Solid-State Lithium Microbatteries

Batteries of the size of microelectronic devices, less than 10 mu m thick, are now being developed and built, using thin-film deposition technologies, i.e., flash-evaporation, rf-sputtering and sol-gel technique, that are compatible with integrated circuits. Their use in future microdevices, microsensors, intergrated circuits, memories and very large-scale integration are envisaged. Advances have been made particularly in the engineering of lithium/amorphous inorganic electrolyte/layered compound cells. Physics of the solid-state microbatteries are reviewed and the latest advances presented. The adequacy and efficiency of materials is examined. New optimized lithium microbatteries including transition-metal oxides as intercalation cathodes, i.e., MoO(3), V(2)O(5), and V(6)O(13) films are presented and their advantages are discussed in detail.