MINIATURIZED ELECTRONIC COMPONENT WITH REDUCED RISK OF BREAKAGE AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING SAME

Abstract

A method for producing miniaturized electronic components is provided, where the miniaturized electronic components are obtained as singularized parts of a sheet-like glass which has structures applied thereon, in particular at least one layer. The method includes the steps of: providing a sheet-like glass toughened at least during a time period, as a substrate material; applying structures onto the substrate, in particular in the form of a sequence of coating processes and by processes for patterning of layers, so that at least portions of the substrate carry structures while other portions of the substrate remain free; subjecting the substrate carrying the structures to a thermal load; and singularizing so that the portions of the substrate carrying structures are obtained in singularized form. A miniaturized electronic component produced in this manner is also provided.

Claims

1. A method for producing miniaturized electronic components, the method the steps of: providing, as a substrate, a sheet-like glass toughened at least during a time period; applying structures onto the substrate so that at least portions of the substrate carry the structures while other portions of the substrate remain free of the structures; subjecting the substrate to a thermal load during at least one prior step; and singularizing the substrate so that the portions of the substrate carrying the structures are obtained in singularized form.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one prior step comprises the step of applying the structures.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of applying the structures comprises applying and patterning a sequence of layers, wherein the at least one prior step comprises the step of applying and patterning the sequence of layers.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising applying a functional layer for the miniaturized electronic components to the substrate, wherein the at least one prior step comprises a thermal post treatment of the functional layer.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sheet-like toughened glass has a thickness of 300 μm or less.

6. The method for as claimed claim 1, wherein the step of providing the sheet-like glass comprises chemical toughening by an ion exchange in an exchange bath to provide a thickness of an ion exchange layer (L.sub.DoL) of at least 10 μm and a compressive stress (σ.sub.CS) at a glass surface of at most 300 MPa.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of singularizing comprises a cutting process selected from the group consisting of mechanical cutting, thermal cutting, mechanical scoring, laser cutting, laser scoring, water jet cutting, hole drilling using an ultrasonic drill, sandblasting, and any combinations thereof.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, the wherein the step of providing the sheet-like glass comprises providing a borosilicate glass sheet and/or an aluminosilicate glass sheet.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of subjecting the substrate to the thermal load comprises subjecting the substrate to a heating method selected from the group consisting of resistance heating, electromagnetic radiation heating, induction heating, and any combinations thereof.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the thermal load corresponds to a cumulative heat treatment between not less than 350° C. and not more than 600° C. during 1 to 15 hours.

11. A miniaturized electronic component comprising a sheet of glass having structures disposed thereon, the sheet glass being chemically toughened glass then subjected to a thermal load so that the sheet of glass has a thickness of an ion exchange layer of at least 10 μm and by a compressive stress at a glass surface of at most 300 MPa, wherein the thickness of the ion exchange layer prior to the thermal load is smaller than the thickness of the ion exchange layer after the thermal load, and wherein the compressive stress prior to the thermal load is greater than the compressive stress after the thermal load.

12. The miniaturized electronic component as claimed in claim 11, wherein the structures comprise a plurality of patterned layers.

13. The miniaturized electronic component as claimed in claim 11, wherein the thickness of the ion exchange layer is at least 25 μm.

14. The miniaturized electronic component as claimed in claim 11, wherein the compressive stress at the glass surface is less than 100 MPa.

15. The miniaturized electronic component as claimed in claim 11, wherein the sheet of glass has a thickness of 300 μm or less.

16. The miniaturized electronic component as claimed in claim 11, wherein the sheet of glass has a thickness of 50 μm or less.

17. The miniaturized electronic component as claimed in claim 11, wherein the sheet of glass comprises a borosilicate glass and/or an aluminosilicate glass.

18. The miniaturized electronic component as claimed in claim 11, wherein the sheet of glass is configured for use as a thin film battery.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0088] Preferred embodiments of the invention will now again be explained with additional reference to drawings.

[0089] FIG. 1 schematically illustrates an electrical storage element;

[0090] FIG. 2 schematically illustrates a sheet-like glass; and

[0091] FIGS. 3 to 5 show fracture probabilities of different glasses in the form of a Weibull characteristic.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0092] FIG. 1 schematically shows an electrical storage system 1 according to the present invention. It comprises a sheet-like glass 2 which is used as a substrate. A sequence of different layers is applied on the substrate. By way of example and without being limited to the present example, first the two collector layers are applied on the sheet-like glass 2, cathode collector layer 3, and anode collector layer 4. Such collector layers usually have a thickness of a few micrometers and are made of a metal, for example of copper, aluminum, or titanium. Superimposed on collector layer 3 is cathode layer 5. If the electrical storage system 1 is a lithium-based thin film battery, the cathode is made of a lithium/transition metal compound, preferably an oxide, for example of LiCoO.sub.2, of LiMnO.sub.2, or else of LiFePO.sub.4. Furthermore, the electrolyte 6 is applied on the substrate and is at least partially overlapping cathode layer 5. In the case of a lithium-based thin film battery, this electrolyte is mostly LiPON, a compound of lithium with oxygen, phosphorus, and nitrogen. Furthermore, the electrical storage system 1 comprises an anode 7 which may for instance be made of lithium titanium oxide or else of metallic lithium. Anode layer 7 is at least partially overlapping electrolyte layer 6 and collector layer 4. Furthermore, the electrical storage system 1 comprises an encapsulation layer 8.

[0093] In the context of the present invention, any material which prevents or is capable of strongly reducing the attack of fluids or other corrosive materials on the electrical storage system 1 is considered as an encapsulation or sealing of the electrical storage system 1.

[0094] FIG. 2 schematically illustrates a sheet-like glass of a preferred embodiment according to the present invention, here in the form of a sheet-like shaped body 10. In the context of the present invention, a shaped body is referred to as being sheet-like or a sheet if its dimension in one spatial direction is not more than half of that in the two other spatial directions. A shaped body is referred to as a ribbon in the present invention if it has a length, width, and thickness for which the following relationship applies: the length is at least ten times larger than the width which in turn is at least twice as large as the thickness.

[0095] FIG. 3 shows the fracture probability for a totality of samples of sheet-like glasses with a composition corresponding to exemplary embodiment 2 and with a thickness of 70 μm with an temperature treatment according to exemplary embodiment 10. The samples examined here were not chemically toughened.

[0096] FIG. 4 shows the fracture probability for a totality of samples of sheet-like glasses with a composition corresponding to exemplary embodiment 2 with a thickness of 70 μm with an temperature treatment according to exemplary embodiment 10. The samples examined here had been chemically toughened (see exemplary embodiment 10).

[0097] In FIG. 5 the Weibull characteristics of FIGS. 3 and 4 are superimposed. The round symbols relate to the sheet-like glasses according to the invention, which were first chemically toughened and then subjected to a temperature treatment according to the exemplary embodiment 10 (see FIG. 4). The square symbols relate to the values obtained for non-toughened reference glasses (see FIG. 3). It is obvious that the Weibull distributions obtained for the respective totalities of samples are essentially identical, that is, they show no significant deviations. Thus, the cutting properties for the two sheet-like glasses are identical.

[0098] Thus, the method according to the invention significantly improves the handling of sheet-like glasses which are at least partially toughened, without causing an increase in the probability of fracture of the sheet-like glasses in the singularization process.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0099] 1 Electrical storage system [0100] 2 Sheet-like glass used as a substrate [0101] 3 Cathode collector layer [0102] 4 Anode collector layer [0103] 5 Cathode [0104] 6 Electrolyte [0105] 7 Anode [0106] 8 Encapsulation layer [0107] 10 Sheet-like glass