METHOD FOR FORMING LITHIUM OR LITHIUM ALLOY THIN FILM

• Main Authors: HONJO YOSHIYUKI, FUCHIDA HIDETSUGU, YAMAKAWA YUKIO
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 15.03.2007
• Subjects: BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; CHEMISTRY; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATIONOR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY IONIMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; ELECTRICITY; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION INGENERAL; METALLURGY; PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSIONOF CHEMICAL INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THESURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for forming a lithium thin film with which a lithium thin film with high purity can be always produced so as to improve service capacity of lithium. SOLUTION: A lithium or lithium alloy material is heated and evaporated to produce ultrafine particles of the lithium or lithium alloy within a ultrafine particle production chamber in an inert gas atmosphere having purity of ≥99.9995%. The ultrafine particles are carried into a film formation chamber in a vacuum atmosphere by a carrier tube while being accompanied with the inert gas. The ultrafine particles are injected under the pressure of the inert gas from a nozzle fitted to the tip of the carrier tube and heated to the melting point of the ultrafine particle or below toward a substrate arranged in the film formation chamber. Further, either the nozzle or the substrate is moved at an optional moving speed, thus a lithium or lithium alloy thin film is formed on the substrate. Before the inert gas is introduced into the vacuum chamber, the ultimate vacuum in the film formation chamber by an evacuation system is controlled to ≤5×10-4Pa. COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT