinal edges of the electrodes in the cross-web direction XWD. The longitudinal edge cuts 600 are cut using a laser beam 302 that cuts the web of the substrate 104 in the cross-web direction XWD while the web of the substrate 104 is being transported in the down-web direction WD. The cross-web direction XWD is perpendicular to the down-web direction WD. In one embodiment, it should be noted that in order to form a longitudinal edge cut 600 substantially perpendicular to the down-web direction WD, the laser beam 302 must be controlled to travel at an angle to the down-web direction WD, taking into account the movement of the web of the substrate 104 in the down-web direction WD. For example, as the web of the substrate 104 moves in the down-web direction WD, the path of the laser beam 302 is projected onto the web of the substrate 104 at the initial cut position 604, and then moves in synchronization with the movement of the web of the substrate 104 in the web direction. Thus, the path of the laser beam 302 is controlled to move in both the cross-web direction XWD and the down-web direction WD until it reaches the end-cut position 606, thereby creating a longitudinal edge cut 600. In this embodiment, a correction factor is applied to the path of the laser beam 302 so that a cut can be made in the cross-web direction XWD while the web of the substrate 104 is continuously moving in the down-web direction WD. It should be understood that the angle at which the laser beam 302 moves changes based on the web velocity of the substrate 104 in the down-web direction WD.In another embodiment, the web of the substrate 104 is temporarily stopped during the laser processing operation, so the path of the laser beam 302 does not need to consider the movement of the web of the substrate 104 in the down-web direction WD. Such embodiments may be called step processes or step-and-repeat processes. During laser processing, one or more of the laser systems 120a-c adjust / align the laser beam 302 during the laser processing operation using repeating alignment features such as fiducial features 602 to compensate for possible variations in the position of the web of the substrate 104, for example.

[0091] It will be understood that, in other embodiments, the longitudinal edge cut 600 and all associated cut, drilling, and ablation operations can be controlled such that the longitudinal edge cut 600 and all associated cut, drilling, and ablation operations are oriented perpendicularly to the cross-web direction XWD, respectively. For example, the longitudinal edge cut 600 can be aligned to the down-web direction WD such that the group of individual electrode patterns 800 aligns to the down-web direction WD rather than the cross-web direction XWD.

[0092] In one embodiment, the laser system 120a cuts tie bars 614 between one or more individual electrode patterns 800. The tie bars 614 may be used to delineate between groups of individual electrode patterns 800. For example, in the embodiment shown in Figure 6, tie bars 614 are cut between groups of five individual electrode patterns 800. However, in other embodiments, tie bars 614 may be included after any number of individual electrode patterns 800 or may not be present at all. The tie bars 614 are defined by upstream and downstream tie bar edge cuts 616, 618, respectively. In some embodiments, the tie bars 614 are sized to provide additional structural rigidity to the web of the substrate 104 during processing.

[0093] Furthermore, in one preferred embodiment, the laser system 120a cuts one or more repeating alignment features, such as a plurality of fiducial features 602, in the web of the substrate 104. In one embodiment, the fiducial feature 602 is a fiducial through-hole. The fiducial feature 602 is cut at a known location on the web of the substrate 104. The fiducial feature 602 is shown as circular in Figure 6, but may be rectangular as shown in Figure 8, or may be any size or shape that allows the production system 100 to function as described herein. The fiducial feature 602 is tracked by one or more of the visual inspection devices 310, 312 that measure the position and movement speed of the fiducial feature 602. The measurement of the fiducial feature 602 is then used to enable accurate front-to-back alignment of the pattern on the web of the substrate 104 in both the down-web direction WD and the cross-web direction XWD. The laser system 120a may cut a plurality of tractor holes 612 which may be used for web alignment of the substrate 104, or may be used as holes that engage with a gear wheel 1210 (Figure 12) for web alignment and tension control of the substrate 104. The tractor holes 612 may be circular, square, or any other shape that allows the production system 100 to function as described herein. In another preferred embodiment, the web of the substrate 104 has a plurality of tractor holes 612 and / or fiducial features 602 pre-cut therein before being unwound and transported through the production system 100. In one embodiment, the ratio of fiducial features 602 to individual electrode patterns 800 is 1:1. In other embodiments, there may be two or more fiducial features 602 for each individual electrode pattern 800.

[0094] Referring to Figures 2 and 6, in a preferred embodiment, the laser system 120a cuts a first perforation 608 and a second perforation 610 into the web of the substrate 104 as part of individual electrode patterns 800. The first perforation 608 may also be called an "outer perforation" because it is located outside the individual electrode patterns 800 in the cross-web direction XWD, and the second perforation 610 may also be called an "inner perforation" because it is located inboard of the outer perforation 608 in the cross-web direction XWD. The perforations 608, 610 are best shown in Figure 7, which is an enlarged view of a portion 613 of the web of the substrate 104 (Figure 5). The first perforation 608 is formed by laser cutting with a laser beam 302 while the web of the substrate 104 is positioned over the opening 410 of the chuck 306. The first perforation 608 is formed as a linear slit (e.g., a through-cut) in a direction aligned with the down-web direction WD. Importantly, the first perforation 608 does not extend across the entire width of the electrode We. Instead, the outer tear strip 700 remains on both the upstream and downstream edges of the first perforation 608 to ensure that the individual electrode patterns 800 remain connected to the web of the substrate 104.

[0095] Similarly, referring further to Figures 6 and 7, the second perforation 610 is formed inboard (in the cross-web direction XWD) from the first perforation 608. In a preferred embodiment, the second perforation 610 is formed as a line of slits in the down-web direction WD separated by the inner tear strip 702. In the illustrated embodiment, the second perforation 610 intersects with the through-hole 704. In the illustrated embodiment, the inner tear strip 702 is at least twice the length of the outer tear strip 700, such that the breaking force required to separate the outer tear strip 700 is about half the breaking force required to separate the inner tear strip 702 from the web of the substrate 104. In other embodiments, the ratio of the breaking strengths of the outer tear strip 700 and the inner tear strip 702 may vary, but it is preferable that the outer tear strip 700 has a lower breaking strength than the inner tear strip 702, so that when a tensile or shear force is applied to the web edge of the base material 104, the outer tear strip 700 breaks before the inner tear strip 702.

[0096] Referring to Figures 3, 4, and 6, the laser cutting of the longitudinal edge cut 600, fiducial feature 602, and first and second perforations 608, 610 is performed on the opening 410 of the chuck 306, allowing the fragments to fall through the opening 410, and the vacuum 308 allows the fragments formed during the laser cutting process to be collected.

[0097] In one preferred embodiment, the laser system 120a is configured as a first ablation station. In this embodiment, the laser system 120a forms the ablation 404 described above on the first surface of the web of the substrate 104. Exiting the laser system 120a, the web of the substrate 104 passes through an idler 108d that inverts the web of the substrate 104 so that the second surface of the web of the substrate 104 (opposite the first surface) is positioned for processing by the laser system 120b, which in this embodiment is configured as a second ablation station. In this embodiment, the laser system 120b is configured to ensure alignment of the down-web direction WD and the cross-web direction XWD using fiducial features 602. Thus, the laser system 120b performs a second ablation process on the opposing surfaces of the web of the substrate 104 so that the ablation 404 on each surface of the web of the substrate 104 is aligned in the down-web direction WD and the cross-web direction XWD. In one embodiment, the ablation 404 is configured as a current collector tab of the electrode.

[0098] In one embodiment, the laser system 120c shown in Figure 2 is configured as a laser cutting station. In this embodiment, the laser system 120c performs laser cutting such as longitudinal edge cutting 600 and first and second perforations 608, 610.

[0099] In one preferred embodiment, one or more of the laser devices 300 in the laser systems 120a to c are 20W fiber lasers. In the embodiment, the preferred laser devices 300 in the laser systems 120a to c have laser powers in the range of 10W to 5000W, for example, 10W to 100W, 100W to 250W, 250W to 1kW, 1kW to 2.5kW, and 2.5kW to 5kW. The preferred laser devices 300 would include a laser beam 302 having wavelengths from 150nm to 10.6μm, for example, 150nm to 375nm, 375nm to 750nm, 750nm to 1,500nm, and 1,500nm to 10.6μm. In embodiments, the laser device 300 may be one or more laser pulse width types from continuous wave (CW), microsecond (μS), nanosecond (NS), picosecond (PS), and femtosecond (FS) pulse types. Any of these types of lasers may be used alone or in combination as the laser device 300 of the laser systems 120a-c. In other preferred embodiments, the laser device 300 is any other laser that can enable the laser systems 120a-c to perform as described herein.

[0100] In some embodiments, the web of the substrate 104 may include machine-punched or laser-cut fiducial features 602 before being loaded into the production system 100. In another preferred embodiment, the fiducial features 602 may be mechanically machine-punched following the formation of ablations 404 on the first surface of the web of the substrate 104. In yet another preferred embodiment, the production system 100 may include one or more additional mechanical punches that can be used to form longitudinal edge cuts 600 and / or one or more of the first and second perforations 608, 610.

[0101] In one embodiment, one or more rollers of the conveyor system may not be perfectly circular, such that the roller is eccentric. In such cases, particularly if the eccentric roller is a nip roller 112, 123, 132, the web of the substrate 104 may be conveyed such that the position of the web of the substrate 104 advances in different ways depending on which part of the eccentric roller is in contact with the web. For example, if the eccentric roller has a portion that exceeds the expected radius of the roller, the web may advance further in the down-web direction WD than expected when the larger radius portion of the roller is pushing / pulling the web. Similarly, if the eccentric roller has a reduced radius portion, the web may advance a reduced distance in the down-web direction WD than expected. Thus, in one embodiment, the eccentric roller(s) may be mapped to determine radius-to-radius positions. The laser system 120a-c may then be controlled to adjust the position of the laser beam 302 to account for the eccentricity based on the mapping of the roller(s). In one embodiment, the roller mapping may be stored in the memory of the user interface 116.

[0102] Upon exiting one or more of the laser systems 120a-c, the web of the substrate 104 may be transported to one or more cleaning stations, such as a brushing station 124 and an air knife 126. In one preferred embodiment, the brushing station 124 includes a brush 1000 (Figures 10 and 11) that moves in the direction XWD of the cross web. The brush 1000 includes a set of bristles 1002 held by a bristle holder 1004. The brush 1000 is configured such that the bristles 1002 make subtle contact with the surface of the web of the substrate 104, removing or dislodging any debris therefrom. The contact pressure of the bristles 1002 against the surface of the web of the substrate 104 must be low enough to keep the individual electrode patterns 800 attached to the web of the substrate 104 without causing damage, rupture, or other defects to the individual electrode patterns 800. In one embodiment, the normal force between the bristles 1002 and the surface of the web of the substrate 104 is between 0 and 2 pounds, for example, 0.1 pound, 0.2 pound, 0.3 pound, 0.4 pound, 0.5 pound, 0.6 pound, 0.7 pound, 0.8 pound, 0.9 pound, 1.0 pound, 1.1 pound, 1.2 pound, 1.3 pound, 1.4 pound, 1.5 pound, 1.6 pound, 1.7 pound, 1.8 pound, 1.9 pound, or 2.0 pound. In other embodiments, the normal force may be greater than 2.0 pound.

[0103] In one embodiment, the length of the bristles 1002 is 3 / 4 inch (19.05 mm). In one embodiment, the bristles 1002 are inserted or clamped into the bristles holder 1004 by about 1 / 8 inch. The diameter of the bristles 1002 may range from 0.003 inches (0.076 mm) to 0.010 inches (0.254 mm), for example, 0.004 inches (0.101 mm), 0.005 inches (0.127 mm), 0.006 inches (0.152 mm), 0.007 inches (0.177 mm), 0.008 inches (0.203 mm), 0.009 inches (0.228 mm), and 0.010 inches (0.254 mm). In a preferred embodiment, the bristles 1002 are nylon bristles. However, in other embodiments, the bristles 1002 may be any other natural or synthetic material that enables the brush 1000 to function as described herein.

[0104] Referring further to Figures 10 and 11, in one preferred embodiment, the brush 1000 is coupled to a crank arm 1006 via a rotatable coupling 1008, such as a bearing or bushing, to cause the brush 1000 to move in the cross-web direction XWD. The crank arm 1006 is rotatably coupled to a drive wheel 1010 via a second rotatable coupling 1012. The second rotatable coupling 1012 is coupled to the drive wheel 1010 at an offset position from the center, such that the crank arm 1006 causes the brush 1000 to reciprocate in the cross-web direction XWD. The drive wheel 1010 is coupled to a motor 1014 to cause the drive wheel 1010 to rotate. A position sensor 1016 senses the position of a brush position marker 1018 coupled to the drive wheel 1010. Thus, the position sensor 1016 can measure the phase (e.g., angular position) and rotations per unit time of the drive wheel 1010. In one embodiment, the drive wheel 1010 is controlled to have a rotational speed ("rpm") within the range of 0 to 300 (e.g., 0 to 300 strokes per minute of the brush 1000), such as 0 rpm, 25 rpm, 50 rpm, 75 rpm, 100 rpm, 125 rpm, 150 rpm, 175 rpm, 200 rpm, 225 rpm, 250 rpm, 275 rpm, or 300 rpm. In other embodiments, the rpm of the drive wheel 1010 may be greater than 300 rpm. It should be noted that a constant rpm of the drive wheel 1010 causes sinusoidal speed fluctuations of the brush 1000 due to the connection of the crank arm 1006 to the drive wheel 1010.

[0105] In one preferred embodiment, a second brush (not shown) is positioned to contact the opposing surface of the web of the substrate 104. In this embodiment, the second brush, which may be substantially the same as the first brush 1000, is configured to move in the opposite direction to the first brush, preferably 180 degrees out of phase with the first brush. The phases of the first and second brushes may be determined via a position sensor 1016 and an equivalent position sensor for the second brush. In this embodiment, the contact pressure between the bristles 1002 of the first brush 1000 and the second brush must together be low enough to keep the individual electrode patterns 800 attached to the web of the substrate 104 without causing defects such as breakage or rupture in the individual electrode patterns 800.

[0106] In one embodiment, the brush 1000 has a brush width 1022 that is wider than the width of the web of the substrate 104 in the cross-web direction XWD. For example, in one embodiment, the brush width 1022 is wide enough so that when the brush 1000 vibrates in the cross-web direction XWD, the bristles 1002 remain in contact with the entire width of the web surface of the substrate 104 throughout the entire range of motion of the brush 1000. The vibration speed of the brush 1000 and the pressure exerted by the bristles 1002 on the web surface of the substrate 104 can be controlled by the user using the user interface 116.

[0107] The brushing station 124 may include a vacuum system configured to create a vacuum through the brushing station orifice 1020, thereby discharging brushed debris from one or more surfaces of the web of the substrate 104. In this embodiment, the debris may be brushed off and fall from the web of the substrate 104 or be sucked in through the brushing station orifice 1020. Although the brushing station orifice 1020 is illustrated as round, it may be of any shape that allows the brushing station 124 to function as described herein. Furthermore, the upper edge of the brushing station orifice 1020 may be chamfered and / or offset to allow the web of the substrate 104 to pass over them more easily without the edges of the web of the substrate 104 getting caught there. In one embodiment, the vacuum level may be controlled to range from 0 to 140 inches of H2O, for example, 0 inches of H2O, 10 inches of H2O, 20 inches of H2O, 30 inches of H2O, 40 inches of H2O, 50 inches of H2O, 60 inches of H2O, 70 inches of H2O, 80 inches of H2O, 90 inches of H2O, 100 inches of H2O, 110 inches of H2O, 120 inches of H2O, 130 inches of H2O, and 140 inches of H2O. In some embodiments, the vacuum flow rate is controlled to be approximately 0 to 425 cubic feet / minute ("cfm"), for example, 0 cfm, 25 cfm, 50 cfm, 75 cfm, 100 cfm, 125 cfm, 150 cfm, 175 cfm, 200 cfm, 225 cfm, 250 cfm, 275 cfm, 300 cfm, 325 cfm, 350 cfm, 375 cfm, 400 cfm, and 425 cfm. In other embodiments, the vacuum level and flow rate may be greater than 140 inches of H2O and 425 cfm, respectively. The vacuum level and flow rate are controlled to be within a range that separates the debris from the web of the substrate 104 without creating unwanted friction between the web of the substrate 104 and the transport system components. Such vacuum levels and flow rates are applicable in some embodiments to all other components of the system that use vacuum.

[0108] In another preferred embodiment, one or more of the first and second brushes may include a load sensor that measures or monitors the pressure the brush exerts on the web of the electrode material 802. As shown in Figure 8, the web of the electrode material 802 refers to the web after processing as described herein, such that a collection of individual electrode patterns 800 is formed therein. In this embodiment, the first and second brushes may be controlled via a user interface 116 to maintain a uniform brushing pressure on the web of the electrode material 802 based on wear of the brush bristles or variations in electrode thickness or surface roughness.

[0109] In another preferred embodiment, one or more of the first and second brushes are configured to move at least partially in the down-web direction WD at a speed substantially equal to the speed of the web of the electrode material 802, thereby maintaining a substantially zero speed difference between the brush 1000 and the web of the electrode material 802 in the down-web direction WD.

[0110] In yet another preferred embodiment, the brushing station 124 may include a position sensor 1016 to determine the phases of the first and second brushes. In such an embodiment, the position sensor 1016 can measure the positions of the brush position markers 1018 of the first and second brushes. In this embodiment, the position sensor 1016 determines whether the first and second brushes are within a predetermined phase difference range, such as a 180-degree phase difference, a 90-degree phase difference, or a zero-degree phase difference, or any other suitable phase difference that would enable the production system 100 to function as described herein. As used herein, “phase” of brushes refers to the angular position of the brushes such that the bristles of two separate brushes are aligned when they are “in phase”.

[0111] In yet another embodiment, an ultrasonic transducer (not shown) may be configured to impart ultrasonic vibrations to one or more of the first and second brushes in order to facilitate the removal of debris from the web of electrode material 802.

[0112] Referring further to Figure 2, in one preferred embodiment, the web of the substrate 104 is conveyed through an air knife 126. As used herein, the term air knife refers to a device that uses high-pressure air to be blown onto the web of the substrate 104. The high-pressure air comes into contact with the surface of the web of the substrate 104 and removes debris therefrom. The air knife 126 is controlled to supply air at a pressure / velocity such that it does not cause damage, rupture, or other defects to the individual electrode patterns 800, and keeps the individual electrode patterns 800 attached to the web of the substrate 104. In another embodiment, a second air knife (not shown) similar to the air knife 126 is configured to blow air onto the opposing surface of the web of the substrate 104 and remove debris therefrom. In this embodiment, the second air knife can blow air in the same direction as the first air knife 126, or in the opposite direction to the first air knife 126, or in any other direction that allows the air knife 126 to function as described herein. In one embodiment, the air knife 126 station is equipped with a vacuum to facilitate the removal of debris removed by the air knife 126.

[0113] Referring to Figure 8, after being processed by laser systems 120a-c and cleaned by brushing station 124 and air knife 126, the web of substrate 104 leaves the cleaning station as a web containing multiple individual electrode patterns 800 within the web of substrate 104, collectively as a web of electrode material 802.

[0114] Referring further to Figures 2, 8, and 12, in one embodiment, a web of electrode material 802 passes through an inspection station 128. The inspection station 128 is a device configured to analyze the web of electrode material 802 and identify defects thereon. For example, in one embodiment, the inspection station 128 is a visual inspection device that includes a camera 1200, which may be a digital camera such as a digital 3D camera configured to analyze individual electrode patterns 800 on the web of electrode material 802. In one embodiment, the camera 1200 is a digital light camera including a CMOS with 48 megapixel sensitivity. The camera 1200 is optically coupled to a lens 1202, which may be a wide-field lens. In one embodiment, the lens 1202 is a telecentric lens. The lens 1202 is held in place by a lens mount 1204 and, in one embodiment, may be adjustable vertically V to control the focus of the lens 1202. The lens 1202 is oriented to focus as the web of electrode material 802 passes through an inspection plate 1206. In one embodiment, the inspection plate 1206 includes a transparent or translucent top 1208 that allows light from a light source (not shown) housed within the inspection plate 1206 to illuminate it and generate backlighting. In one preferred embodiment, the intensity and / or color of the light may be controlled via a user interface 116. In one embodiment, one or more additional illumination sources, such as upstream and downstream lights, illuminate the web of electrode material 802 while it is inside the inspection station 128. In some embodiments, each of the illumination sources is independently controllable in intensity and color. In one embodiment, the backlighting includes a diffuse low-angle ring light. The web of electrode material 802 may be fixed onto and transported on the inspection plate 1206 by a gear wheel 1210 configured to engage with tractor holes 612 in the web of electrode material 802. In this case, the web of electrode material 802 is taught to the inspection plate 1206 to significantly eliminate curling of the web of electrode material 802.The front edge 1214 and the rear edge 1216 of the inspection plate can each be chamfered (for example, at an angle similar to angle α so that the web of the electrode material 802 can pass over it smoothly without getting caught).

[0115] Continuing to refer to Figure 12, in one embodiment, the inspection station 128 includes a trigger sensor 1212 that detects a predetermined feature of the web of electrode material 802, such as a fiducial feature 602, a longitudinal edge cut 600, or other features that enable the inspection station 128 to function as described herein. Upon detecting a predetermined feature, the trigger sensor 1212 transmits a signal to the camera 1200, either directly or indirectly via the user interface 116, to trigger the camera 1200 to image the electrodes of the web of electrode material 802. When imaging the electrodes, the camera 1200 may be configured to detect one or more indicators, such as the height of the electrodes, the size or shape of the feature cut by either of the laser systems 120a-120c (Figure 2), the pitch (distance) between the electrodes, or other features that enable the inspection station 128 to function as described herein. For example, in one suitable embodiment, the inspection station 128 detects whether the ablation 404 (Figure 4), longitudinal edge cuts 600, fiducial features 602, tractor holes 612, pitch between individual electrode patterns 800, cross-web and web orientation offset of the tractor holes 612, and first and second perforations 608, 610 (Figure 6) are within predefined tolerances for size, shape, arrangement, and orientation. In one suitable embodiment, a user can control the functions to be inspected using a user interface 116.

[0116] In one embodiment, the web of the electrode material 802 is kept substantially flat during analysis by the inspection station 128, for example, by applying a balanced vacuum or fluid (e.g., air) flow to the opposite side of the web of the electrode material 802. In this embodiment, flattening the web of the electrode material 802 during inspection allows for more accurate imaging and analysis on the web of the electrode material 802, enabling higher quality error and defect detection.

[0117] In one embodiment, the inspection station 128 may be configured to provide inline measurements of the web of the substrate 104 and / or the web of the electrode material 802. For example, the inspection station 128 is configured to measure metrics such as the thickness of the web and the size and shape of individual electrode patterns 800 while the web is being transmitted in the down-web direction WD. These metrics may be transmitted to the user interface 116 for display or memory storage, or used to adjust production parameters of the production system 100.

[0118] In one embodiment, if the inspection station 128 determines that a defect exists on the web of electrode material 802 (Figure 8), the defect marking system 130 (Figure 2) marks the web of electrode material 802 to identify such a defect. The defect marking system 130 may be a laser etching apparatus, printer, stamper, or other marking apparatus capable of placing a mark indicating the presence of a defect on the web of electrode material 802. In another suitable embodiment, the defect marking system 130 may be controllable to mark the web of electrode material 802 with one or more identification numbers (IDs) and known good electrodes (KGEs), and may further mark the web of electrode material 802 with grades such as Grade A, Grade B, Grade C, indicating a quality measurement of a particular electrode within the web of electrode material 802 (such as the number or type of defects).

[0119] When the web of the substrate 104 is processed (also called machined) into the web of the electrode material 802, the web of the electrode material 802 exhibits a web strength reduction of 25% to 90% in the down-web direction WD compared to the unprocessed (also called machined) web of the substrate 104. Referring to Figure 8A, a portion of the web of the electrode material 802 is shown. In this embodiment, the web of the electrode material 802 includes an electrode cluster EC consisting of five individual electrode patterns 800 separated by tie bars 614. However, it should be understood that in other embodiments, the electrode cluster EC may include one or more individual electrode patterns 19, such as 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 or any number of individual electrode patterns 800 between the tie bars 614. Electrode cluster width W EC The distance is defined as the distance in the downweb direction WD from the center point of the first individual electrode pattern 800 of electrode cluster EC to the center point of the first individual electrode pattern 800 of the second electrode cluster EC.

[0120] In an exemplary embodiment, the cross-web span of the web SW is 3X mm in the cross-web direction, and the width WEP in the down-web direction of each individual electrode pattern 800 is X mm. In this embodiment, the decrease in web strength of the web of electrode material 802 in the down-web direction WD is 33% compared to the web of untreated substrate 104. The decrease in web strength is due to the width W EP Crosswebspan S W It is calculated by dividing by (i.e., Xmm / 3Xmm = 0.33).

[0121] In another exemplary embodiment, the cross-web span of the web SW is 1.5X mm in the cross-web direction, and the width WEP in the down-web direction of each individual electrode pattern 800 is 1.3X mm. In this embodiment, the decrease in web strength of the web of electrode material 802 in the down-web direction WD is 87% compared to the web of untreated substrate 104. The decrease in web strength is W EP / S WIt is calculated as (i.e., 1.3X / 1.5X = 0.87). The web strength of the electrode material 802 web in the down web direction WD is verified and measured as the fracture strength of the electrode material 802 web using an electromechanical or hydraulic material tester with at least force feedback, which may include displacement feedback such as an Instron brand tester.

[0122] In another exemplary embodiment, there is a decrease in the cross-web direction XWD of the electrode material 802 web compared to the substrate 104 web. In the first embodiment, the electrode cluster width W EC The down web direction WD is 6Xmm, and the width of the tie bar is 614W TB The width of the individual electrode pattern is 800 mm in the direction of the down web WD, and the length of the individual electrode pattern is 800 L. E The cross-web width is 1.7X mm in the XWD direction. In this embodiment, the decrease in web strength of electrode material 802 in the XWD direction is approximately 77% compared to the untreated web of substrate 104. In another exemplary embodiment, the electrode cluster width W EC It is 10Xmm, the width of the tie bar 614W TB The width is 0Xmm (i.e., without tie bar 614), and the width of the individual electrode pattern is 800W. EP The width is 2X mm, and the length LE of the individual electrode patterns 800 is 1.7X mm. In this embodiment, the web strength reduction of electrode material 802 in the cross-web direction XWD is approximately 92% compared to the untreated web of substrate 104. The web strength in the cross-web direction XWD was verified and measured as the fracture strength of the web of electrode material 802 using an electromechanical or hydraulic material tester with at least force feedback, which may include displacement feedback such as an Instron brand tester.

[0123] Referring further to Figure 9, the web of the electrode material 802 is carried to the unwinding roller 134, where it is wound together with the web of the interleaf material 138, creating a spool 900 with alternating layers of the web of the electrode material 802 and the web of the interleaf material 138.

[0124] In one suitable embodiment, the user interface 116 includes a processor and memory configured to store and execute instructions, thereby enabling the production system 100 to function as described herein. The user interface 116 may further include a display device such as an LCD or LED display, a set of controls, or virtual controls, which allows the user to control and adjust parameters of the production system 100, or to display metrics such as web transfer speed, tension, number of defects, and other parameters that enable the production system 100 to function as described herein.

[0125] During use, referring to Figure 2, the base unwinding roller 102 of the production system 100 is loaded with the web of the substrate 104. The web of the substrate 104 passes through the edge guide 106 to facilitate the unwinding of the web of the substrate 104. In this embodiment, the web of the substrate 104 then passes around the idler 108a and enters the connection station 110. The idler 108a is used to maintain the proper position and tension of the web of the substrate 104 and to facilitate the change of direction of the web of the substrate 104. The idler 108a receives the web of the substrate 104 vertically, the web of the substrate 104 is partially wrapped around the idler 108a, and the web of the substrate 104 leaves the idler 108a in an output direction substantially 90 degrees from the input direction. However, it should be recognized that the input direction and output direction may differ without departing the scope of this disclosure. In some embodiments, the production system 100 can change the orientation of the web of the substrate 104 one or more times when transmitted through the production system 100 by using a plurality of idlers 108a-108x. In this embodiment, for example as shown in Figure 2, the user unwinds the web of the substrate 104 through the idlers 108a-108x.

[0126] In one embodiment, the connection station 110 is used to connect two separate webs to each other. In this embodiment, the first web of the substrate 104 is unwound so that the trailing edge (hidden) of the first web of the substrate 104 stops within the connection station 110, and the leading edge (hidden) of the second web of the substrate 104 is unwound within the connection station 110 so that the trailing edge of the first web and the leading edge of the second web are adjacent. The user then uses an adhesive, such as adhesive tape, glue, or other suitable adhesive, to join the leading edge of the second web to the trailing edge of the first web, forming a seam between the two webs and creating a continuous web of the substrate 104. Such a process can be repeated for multiple webs of the substrate 104 as instructed by the user.

[0127] In one suitable embodiment, upon leaving the connection station 110, the web of the substrate 104 is transmitted to the nip roller 112 in the down-web direction WD. The nip roller 112 is controlled via a user interface 116 to adjust / maintain the speed at which the web of the substrate 104 is transmitted through the production system 100. The web of the substrate 104 is pressed against each of two adjacent rollers 114 of the nip roller 112, with sufficient pressure to move the web of the substrate 104 due to roller friction, but with sufficient pressure to avoid significant deformation or damage to the web of the substrate 104.

[0128] In one embodiment, during use, the speed of the web of the substrate 104 is controlled by controlling the rotational speed of the high-friction roller of the nip roller 112 via the user interface 116. In another embodiment, the production system 100 may include one or more additional nip rollers 122,132 to facilitate control of the speed of the web of the substrate 104, through which the web of the substrate 104 is transmitted. In this embodiment, the speed of the additional nip rollers 122,132 can be controlled via the user interface 116. When using multiple nip rollers 112,122,132, the speed of each nip roller 112,122,132 can be set to the same speed or different speeds as needed via the user interface 116, resulting in smooth transmission of the web of the substrate 104 through the production system 100.

[0129] In use, in one embodiment, the web of the base material 104 is wound via a dancer 118. In this embodiment, a pair of rollers of the dancer 118 rotate about their central axis, passively adjusting the tension on the web of the base material 104.

[0130] Referring further to Figure 2, during use, the web of the substrate 104 is transmitted through one or more laser systems 120a, 120b, and 120c. Although the embodiment shown in Figure 2 includes three laser systems 120a-c, it should be understood that any number of laser systems 120 may be used to make the production system 100 function as described herein.

[0131] The use of 100 will be further described with reference to Figure 2-6. The web of the substrate 104 is transmitted in the down-web direction WD via the laser systems 120a-c. In one embodiment, the web of the substrate 104 is transmitted to the laser system 120a under a first condition 400 while it is still unpeeled or cut. The web of the substrate 104 is transported through a chuck 306 and thus through a plurality of vacuum holes 406. The vacuum holes 406 are fluidly connected to a vacuum 308, which is controlled via a user interface 116 to draw vacuum pressure into the web of the substrate 104 as it passes through the vacuum holes 406. The vacuum pressure is controlled so that the web of the substrate 104 is maintained in a substantially flat / planar state as it is transported across the chuck 306. In one embodiment of use, the vacuum pressure through the vacuum holes 406 is monitored and adjusted in real time via the user interface 116 to ensure that the web of the substrate 104 remains substantially flat throughout the chuck 306 and does not lift or buckle during processing.

[0132] Referring to Figure 4, the web of the substrate 104 is transferred over the opening 410 of the chuck 306 and further over the chamfer 416 of the downstream edge 414. In this embodiment, the chamfer 416 facilitates the passage of the web of the substrate 104 over the downstream edge 414 without the web of the substrate 104 getting caught or snagged on the downstream edge 414.

[0133] Referring further to Figures 3-5, in one embodiment of use, the web of the substrate 104 is ablated by a laser beam 302 (Figure 3), creating an ablation 404 (Figure 4) on the web of the substrate 104. In one embodiment, the web of the substrate 104 is the anode material 502, and the ablation 404 removes the anode active material layer 508 to expose the anode current collector layer 506 (Figure 5). In another embodiment, the web of the substrate 104 is the cathode material 504, and the ablation 404 removes the cathode active material layer 512 to expose the cathode current collector layer 510.

[0134] During use, when creating ablation 404 on the web of the substrate 104 using the laser system 120a, the output of the laser beam 302 is controlled via the user interface 116 to a level that can substantially completely or completely remove the coating layer without damaging or cutting the current collector layer. During use, for example, the laser beam 302 is controlled via the user interface 116 to generate ablation 404 while the web of the substrate 104 is moving and being transmitted in the down-web direction WD. The laser beam 302 is controlled so that ablation 404 is created on each side of the web of the substrate 104, as best shown in Figure 5. In one embodiment of use, after ablation 404, the laser system 120a is controlled to cut fiducial features 602 in the web of the substrate 104, as further described here. In some embodiments, multiple lasers are used to remove portions of the web of the substrate 104, each creating one or more ablation 404 to improve the throughput of the production system 100.

[0135] Referring further to Figures 2, 3, and 4, in another stage of use of the production system 100, the web of the substrate 104 is transmitted in a down-web direction WD toward the cutting area 408 of the laser system 120a. In this embodiment, the opening 410 is in fluid communication with a vacuum 308, which is controlled to draw vacuum pressure onto the web of the substrate 104 as it passes over the opening 410. In another embodiment, a second vacuum is controlled to equalize the pressure on the web of the substrate 104 on the opposite side of the chuck 306. In this embodiment, the pressure equalization is monitored and controlled to keep the web of the substrate 104 substantially flat / planar and at a constant height as it passes over the opening 410, facilitating the focusing of the laser beam 302 on the web of the substrate 104.

[0136] In one embodiment of use, the laser system 120a is controlled to cut one or more patterns in the web of the substrate 104 while the web of the substrate 104 is over the opening 410. Referring to Figure 6, the laser system 120 is controlled to cut one or more longitudinal edge cuts 600 to define the longitudinal edge of the electrode in the cross-web direction XWD. The longitudinal edge cuts 600 are cut using the laser beam 302 by transporting the web of the substrate 104 in the down-web direction WD while cutting the web of the substrate 104 in the cross-web direction XWD. For example, in one embodiment, the path motion of the laser beam 302 is controlled and / or synchronized with the motion of the web of the substrate 104 in the down-web direction WD. Thus, the path of the laser beam 302 proceeds at an angle to the down-web direction WD, taking into account the movement of the web of the substrate 104 in the down-web direction WD. In this embodiment, a correction factor is applied to the path of the laser beam 302 so that cuts can be made in the cross-web direction XWD while the web of the substrate 104 is continuously moving in the down-web direction WD. In this embodiment, as the web of the substrate 104 moves in the down-web direction WD, the laser beam 302 is projected onto the web of the substrate 104 at the initial cut position 604, and then controlled to move in both the cross-web direction XWD and the down-web direction WD until it reaches the end-cut position 606, creating a longitudinal edge cut 600. It should be noted that the angle controlling the progression of the laser beam 302 changes based on the velocity of the web of the substrate 104 in the down-web direction WD. In another embodiment, the web of the substrate 104 is temporarily stopped during the laser processing operation, so the path of the laser beam 302 does not need to take into account the moving motion of the web of the substrate 104. Such embodiments are sometimes called step processes or step-and-repeat processes. During laser processing, one or more laser systems 120a-c may use repeatable alignment features, such as fiducial features 602, to adjust and / or align the laser beam 302 during the laser processing operation, for example, to compensate for possible variations in the position of the web of the substrate 104.

[0137] Referring further to Figure 6, in one embodiment of use, the laser system 120a is controlled to cut one or more repeating alignment features, such as a plurality of fiducial features 602, in the web of the substrate 104. The fiducial features 602 are cut at predetermined / known positions on the web of the substrate 104. In one embodiment of use, the fiducial features 602 are tracked by one or more visual inspection devices 310, 312 to measure the position and moving speed of the web of the substrate 104. The measurement of the fiducial features 602 is then used to accurately maintain the front-to-back alignment of the pattern on the web of the substrate 104 in both the down-web direction WD and the cross-web direction XWD. In some embodiments of use, the laser system 120a cuts a plurality of tractor holes 612 and / or fiducial features 602. In other embodiments, the fiducial features 602 are pre-formed on the web of the substrate 104 so that one or more laser systems 120a-c use them for positioning / alignment, as described above.

[0138] Referring to Figures 2 and 6, in a suitable embodiment of use, the laser system 120a is controlled to cut a first perforation 608 and a second perforation 610 in the web of the substrate 104 as part of an individual electrode pattern 800, while the web of the substrate 104 is moving in the down-web direction WD. The first perforation 608 is formed by laser cutting using the laser beam 302, and the web of the substrate 104 is positioned over the opening 410 of the chuck 306. The first perforation 608 is formed as a linear slit (e.g., a through-cut) in a direction aligned with the down-web direction WD. Importantly, the first perforation 608 is formed as an electrode W E The cutting is done so as not to extend across the entire width. Instead, the laser system 120a is controlled to cut the pattern such that the outer tear strip 700 remains at both the upstream and downstream ends of the first perforation 608, so that the individual electrode patterns 800 remain connected to the web of the substrate 104.

[0139] Referring further to Figures 6 and 7, in use, the second perforation 610 is cut inward from the first perforation 608 (in the cross-web direction XWD). In this example, the second perforation 610 is cut as a slit line in the down-web direction WD, separated by the inner tear strip 702. In the illustrated example, the second perforation 610 is cut so as to intersect with the through hole 704. In the illustrated embodiment, the inner tear strip 702 is cut to at least twice the length of the outer tear strip 700, but it may be cut to different lengths so that the production system 100 can function as described herein.

[0140] In use, referring to Figures 3, 4, and 6, the longitudinal edge cut 600, fiducial feature 602, and debris from the laser cut to the first and second perforations 608, 610 on the opening 410 of the chuck 306 are allowed to fall through the opening 410, and the vacuum 308 is controlled to collect the debris formed during the laser cutting process.

[0141] In one preferred embodiment of use, the laser system 120a is configured as a first ablation station. In this embodiment, the laser system 120a is controlled to form the ablation 404 described above on a first surface of the web of the substrate 104. Leaving the laser system 120a, the web of the substrate 104 is transported onto the idler 108d to invert the web of the substrate 104 in such a way that a second surface of the web of the substrate 104 (facing the first surface) is positioned for processing by the laser system 120b. In this embodiment, the laser system 120b is configured as a second ablation station and uses fiducial feature 602 to ensure alignment of the ablation 404 in the down-web direction WD and the cross-web direction XWD. Thus, the laser system 120b is controlled to perform a second ablation process on the opposing surfaces of the web of the substrate 104 so that the ablation 404 on each surface of the web of the substrate 104 is aligned in the down-web direction WD and the cross-web direction XWD.

[0142] In one embodiment of use, the laser system 120c shown in Figure 2 is configured as a laser cutting station. In this embodiment, the laser system 120c is controlled to perform laser cutting for longitudinal edge cuts 600, as well as for first and second perforations 608, 610.

[0143] Referring further to Figures 2, 10 and 11, in one embodiment of use, the web of the substrate 104 is then transported through one or more cleaning stations, such as a brushing station 124 and an air knife 126, after it has exited one or more of the laser systems 120a-c. In one preferred embodiment of use, the web of the substrate 104 is transported through the brushing station 124, and the bristles 1002 are controlled to make subtle contact with the surface of the web of the substrate 104, removing or removing any debris therefrom. The contact pressure of the bristles 1002 against the surface of the web of the substrate 104 is controlled to be low enough not to cause damage, rupture or other defects to the individual electrode patterns 800, and to keep the individual electrode patterns 800 attached to the web of the substrate 104.

[0144] Referring further to Figures 10 and 11, in one preferred embodiment of use, the brush 1000 is controlled to move in the cross-web direction XWD by controlling the motor 1014 to cause rotation of the drive wheel 1010. A position sensor 1016 is controlled to sense the position of a brush position marker 1018 in order to measure the phase (e.g., angular position) and rotations per unit time of the drive wheel 1010.

[0145] In one preferred embodiment of use, a second brush (not shown) is controlled to contact opposing surfaces of the web of the substrate 104. In this embodiment, the second brush, which may be substantially the same as the first brush 1000, is controlled to move in the opposite direction to the first brush 1000, preferably in a direction 180 degrees out of phase with the first brush 1000. The phases of the first brush 1000 and the second brush can be monitored via position sensor 1016 and an equivalent position sensor for the second brush. In this embodiment, the contact pressure of the bristles 1002 of the first brush 1000 and the second brush is controlled to be low enough not to cause damage, rupture or other defects to the individual electrode patterns 800, and to keep the individual electrode patterns 800 attached to the web of the substrate 104.

[0146] During use, the vibration speed of the brush 1000 and the pressure exerted by the bristles 1002 on the web surface of the substrate 104 can be controlled by the user using the user interface 116.

[0147] In one embodiment of use, the brushing station 124 is equipped with a vacuum system controlled to create a vacuum through the brushing station orifice 1020, thereby repelling brushed debris from one or more surfaces of the web of the substrate 104. In this embodiment, the debris is either brushed off the web of the substrate 104 and falls, or sucked in through the brushing station orifice 1020.

[0148] In another preferred embodiment of use, one or more of the first brush 1000 and the second brush include a load sensor that is measured or monitored to determine the pressure the brush 1000 exerts on the web of the electrode material 802. In this embodiment, the first brush 1000 and the second brush are controlled via a user interface 116 to maintain substantially uniform brush pressure on the web of the electrode material 802 based on brush bristle wear or variations in electrode thickness or surface roughness.

[0149] In another preferred embodiment of use, one or more of the first brush 1000 and the second brushes move at least partially in the down-web direction WD at a speed substantially equal to the speed of the web of the electrode material 802, and are controlled to maintain a speed difference between the brush 1000 and the web of the electrode material 802 in the down-web direction WD to be substantially zero.

[0150] In yet another preferred embodiment of use, the brushing station 124 includes a position sensor 1016 that determines the phase of a first brush 1000 and a second brush. In this embodiment, the position sensor 1016 measures the positions of brush position markers 1018 of the first brush 1000 and the second brush. In this embodiment, the position sensor 1016 determines whether the first and second brushes are within a predetermined phase difference range, such as a 180-degree phase difference, a 90-degree phase difference, or a zero-degree phase difference, or any other suitable phase difference that allows the production system 100 to function as described herein, and allows for correction or provides a warning to the user via a user interface 116 or other warning device that the brushes are not properly phased.

[0151] In yet another embodiment of use, an ultrasonic transducer (not shown) is activated to apply ultrasonic vibrations to one or more of the first and second brushes to facilitate the removal of debris from the web of electrode material 802.

[0152] Referring further to Figure 2, in one preferred embodiment of use, the web of the substrate 104 is conveyed through an air knife 126. In this embodiment, high-pressure air is controlled to come into contact with the surface of the web of the substrate 104 and remove debris therefrom. The air knife 126 is controlled, for example via a user interface 116, to supply air at a pressure / velocity that does not cause damage, rupture or other defects to the individual electrode patterns 800 and to maintain the individual electrode patterns 800 attached to the web of the substrate 104. In another embodiment, a second air knife is controlled to blow air onto the opposing surface of the web of the substrate 104 and remove debris therefrom. In this embodiment, the second air knife is controlled to blow air in the same direction as the first air knife 126, or in the opposite direction to the first air knife, or in any other direction that allows the air knife 126 to function as described herein. In another embodiment, the air knife 126 is provided with a vacuum that is controlled to facilitate the removal of debris removed by the air knife 126.

[0153] Referring to Figure 8, after being processed by laser systems 120a-c and cleaned by brushing station 124 and air knife 126, the web of substrate 104 leaves the cleaning station as a web containing multiple individual electrode patterns 800 within the web of substrate 104, collectively as a web of electrode material 802.

[0154] Referring further to Figures 2, 8, and 12, in one embodiment of use, a web of electrode material 802 is transported through an inspection station 128. The inspection station 128 is controlled to analyze the web of electrode material 802 and identify defects thereon. For example, in one embodiment, the inspection station 128 is a visual inspection device including a camera 1200. The lens 1202 is directed to focus as the web of electrode material 802 passes over an inspection plate 1206. In one embodiment of use, the inspection plate 1206 includes a transparent or translucent top 1208 that illuminates so that light from a light source (not shown) housed within the inspection plate 1206 passes through it. In one preferred embodiment, the intensity and / or color of the light is controlled via a user interface 116. In one embodiment of use, the web of electrode material 802 is transported over the inspection plate 1206 by a gear wheel 1210 that engages with tractor holes 612 in the web of electrode material 802. By doing so, the web of the electrode material 802 is taught and held against the inspection plate 1206, substantially eliminating curling of the web of the electrode material 802.

[0155] Referring further to Figure 12, in one embodiment of use, the inspection station 128 includes a trigger sensor 1212 controlled to detect a predetermined feature of the web of electrode material 802, such as a fiducial feature 602, a longitudinal edge cut 600, or other features that enable the inspection station 128 to function as described herein. Upon detection of the predetermined feature, the trigger sensor 1212 sends a signal to the camera 1200, either directly or indirectly via the user interface 116, to trigger the camera 1200 to image the electrodes of the web of electrode material 802. Upon imaging the electrodes, the camera 1200 is controlled to detect one or more metrics, such as the height of the electrodes, the size or shape of a feature cut by one of the laser systems 120a-120c (Figure 2), the pitch (distance) between the electrodes, or other features that enable the inspection station 128 to function as described herein. For example, in one preferred embodiment, the inspection station 128 presents to the user via the user interface 116 that ablations 404 (Figure 4), longitudinal edge cuts 600, fiducial features 602, and first and second perforations 608, 610 (Figure 6), the XWD dimension of the individual electrode structure cross web, the WD dimension of the individual electrode structure down web, the individual electrode active area offset, and other ablations or cuts of the web of electrode material 802 are within predetermined tolerances of size, shape, arrangement, cross machine direction pitch, machine direction pitch, and orientation. In one preferred embodiment, the user can use the user interface 116 to control which features are inspected. In yet another embodiment, the inspection station 128 can detect cluster identification codes for one or more electrode structures in the web of electrode material 802.

[0156] In this embodiment, the inspection station 128 is controlled to measure metrics such as web thickness, size and shape of individual electrode patterns 800 while the web is being transported in the down-web direction WD. These metrics are transmitted to the user interface 116 for display, stored in memory, or used to adjust production parameters of the production system 100.

[0157] In one embodiment of use, if the inspection station 128 determines that a defect exists on the web of electrode material 802 (Figure 8), the defect marking system 130 (Figure 2) is controlled to mark the web of electrode material 802 to identify such defect using a laser etching device, printer, stamper, or any other marking device capable of placing a mark indicating that a defect exists on the web of electrode material 802. In another preferred embodiment of use, the defect marking system 130 is controlled to mark one or more of the identification numbers (IDs) and known good electrodes (KGEs) on the web of electrode material 802, and the possibility of further marking the web of electrode material 802 with grades such as Grade A, Grade B, Grade C, indicating a quality measurement (such as the number or type of defects) of a particular individual electrode pattern 800 within the web of electrode material 802.

[0158] Referring further to Figure 9, the web of electrode material 802 is then transported to the winding roller 134, where it is wound together with the web of interleaf material 138 to create a spool 900 having alternating layers of the web of electrode material 802 and the web of interleaf material 138.

[0159] In one preferred embodiment of use, the web of electrode material 802 is wound together with the web of interleaf material 138 via a winding roller 134 and unwound via an interleaf roller 136 to create a roll 140 of electrodes having layers of the web of electrode material 802 separated by the web of interleaf material 138. In some embodiments, the web of electrode material 802 is wound via the winding roller 134 without the web of interleaf material 138.

[0160] In one embodiment of use, the web of the substrate 104 has an adhesive tape layer (not shown) bonded to one or both surfaces of the anode-active material layer 508 or the cathode-active material layer 512, respectively. In this embodiment, during use, the adhesive layer is removed by ablation and cutting (as described above) to remove any unwanted material or debris.

[0161] In one embodiment of use, one or more rollers of the conveyor system are not perfectly circular, such that the roller is eccentric. In such an embodiment, the eccentric roller(s) are mapped to determine their radial-to-radial position. The laser systems 120a-c are then controlled to adjust the position of the laser beam 302 to account for the eccentricity based on the mapping of the roller(s).

[0162] Referring to Figures 14-16, webs of electrode material 802 are used to manufacture a battery. In this embodiment, individual spools of electrode materials 1402, 1404, and 1406A, 1406B are unwound and stacked in an alternating configuration including at least one layer of cathode 1402 and anode 1404 separated by separator material 1406. It will be understood that the spools of electrode materials 1402, 1404, and 1406A, 1406B are manufactured as webs of electrode material 802, as described herein. In a preferred embodiment, the spools of electrode materials 1402, 1404, 1406A, and 1406B are combined into a multilayer stack 1500. In this embodiment, the multilayer stack 1500 includes a central anode current collector layer 506, an anode active material layer 508, an electrically insulating separator material 500, a cathode active material layer 512, and a cathode current collector layer 510 stacked on top of each other. Additional stacked layers can be merged by alternately stacking layers of anode 1404, separator 1406, and cathode 1402 to form any desired number of layers of the multilayer stack 1500. The layers of the multilayer stack 1500 are aligned using alignment pins 1600 driven through fiducial features 602 (Figure 16B).

[0163] In another embodiment, for example, in the case of a solid-state secondary battery, the components of the solid-state battery may be stacked (after being processed as described herein) in order, including a positive electrode current collector, an electrode layer comprising a positive electrode active material, an ion conductor, a binder, and an electron conductor, a solid electrolyte, and a negative electrode current collector, as described in U.S. Patent No. 9,553,332 referenced above.

[0164] In one embodiment, the multilayer stack 1500 is then placed in a pressurized restraint 1602 having pressure plates 1604, 1606 that apply pressure to the multilayer stack 1500 in the direction indicated by the pressure arrow P. The pressure applied to the multilayer stack 1500 may be adjustable using a user interface 116 to control the pressure P that the pressure plates 1604, 1606 apply to the multilayer stack 1500. When sufficient pressure P is applied to the multilayer stack 1500, the alignment pins 1600 may be moved in the removal direction R, thereby causing the second perforation 610 to break along its length so that the ablation 404 (electrode tab) becomes the outer edge of the multilayer stack 1500, as shown in Figure 16C.

[0165] After the second perforation 610 ruptures, the multilayer stack 1500 proceeds to the tab welding station to weld busbars 1700 and 1702 to the ablation 404 to form a multilayer cell 1704. Prior to welding, the busbars 1700 and 1702 are positioned through the busbar openings 1608 of their respective electrodes. In one embodiment, once the busbars 1700 and 1702 are positioned through the busbar openings 1608, the ablation 404 is folded toward the busbars 1700 and 1702 respectively prior to welding. In this embodiment, busbar 1700 is a copper busbar welded to the ablation 404 (anode tab) of the anode current collector layer 506, and busbar 1702 is an aluminum busbar welded to the ablation 404 (cathode tab) of the cathode current collector layer 510. However, in other embodiments, the busbars 1700 and 1702 may be made of any suitable conductive material to enable the battery 1804 to function as described herein. Welding can be performed using a laser welding machine, friction welding, ultrasonic welding, or any suitable welding method for welding the busbars 1700 and 1702 to the ablation 404. In one embodiment, each of the busbars 1700 and 1702 is electrically in contact with all of the ablation 404, respectively, for the anode and cathode.

[0166] During the formation of the laminated cell 1704, the laminated cell 1704 proceeds to the packaging station 1800. At the packaging station 1800, the laminated cell 1704 is covered with an insulating packaging material such as a multilayer aluminum polymer material or plastic to form a battery package 1802. In one embodiment, the battery package 1802 is evacuated using a vacuum and filled with an electrolyte material through an opening (not shown). The insulating packaging material can be sealed around the laminated cell 1704 using heat sealing, laser welding, adhesive, or any suitable sealing method. The busbars 1700 and 1702 remain exposed and are not covered by the battery package 1802 so that the user can connect the busbars 1700 and 1702 to a power supply device or battery charger. When the battery package 1802 is placed on the laminated cell 1704, it defines the completed battery 1804. In this embodiment, the completed battery 1804 is a three-dimensional lithium-ion battery. In other embodiments, the completed battery 1804 may be of any battery type suitable for manufacture using the apparatus and methods described herein.

[0167] In one embodiment, each member of the anode group has a bottom, a top, and a longitudinal axis A E It has (Figure 7). In one embodiment, the longitudinal axis A E It extends from its bottom to its top in the direction XWD of the cross web. In an alternative embodiment, the longitudinal axis A E It extends from its bottom to its top in the direction WD of the downweb. In one embodiment, the members of the anode group are formed from the web of the substrate 104, which is the anode material 502. Furthermore, each member of the anode group is aligned with the longitudinal axis (A) of the electrode. E Length (L) measured along ) E )(Figure 6A) and the longitudinal axis (A E Width (W) measured in a direction perpendicular to the direction (e.g., the direction of the downweb WD) E ) and length (L E ) and width (W E Height (H) measured in a direction perpendicular to each of the measurement directions of )E It has (Figure 6A).

[0168] Length of the member in the anode group (L E ) varies depending on the energy storage device and its intended use. However, generally, the members of the anode group typically have lengths ranging from about 5 mm to about 500 mm (L E ) will have a length (L) of about 10 mm to about 250 mm. For example, in one such embodiment, the members of the anode group will have a length (L) of about 10 mm to about 250 mm. E ) has. As a further example, in one such embodiment, the members of the anode group have a length (L) of about 25 mm to about 100 mm. E ) has.

[0169] Width of members in the anode group (W E ) also varies depending on the energy storage device and its intended use. However, generally, each member of the anode group typically has a width (W) in the range of about 0.01 mm to about 2.5 mm. E ) will have. For example, in one embodiment, the width (W) of each member of the anode group will be E The width (WE) of each member of the anode group will be in the range of approximately 0.025 mm to approximately 2 mm. As a further example, in one embodiment, the width (WE) of each member of the anode group will be in the range of approximately 0.05 mm to approximately 1 mm.

[0170] Height of members in the anode group (H E ) also varies depending on the energy storage device and its intended use. However, generally, the members of the anode group typically have a height (H) in the range of about 0.05 mm to about 10 mm. E ) will have. For example, in one embodiment, the height (H) of each member of the anode group will be E The height (H) of each member of the anode group will be in the range of approximately 0.05 mm to approximately 5 mm. As a further example, in one embodiment, the height (H) of each member of the anode group is EThe height will be in the range of about 0.1 mm to about 1 mm. According to one embodiment, the members of the anode group include one or more first electrode members having a first height and one or more second electrode members having a second height different from the first height. In yet another embodiment, the different heights for one or more first electrode members and one or more second electrode members may be selected to correspond to a predetermined shape for an electrode assembly (e.g., a multilayer stack 1500 (Figure 15)), for example, an electrode assembly shape having different heights along one or more longitudinal and / or transverse axes, and / or to provide predetermined performance characteristics for a secondary battery.

[0171] Generally, the members of an anode group have a width (W E ) and its height (H E (L) is substantially larger than each of the above. E ) has. For example, in one embodiment, for each member of the anode group, W E and H E L for each of E The ratio of each is at least 5:1 (i.e., W E L E The ratios of each are at least 5:1, and H E L E The ratios of each are at least 5:1). As a further example, in one embodiment, W E and H E The ratio of LE to each of the is at least 10:1. As a further example, in one embodiment, W E and H E L for each of E The ratio is at least 15:1. As a further example, in one embodiment, for each member of the anode group, W E and H E L for each of E The ratio is at least 20:1.

[0172] In one embodiment, the height (H) of the members of the anode group. E ) and width (W E) The ratio to each of them is at least 0.4:1. For example, in one embodiment, for each member of the anode population, H E and W E The ratio of each is at least 2:1. As a further example, in one embodiment, H E versus W E The ratio of each is at least 10:1. As a further example, in one embodiment, H E versus W E The ratio of each will be at least 20:1. However, typically, the ratio of H E versus W E will generally be less than 1,000:1 for each. For example, in one embodiment, the ratio of H E versus W E will be less than 500:1 for each. As a further example, in one embodiment, the ratio of H E versus W E will be less than 100:1 for each. As a further example, in one embodiment, the ratio of H E versus W E will be less than 10:1 for each. As a further example, in one embodiment, the ratio of H E versus W E For each member of the anode population, the ratio will be in the range of about 2:1 to about 100:1 respectively.

[0173] In one embodiment, the members of the cathode population are formed from a web of the substrate 104 which is the cathode material 504. Referring now to FIG. 6B, each member of the cathode population has a bottom, a top, and a longitudinal axis (A CE ) which extends from its bottom to its top in the cross-web direction XWD and extends generally perpendicular to the direction in which the alternating sequence of the negative electrode structure and the positive electrode structure progresses. Further, each member of the cathode population has a length (L CE ) measured along a longitudinal axis (A CE ) parallel to the cross-web direction XWD, a width (W CE ) measured in the down-web direction WD in which the alternating sequence of the negative electrode structure and the positive electrode structure progresses, a length (L CE ) and a width (W CEThe height (H) measured in a direction perpendicular to each of the measurement directions of CE ) and having.

[0174] The length (L CE ) of the members of the cathode population varies depending on the energy storage device and its intended use. However, generally, each member of the cathode population will typically have a length (L CE ) in the range of about 5 mm to about 500 mm. For example, in one such embodiment, each member of the cathode population has a length (L CE ) in the range of about 10 mm to about 250 mm. As a further example, in one such embodiment, each member of the cathode population has a length (L CE ) in the range of about 25 mm to about 100 mm.

[0175] The width (W CE ) of the members of the cathode population also varies depending on the energy storage device and its intended use. However, generally, the members of the cathode population will typically have a width (W CE ) within the range of about 0.01 mm to 2.5 mm. For example, in one embodiment, the width (W CE ) of each member of the cathode population will be in the range of about 0.025 mm to about 2 mm. As a further example, in one embodiment, the width (WCE) of each member of the cathode population will be in the range of about 0.05 mm to about 1 mm.

[0176] The height (H CE ) of the members of the cathode population will also vary depending on the energy storage device and its intended use. However, generally, the members of the cathode population will typically have a height (H CE ) within the range of about 0.05 mm to about 10 mm. For example, in one embodiment, the height (H CE ) of each member of the cathode population will be in the range of about 0.05 mm to about 5 mm. As a further example, in one embodiment, the height (H CEThe height will be in the range of about 0.1 mm to about 1 mm. According to one embodiment, the members of the cathode group include one or more first cathode members having a first height and one or more second cathode members having a second height different from the first height. In yet another embodiment, the different heights for one or more first cathode members and one or more second cathode members may be selected to accommodate a predetermined shape of an electrode assembly, such as an electrode assembly shape having different heights along one or more longitudinal and / or transverse axes, and / or to provide predetermined performance characteristics of a secondary battery.

[0177] Generally, each member of the cathode group has a width (W CE It is substantially larger than ) and its height (H CE (L) is effectively larger than CE ) has. For example, in one embodiment, each member of the cathode group has W CE and H CE L for each of CE The ratio of each is at least 5:1 (i.e., W CE L CE The ratios of each are at least 5:1, H CE L CE The ratios of each are at least 5:1). As a further example, in one embodiment, L CE W CE and H CE The ratio of each to is at least 10:1 for each member of the cathode group. As a further example, in one embodiment, W CE and H CE L for each of CE The ratio is at least 15:1 for each member of the cathode group. As a further example, in one embodiment, W CE and H CE L for each of CE The ratio is at least 20:1 for each member of the cathode group.

[0178] In one embodiment, the height (H) of the members of the cathode group CE) and width (W CE The ratios of ) are at least 0.4:1, respectively. For example, in one embodiment, for each member of the cathode group, H CE and W CE The ratios of each are at least 2:1. As a further example, in one embodiment, H CE vs W CE The ratio is at least 10:1 for each member of the cathode group. As a further example, in one embodiment, H CE and W CE The ratio will be at least 20:1 for each member of the cathode group. However, typically, H CE and W CE The ratio of HCE to WCE will generally be less than 1,000:1 for each member of the anode group. For example, in one embodiment, the ratio of HCE to WCE will be less than 500:1 for each member of the cathode group. As a further example, in one embodiment, H CE and W CE The ratios of each are less than 100:1. As a further example, in one embodiment, H CE and W CE The ratios of each are less than 10:1. As a further example, in one embodiment, H CE vs W CE The ratio will likely range from approximately 2:1 to approximately 100:1 for each member of the cathode group.

[0179] In one embodiment, the anode current collector layer 506 also has a substantially greater electrical conductivity than the anode active material layer 508. For example, in one embodiment, the ratio of the electrical conductivity of the anode current collector layer 506 to the electrical conductivity of the anode active material layer 508 is at least 100:1 when there is an applied current to store energy in the device or an applied load to discharge the device. As a further example, in some embodiments, the ratio of the electrical conductivity of the anode current collector layer 506 to the electrical conductivity of the anode active material layer 508 is at least 500:1 when there is an applied current to store energy in the device or an applied load to discharge the device. As a further example, in some embodiments, the ratio of the electrical conductivity of the anode current collector layer 506 to the electrical conductivity of the anode active material layer 508 is at least 1000:1 when there is an applied current to store energy in the device or an applied load to discharge the device. As a further example, in some embodiments, the ratio of the electrical conductivity of the anode current collector layer 506 to the electrical conductivity of the anode active material layer 508 is at least 5000:1 when there is an applied current to store energy in the device or an applied load to discharge the device. As a further example, in some embodiments, the ratio of the electrical conductance of the anode current collector layer 506 to the electrical conductance of the anode active material layer 508 is at least 10,000:1 when there is an applied current to store energy in the device or an applied load to discharge the device.

[0180] Generally, the cathode current collector layer 510 can consist of metals such as aluminum, carbon, chromium, gold, nickel, NiP, palladium, platinum, rhodium, ruthenium, silicon-nickel alloys, titanium, or combinations thereof (see "Current collectors for positive electrodes of lithium-based batteries" by A.H. Whitehead and M. Schreiber, Journal of the Electrochemical Society, 152(11)A2105-A2113 (2005)). As a further example, in one embodiment, the cathode current collector layer 510 consists of gold or an alloy thereof such as gold silicide. As a further example, in one embodiment, the cathode current collector layer 510 consists of nickel or an alloy thereof such as nickel silicide.

[0181] The following embodiments are provided to illustrate aspects of the present disclosure, but the embodiments are not intended to be limiting, and other embodiments and / or forms may also be provided.

[0182] Embodiment 1. A method for depicting a collection of electrode structures in a web, wherein the web comprises a conductive layer having opposing front and back surfaces, and an electrochemically active material layer on the front surface, the back surface, or both the front and back surfaces, the web having a down-web direction and a cross-web direction, the down-web direction and the cross-web direction being orthogonal to each other, and the method for depicting members of the collection of electrode structures without releasing the members from the web in each of the down-web direction, the cross-web direction, or the cross-web direction and the down-web direction, while controlling the tension of the web in the down-web direction, a series of weakened techniques The method comprises forming a tear pattern on a web, wherein the members depicted are at least partially and individually constrained by a series of weakened tear pattern members adapted to facilitate the separation of the depicted members individually from the web by the application of force, and forming a series of alignment features on the web that are positioned in a cross-web or down-web direction with respect to the depicted members, wherein the alignment features are adapted to individually position the depicted members of a group of electrode structures on the web.

[0183] Embodiment 2. A method for depicting a collection of electrode structures in a web, wherein the web comprises a conductive layer having opposing front and back surfaces, and an electrochemically active material layer on the front surface, the back surface, or both the front and back surfaces, the web having a down-web direction and a cross-web direction, the down-web and cross-web directions being orthogonal to each other, the method comprising supporting a portion of the web on a support surface, the support surface defining an opening, and forming a series of weakened tear patterns in the web in the down-web direction, the cross-web direction, or the cross-web and down-web directions, respectively, depicting members of the collection of electrode structures without releasing the members from the web, wherein the depicted members are formed by the application of force The method involves forming a tear pattern, at least in part, by a series of weakened tear pattern members adapted to easily separate the members to be depicted from the web, and forming a series of alignment features on the web that are positioned in a cross-web or down-web direction with respect to the members to be depicted, wherein the alignment features form a series of alignment features adapted to individually position the members to be depicted of a group of electrode structures on the web, and at least one of forming the weakened tear pattern and forming the series of alignment features is performed on a portion of the web located above an opening in a supporting surface supporting the web.

[0184] Embodiment 3. A method for depicting a group of electrode structures or electrode separator structures in a web, wherein the web includes a down-web direction, a cross-web direction perpendicular to the down-web direction, and an electrical insulating layer, the method comprising: controlling a portion of the web to be laser-processed to be within approximately ±100 microns of the focal point of a laser beam; laser-processing a portion of the web in at least one of the cross-web direction and the down-web direction to depict a group of electrode structures or electrode separator structures in the web without releasing members from the web; and forming alignment features in the web that are adapted to position each depicted member of the group of electrode structures or electrode separator structures in the web.

[0185] Embodiment 4. A method for depicting a collection of electrode structures in a web, wherein the web includes a down-web direction and a cross-web direction perpendicular to the down-web direction, and the method comprises machining the web in the cross-web direction and the down-web direction to form discontinuous weakened portions, and depicting members of the collection of electrode structures in the web without releasing the members from the web, wherein the machined web has 10% to 75% of the strength of the unmachined web in the web direction.

[0186] Embodiment 5. A method for depicting a group of electrode structures of a web, the web comprising a down-web direction, a cross-web direction perpendicular to the down-web direction, an electrochemically active layer, and a conductive layer, the method comprising: laser processing the web at least in the cross-web direction to depict members of a group of electrode structures of the web without releasing the members from the web; and forming alignment features on the web that are adapted to position each depicted member of the group of electrode structures of the web.

[0187] Embodiment 6. A method for depicting a group of electrode separator structures of a web, the web comprising a down-web direction, a cross-web direction perpendicular to the down-web direction, and an electrical insulating layer, the method comprising laser processing the web at least in the cross-web direction to depict members of the group of electrode separator structures of the web without releasing the members from the web, and forming alignment features on the web that are adapted to position each depicted member of the group of electrode structures of the web.

[0188] Embodiment 7. A method for describing a collection of electrode structures of a web, the web comprising a down-web direction, a cross-web direction perpendicular to the down-web direction, an electrochemically active layer, and a conductive layer, the method comprising: feeding the web to a cutting station; cutting the web at least in the cross-web direction at the cutting station to describe members of the collection of electrode structures of the web without releasing members from the web; and cutting alignment features of the web adapted to position each described member of the collection of electrode structures of the web.

[0189] Embodiment 8. A method for describing a collection of electrode structures of a web, the web comprising a down-web direction, a cross-web direction perpendicular to the down-web direction, an electrochemically active layer, and a conductive layer, the method comprising: feeding the web to a laser cutting system; cutting alignment features into the web using the laser cutting system; establishing the position of the web using at least one of the alignment features; and performing at least one of a cutting action and an ablate action on the web based on the established position.

[0190] Embodiment 9. A method for depicting a group of electrode structures in a web, the web comprising a down-web direction, a cross-web direction perpendicular to the down-web direction, an electrochemically active layer, and a conductive layer, the method comprising: depicting members of the group of electrode structures in a web by laser processing the web at least in the cross-web direction to form a weakened portion of discontinuity that defines the outer boundary of each member to be depicted without releasing the member from the web; and forming alignment features in the web adapted to position each member to be depicted in the group of electrode structures in the web.

[0191] Embodiment 10. A method for depicting a group of electrode structures in a web, wherein the web includes a down-web direction and a cross-web direction perpendicular to the down-web direction, and the method includes machining the web in the cross-web direction and the down-web direction to form discontinuous weakened portions, and depicting members of the group of electrode structures in a web without releasing members from the web, wherein the machined web has 5% to 30% of the strength of the unmachined web in the cross-web direction.

[0192] Embodiment 11. A web comprising an electrochemically active layer and a conductive layer, wherein the web has a depicted collection of electrode structures, each electrode structure in the depicted collection of electrode structures being spaced apart from adjacent electrode structures by discontinuous breaks within the web, and the web further includes alignment features adapted to position each depicted electrode structure in the web.

[0193] Embodiment 12. A web comprising a collection of separator structures, each separator structure in the collection of separator structures being depicted is spaced apart from adjacent separator structures by discontinuous cuts within the web, and the web further comprises alignment features adapted to position each depicted separator structure in the collection of separator structures of the web.

[0194] Embodiment 13. A method of depicting a population of web electrode structures, the web including at least one of a down-web direction, a cross-web direction orthogonal to the down-web direction, a solid electrolyte, a negative current collector, a positive current collector, and a positive active member, the method including supplying the web to a laser cutting system, using the laser cutting system to cut alignment features in the web, using at least one of the alignment features to establish the position of the web, and performing at least one of a cut action and an ablate action on the web based on the established position.

[0195] Embodiment 14. A web including a solid electrolyte, the web having a population of depicted electrode structures, each electrode structure of the population of depicted electrode structures being spaced from an adjacent electrode structure by a discontinuous cut of the web, the web further including alignment features adapted to dispose each electrode structure of the population of electrode structures on the web.

[0196] Embodiment 15. A series of weakened tear patterns formed using a laser, the method or web of any preceding embodiment.

[0197] Embodiment 16. A series of alignment features formed by a laser, the method or web of any preceding embodiment.

[0198] Embodiment 17. A series of weakened tear patterns, a series of alignment features, or a series of weakened tear patterns and a series of alignment features formed using a laser, the method or web of any preceding embodiment.

[0199] Embodiment 18. The laser has a laser output within the range of 10 watts to 5000 watts, is a fiber laser, and is capable of one or more laser pulse width types of continuous wave (cw), microsecond (μs), nanosecond (ns), picosecond (ps), and femtosecond (fs) pulse types or combinations thereof, of any of the preceding embodiments of the method or web.

[0200] Embodiment 19. The electrochemically active material layer is on only one of the front and back surfaces of the conductive layer, of any of the preceding embodiments of the method or web.

[0201] Embodiment 20. The electrochemically active material layer is on both the front and back surfaces of the conductive layer, of any of the preceding embodiments of the method or web.

[0202] Embodiment 21. The members of the population of electrode structures depicted have a length L E , and a height H E such that (i) L E is measured in the cross-web direction and H E is measured in the down-web direction, or (ii) L E is measured in the down-web direction and H E is measured in the cross-web direction, of the method or web described in any of the preceding embodiments.

[0203] Embodiment 22. The members of the population of electrode structures depicted have a length L E , and a height H E such that L E is measured in the cross-web direction and H E is measured in the down-web direction, of the method or web described in any of the preceding embodiments.

[0204] Embodiment 23. The members of the population of electrode structures depicted have a length L E , and a height H E such that L E is measured in the down-web direction and H EThe method or web of any prior embodiment is measured in the direction of crossing the web.

[0205] Embodiment 24. The depicted member of the electrode structure group has a width W measured in a direction perpendicular to the front and back surfaces of the web, and perpendicular to the down-web direction and the cross-web direction. E A method or web having any prior embodiment.

[0206] Embodiment 25. W E and H E L for each of E The ratio of is at least 5:1 (i.e., W E L E The ratio of each is at least 5:1, H E L E The method or web of any prior embodiment, wherein the ratio of each is at least 5:1.

[0207] Embodiment 26. W E and H E L for each of E The ratio of is at least 10:1 (i.e., W E L E The ratio of each is at least 10:1, H E L E The method or web described in any prior embodiment, wherein the ratio of each is at least 10:1.

[0208] Embodiment 27. W E and H E L for each of E The ratio of is at least 15:1 (i.e., W E L E The ratio of each is at least 15:1, H E L E The method or web described in any prior embodiment, wherein the ratio of each is at least 15:1.

[0209] Embodiment 28. W E and H E L for each of E The ratio of is at least 20:1 (i.e., W E L E The ratio of each is at least 20:1, and H E L E The method or web of any prior embodiment, wherein the ratio of each is at least 20:1.

[0210] Embodiment 29. W E H for E A method or web according to any prior embodiment, wherein the ratio of each is at least 0.4:1.

[0211] Embodiment 30. W E H for E A method or web according to any prior embodiment, wherein the ratio of each is at least 2:1.

[0212] Embodiment 31. W E H for E A method or web of any prior embodiment in which the ratio of each is at least 10:1.

[0213] Embodiment 32. W E H for E A method or web of any prior embodiment in which the ratio of each is at least 20:1.

[0214] Embodiment 33. W E H for E The ratio of each is less than 1000:1, for any prior embodiment of the method or web.

[0215] Embodiment 34. W E H for EThe method or web according to any preceding embodiment, wherein the ratio is less than 500:1 for each.

[0216] Embodiment 35. W E to H E The method or web according to any preceding embodiment, wherein the ratio is less than 100:1 for each.

[0217] Embodiment 36. W E to H E The method or web according to any preceding embodiment, wherein the ratio is less than 10:1 for each.

[0218] Embodiment 37. W E to H E The method or web of any preceding embodiment, wherein the ratio is within the range of about 2:1 to about 100:1 for each.

[0219] Embodiment 38. L E The method or web according to any preceding embodiment, wherein L is within the range of about 5 mm to about 500 mm.

[0220] Embodiment 39. L E The method or web of any preceding embodiment, wherein L is within the range of about 10 mm to about 250 mm.

[0221] Embodiment 40. L E The method or web of any preceding embodiment, wherein L is within the range of about 25 mm to about 100 mm. <了

[0222] Embodiment 41. W E The method or web of any preceding embodiment, wherein W is within the range of about 0.01 mm to 2.5 mm.

[0223] Embodiment 42. W EA method or web of any prior embodiment in which the width is in the range of approximately 0.025 mm to approximately 2 mm.

[0224] Embodiment 43. W E A method or web of any prior embodiment in which the width is in the range of approximately 0.05 mm to approximately 1 mm.

[0225] Embodiment 44. A method or web of any prior embodiment in which HE is in the range of approximately 0.05 mm to approximately 10 mm.

[0226] Embodiment 45. H E A method or web of any prior embodiment in which the width is in the range of approximately 0.05 mm to approximately 5 mm.

[0227] Embodiment 46. H E A method or web of any prior embodiment in which the width is in the range of approximately 0.1 mm to approximately 1 mm.

[0228] Embodiment 47. The conductive layer is at least 10 3 A method or web according to any prior embodiment having an electrical conductivity of Siemens / cm.

[0229] Embodiment 48. The conductive layer is at least about 10 4 A method or web of any prior embodiment having an electrical conductivity of Siemens / cm.

[0230] Embodiment 49. The conductive layer is at least about 10 5 A method or web of any prior embodiment having an electrical conductivity of Siemens / cm.

[0231] Embodiment 50. A method or web of any prior embodiment, comprising a conductive layer containing a material suitable for use as a positive electrode current collector layer.

[0232] Embodiment 51. A method or web of any prior embodiment in which the conductive layer includes aluminum, carbon, chromium, gold, nickel, nickel-phosphorus (NiP), palladium, platinum, rhodium, ruthenium, titanium, silicon-nickel alloy (NiSi), or a combination thereof.

[0233] Embodiment 52. An electrochemically active material layer comprising a cathode-active material, as described in any prior embodiment or web.

[0234] Embodiment 53. The method or web according to any prior embodiment, wherein the electrochemically active material layer comprises a transition metal oxide, a transition metal sulfide, a transition metal nitride, a lithium-transition metal oxide, a lithium-transition metal sulfide, or a lithium-transition metal nitride.

[0235] Embodiment 54. The method or web according to any prior embodiment, wherein the electrochemically active material layer comprises a transition metal oxide, transition metal sulfide, or transition metal nitride having a d-shell or f-shell transition metal.

[0236] Embodiment 55. A method or web of any prior embodiment in which the electrochemically active material layer comprises Sc, Y, lanthanides, actinides, Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, W, Mn, Tc, Re, Fe, Ru, Os, Co, Rh, Ir, Ni, Pb, Pt, Cu, Ag, or Au.

[0237] Embodiment 56. The electrochemically active material layer is LiCoO2, LiNi 0.5 Mn 1.5 O4, Li(Ni x Co y Al z )O2, LiFePO4, Li2MnO4, V2O5, molybdenum oxysulfide, phosphate, silate, vanadate, sulfur, sulfur compounds, oxygen (air), Li(Nix Mn y Co z ) A method or web of any prior embodiment, including O2 and combinations thereof.

[0238] Embodiment 57. A method or web of any prior embodiment, comprising a conductive layer containing a material suitable for use as a negative electrode current collector layer.

[0239] Embodiment 58. A method or web of any prior embodiment in which the conductive layer comprises copper, nickel, cobalt, titanium, or tungsten, or an alloy thereof.

[0240] Embodiment 59. An electrochemically active material layer comprising an anode active material, as described in any prior embodiment or web.

[0241] Embodiment 60. A method or web according to any prior embodiment, wherein the electrochemically active material layer comprises graphite, soft or hard carbon, or graphene.

[0242] Embodiment 61. A method or web according to any prior embodiment, wherein the electrochemically active material layer comprises single-layer or multi-layer carbon nanotubes.

[0243] Embodiment 62. A method or web of any prior embodiment in which an electrochemically active material layer comprises single-walled carbon nanotubes.

[0244] Embodiment 63. A method or web of any prior embodiment comprising a metal, metalloid, alloy, or oxide or nitride thereof, in which an electrochemically active material layer can form an alloy with lithium.

[0245] Embodiment 64. A method or web of any prior embodiment in which the electrochemically active material layer includes graphite, tin, lead, magnesium, aluminum, boron, gallium, silicon, Si / C composites, Si / graphite blends, silicon oxide (SiOx), porous Si, intermetallic Si alloys, indium, zirconium, germanium, bismuth, cadmium, antimony, silver, zinc, arsenic, hafnium, yttrium, lithium, sodium, lithium titanate, palladium, or any combination thereof.

[0246] Embodiment 65. A method or web of any prior embodiment in which the electrochemically active material layer comprises aluminum, tin, silicon, or their oxides, nitrides, fluorides, or alloys thereof.

[0247] Embodiment 66. A method or web of any prior embodiment in which the electrochemically active material layer comprises silicon, or an alloy or oxide thereof.

[0248] Embodiment 67. A method or web of any prior embodiment, wherein the conductive layer comprises a material suitable for use as a negative electrode current collector layer, the electrochemically active material layer comprises an anode active material, and the conductive layer has an electrical conductance substantially greater than the electrical conductance of the anode active material layer.

[0249] Embodiment 68. A method or web of any prior embodiment in which the ratio of the electrical conductivity of the conductive layer to the electrical conductivity of the anode active material layer is at least 100:1.

[0250] Embodiment 69. A method or web of any prior embodiment in which the ratio of the electrical conductivity of the conductive layer to the electrical conductivity of the anode active material layer is at least 500:1.

[0251] Embodiment 70. A method or web of any prior embodiment in which the ratio of the electrical conductivity of the conductive layer to the electrical conductivity of the anode active material layer is at least 1000:1.

[0252] Embodiment 71. A method or web of any prior embodiment in which the ratio of the electrical conductivity of the conductive layer to the electrical conductivity of the anode active material layer is at least 5000:1.

[0253] Embodiment 72. A method or web of any prior embodiment in which the ratio of the electrical conductivity of the conductive layer to the electrical conductivity of the anode active material layer is at least 10000:1.

[0254] Embodiment 73. A method or web of any prior embodiment in which the web is a laminate comprising an electrochemically active layer and a conductive layer.

[0255] Embodiment 74. A method or web of any prior embodiment in which an electrochemically active layer comprises an anode-active material.

[0256] Embodiment 75. A method or web of any prior embodiment in which an electrochemically active layer comprises a cathode-active material.

[0257] Embodiment 76. A method or web of any prior embodiment in which laser processing is performed to form multiple cuts and perforations through the web.

[0258] Embodiment 77. A method or web of any prior embodiment wherein the processed web has a strength of 10% to 75% of the strength of the unprocessed web in the direction of the web.

[0259] Embodiment 78. A method or web of any prior embodiment wherein the processed web has a strength of 5% to 30% of the strength of the unprocessed web in the cross-web direction.

[0260] Embodiment 79. A method or web of any prior embodiment in which the alignment feature includes through-holes extending through the web.

[0261] Embodiment 80. A method or web of any prior embodiment, comprising laser processing to form a series of outer perforations and a series of inner perforations, wherein the outer perforations have lower fracture strength than the inner perforations.

[0262] Embodiment 81. Laser processing is a method or web of any prior embodiment that includes removing an electrode tab area from each depicted electrode.

[0263] Embodiment 82. A method or web of any prior embodiment, further comprising laser processing the web in the direction of the web down.

[0264] Embodiment 83. A method or web of any prior embodiment further includes positioning the laser beam using information related to alignment features while laser processing the web.

[0265] Embodiment 84. Laser processing is a method or web of any prior embodiment, comprising controlling a first laser device to laser process the web in a cross-web direction and controlling a second laser device to laser process the web in a down-web direction.

[0266] Embodiment 85. A method or web of any prior embodiment, further comprising applying a vacuum to the web while the web is being laser-cut.

[0267] Embodiment 86. Any prior embodiment of a method or web further includes using a sensor to detect defects in the member being described.

[0268] Embodiment 87. A method or web of any prior embodiment, further comprising using a marking device to mark the web to indicate a defect detected in the member to be depicted.

[0269] Embodiment 88. Laser processing of tie bars between groupings of members being depicted Including any prior embodiment of the method or web.

[0270] Embodiment 89. A method or web of any prior embodiment in which the tie bar is defined by a laser-cut in the direction of the cross web.

[0271] Embodiment 90. A method or web of any prior embodiment, further comprising applying tension to the web in the cross-web direction before laser processing.

[0272] Embodiment 91. A method or web of any prior embodiment in which alignment features are formed at the distal position of the member being depicted in the direction of the cross web.

[0273] Embodiment 92. A method or web of any prior embodiment further comprising leaving an unmachined portion of the web between the alignment feature and the outermost edge of the web in the cross-web direction.

[0274] Embodiment 93. A method or web of any prior embodiment in which the unprocessed portion extends in the direction of the web along the entire length of the web.

[0275] Embodiment 94. A method or web of any prior embodiment further comprising bringing a rotating brush into contact with the web after laser processing.

[0276] Embodiment 95. A method of laser processing occurs while the web is moving in the direction of the web, according to any prior embodiment of the method or web.

[0277] Embodiment 96. A method or web of any prior embodiment in which the laser beam is controlled during laser processing, taking into account the speed of the web's movement in the down-web direction.

[0278] Embodiment 97. A method or web of any prior embodiment further includes controlling the tension of the web in the down-web direction during laser processing.

[0279] Embodiment 98. A method or web of any prior embodiment, further comprising winding a laser-cut web with an interleaf layer.

[0280] Embodiment 99. The method further includes, after laser processing, propelling the web in the direction of the down web without releasing the depicted members from the web, any prior embodiment of the method or web.

[0281] Embodiment 100. A method or web of any prior embodiment in which the ratio of alignment features to the members being depicted is one to one.

[0282] Embodiment 101. A method or web of any prior embodiment in which the weakened portion includes a series of through cuts or perforations.

[0283] Embodiment 102. A method of any prior embodiment further comprising balancing the pressure of the web during the formation of discontinuous weakened portions.

[0284] Embodiment 103. A method or web of any prior embodiment in which pressure balancing is performed by adding fluid flow across the web.

[0285] Embodiment 104. A method or web of any prior embodiment in which pressure balancing is performed by adding a fluid flow across the opposing sides of the web.

[0286] Embodiment 105. Alignment features are formed before laser processing, according to any prior embodiment of the method or web.

[0287] Embodiment 106. A method or web of any prior embodiment in which alignment features are used to assist in the formation of discontinuous weakened portions.

[0288] Embodiment 107. A method or web of any prior embodiment in which the support surface contains aluminum and dissipates thermal energy from the laser processing of the support surface.

[0289] Embodiment 108. A web method of any prior embodiment, wherein laser processing is performed on a portion of the web located on an opening in the supporting surface.

[0290] Embodiment 109. A method or web of any prior embodiment in which controlling a portion of the web includes controlling the web in a vertical axis direction substantially parallel to the laser beam.

[0291] Embodiment 110. A method or web of any prior embodiment in which the supporting surface includes a plurality of openings, forming a weakened tear pattern, and a series of alignment features is formed in each portion of the web located on different of the plurality of openings.

[0292] Embodiment 111. A method or web of any prior embodiment in which controlling the tension of the web includes maintaining the tension of the web at a weight of 500 grams or less.

Claims

1. A method for describing a collection of electrode structures within a web, The web comprises a conductive layer having a front surface and a back surface facing the front surface, and an electrochemically active material layer disposed on (i) the front surface, (ii) the back surface, or (iii) both the front surface and the back surface, wherein the web has a down-web direction perpendicular to the cross-web direction. The aforementioned method, The step of forming a series of weakened tear patterns within a web in (a) the direction of the downweb, (b) the direction of the crossweb, or (c) the direction of the crossweb and the downweb, while controlling the tension of the web in the direction of the downweb, wherein the series of weakened tear patterns depict members of a group of electrode structures, but without releasing the depicted members from the web, and the depicted members are at least partially and individually bounded by members of the series of weakened tear patterns adapted to facilitate the separation of the depicted members from the web by the application of force, and the separation is the individual separation of the depicted members, and the control of the tension of the web in the direction of the downweb includes maintaining a tension of 500 grams-force or less on the web. A step of forming a series of alignment features within a web, wherein the series of alignment features are arranged in a cross-web direction or a down-web direction with respect to the member being depicted, and the series of alignment features are adapted to individually position the member being depicted of a group of electrode structures within the web, and the series of alignment features are used to assist in the formation of the series of weakened tear patterns. Methods that include...

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the series of weakened tear patterns, the series of alignment features, or the series of weakened tear patterns and the series of alignment features are formed by a laser.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the tension of the web is controlled using one or more rollers.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the electrochemically active material layer is present only on one of the front or back surfaces of the conductive layer.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the electrochemically active material layer is present on both the front and back surfaces of the conductive layer.

6. Each of the described members of the electrode structure group has a length L Ｅ , width W Ｅ Height H Ｅ It has, W Ｅ (i) L Ｅ The measurement was taken in the direction of the cross web, and H Ｅ The measurement is taken in the direction of the down web, or (ii) L Ｅ The measurement was taken in the direction of the downweb, and H Ｅ This was measured in the direction of the cross web. The ratio of LE to W E is at least 5:1, and the ratio of LE to H E is at least 5:

1. The method according to claim 1.

7. W Ｅ to H Ｅ The method according to claim 6, wherein the ratios to H are each at least 0.4:

1.

8. The conductive layer contains a material suitable for use as an electrode current collector layer. The method according to claim 1.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the electrochemically active material layer includes a cathode-active material.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the electrochemically active material layer includes an anodic active material.

11. Furthermore, The step includes supporting a portion of the web with a support surface that defines an opening, (a) the step of forming the series of weakened tear patterns and (b) the step of forming the series of alignment features are performed on the portion of the web located above the opening defined on the support surface, The method according to claim 1.

12. (a) the step of forming the series of weakened tear patterns, and (b) the step of forming the series of alignment features, at least one of which includes the step of forming a plurality of cuts and perforations through the web, The method according to claim 11.

13. (a) the step of forming the series of weakened tear patterns, and (b) the step of forming the series of alignment features, comprising the step of laser processing, In the down-web direction, the processed web has a strength of 10% to 75% of that of the unprocessed web. The method according to claim 11.

14. In the direction of cross-web, the processed web has a strength of 5% to 30% of the strength of the unprocessed web. The method according to claim 13.

15. The support surface includes one or more composite materials, metals, and metal alloys. The method according to claim 11.

16. Furthermore, (A) A step of controlling a portion of the web to be laser processed so that it is within + / - 100 microns of the laser beam's focal point, (B) The step of laser processing a portion of the web in at least one of the (i) cross-web direction and (ii) down-web direction to form at least one of the series of weakened tear patterns and the series of alignment features. including, The method according to claim 1.

17. Is there a way to describe a collection of electrode structures in the web? The web comprises a conductive layer having a front surface and a back surface facing the front surface, and an electrochemically active material layer disposed on (i) the front surface, (ii) the back surface, or (iii) both the front surface and the back surface, wherein the web has a down web direction and a cross web direction perpendicular to the down web direction. The aforementioned method, A step of forming a series of alignment features on the web, which are arranged in the direction of the down web or the direction of the cross web, wherein the series of alignment features establish a position on the web. A step of forming a series of weakened tear patterns in the web, which depict members of a collection of electrode structures, by laser processing the web at positions on the web established by the series of alignment features, in (a) the direction of the down web, (b) the direction of the cross web, or (c) the direction of the cross web and the direction of the down web, wherein the depicted members are at least partially and individually bounded by members of the series of weakened tear patterns adapted to facilitate the individual separation of the depicted members from the web by the application of force; During the laser processing, the steps include controlling the tension of the web in the direction of the down web, The steps include: transporting the web in the direction of the down web or the direction of the cross web without releasing the depicted member from the web after the laser processing; Methods that include...

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising the step of tracking the alignment feature with one or more visual inspection devices to measure at least one of the position and movement speed of the alignment feature.

19. Furthermore, A step of supporting a portion of the web on a support surface during the laser processing, wherein the series of weakened tear patterns are formed on the portion of the web supported on the support surface, Using the aforementioned support surface, the process involves dissipating thermal energy from the laser processing. The method according to claim 17, including the method described in claim 17.

20. Furthermore, The step includes removing the web with a laser before the laser processing to form a series of removals on the web that are arranged in the direction of the down web or the cross web, Each removal in the series of removals is formed by removing a portion of the electrochemically active material layer, thereby exposing a portion of the conductive layer. The method according to claim 17.

21. Furthermore, The step includes forming a group of tie bars among at least some of the members described above, Each tie bar is sized to provide additional structural rigidity to the web. The method according to claim 17.

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