Fiber Felt Capacitors Using ALD for High Specific Charge
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Solution Overview
Problem
As capacitors shrink to meet the demand for smaller electronic components, they face challenges in supporting high specific capacitance and operating voltages, leading to difficulties in configuring capacitors that can sustain large electric fields and breakdown voltages required by many applications.
Innovation Solution
A fiber felt capacitor is developed with a dielectric layer sandwiched between conductors formed by atomic layer deposition (ALD) on a fiber felt scaffolding, which increases the surface area per unit volume and reduces the thickness of the dielectric layer, resulting in high specific capacitance and operating charge.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If capacitors are shrunk to decrease size, then specific capacitance increases, but the ability to support large electric fields and breakdown voltages deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from planar capacitor geometry to a three-dimensional fiber felt structure with conductors deposited on fiber surfaces. This dimensional change increases the effective surface area for charge storage while maintaining a compact overall volume, thereby achieving high specific capacitance without compromising the ability to support electric fields.
Solution Approach 2:
The fiber felt structure inherently provides a porous, high-surface-area scaffold that allows conductive and dielectric layers to be deposited on numerous fiber surfaces simultaneously. This porous architecture enables increased capacitance density while maintaining adequate spacing and field distribution to support required breakdown voltages.
2Quantity of substance
If specific capacitance is increased, then charge storage per unit volume improves, but the complexity of configuring the capacitor to support required voltages worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The capacitor is segmented into discrete layers (conductive layer, dielectric layer, second conductive layer) that are sequentially deposited on the fiber felt. This segmentation allows each layer to be optimized independently for its specific function while simplifying the overall configuration process through a systematic layering approach.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs atomic layer deposition (ALD) to precisely control the thickness and properties of each deposited layer. By adjusting deposition parameters such as layer thickness, material composition, and deposition conditions, the capacitor can be tuned to achieve desired charge storage capacity and voltage support characteristics without increasing structural complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The fiber felt capacitor achieves a high specific operating charge, enabling it to store more charge per unit volume while maintaining operational integrity under required voltages, addressing the limitations of traditional capacitors in supporting large electric fields and breakdown voltages.
Implementation Method 1
conformal layers are formed by atomic layer deposition (ALD) on a fiber felt
Implementation Method 2
Capacitors are passive, two terminal electrical devices for storing energy in electric fields
Implementation Method 3
They typically comprise a dielectric sandwiched between two generally parallel conductors and store energy in an electric field generated in the dielectric
Data Source
AI summary
An embodiment of the invention relates to providing an electrical component that provides an electrical functionality, the component comprising: a fiber felt comprising a tangle of fibers and characterized by a fill factor; and at least two layers of material formed on the fibers that contribute to providing the electrical functionality.