TW201928094A - Method, evaporation source for forming a ceramic layer of a component of an electrochemical energy storage device and process chamber - Google Patents

Abstract

An evaporation source (102) for forming a ceramic layer of a component of an electrochemical energy storage device is provided. The evaporation source (102) includes a material source (140) configured to evaporate a material, and a gas supply having a first gas outlet (107a) configured to supply a first process gas and a second gas outlet (107b) configured to supply a second process gas, the first process gas including oxygen and the second process gas including hydrogen, the ceramic layer (52) being formed by at least the evaporated material, the first process gas and the second process gas.

Description

Method for forming a ceramic layer of an element of an electrochemical energy storage device, evaporation source and processing chamber

The embodiments of the present disclosure are related to several methods, an evaporation source, and a processing chamber for forming a ceramic layer of an element of an electrochemical energy storage device. The embodiments of the present disclosure are particularly related to a cathode, an anode, an electrolyte, or a separator for forming a lithium battery or a lithium ion (Li-ion) battery.

Electrical separators can be exemplified as separators used in batteries and other configurations. In batteries and other configurations, several electrodes are separated from each other while maintaining ionic conductivity.

Generally speaking, the separator includes thin, porous, and electrically insulating materials. Compared with the chemicals and solvents used in the system, it has high ionic porosity, good mechanical strength, and long-term stability. The chemicals and solvents used in this system are exemplified in the electrolyte of a battery. In batteries, the separator is usually completely electrically insulating the cathode and anode. In addition, the separator is usually permanently resilient and follows the movement in the system, not only blocking loads from the outside, but also preventing "breathing" of the electrodes during ion introduction and discharge.

In general, the spacer is related to the life and safety of the system that determines the use of the spacer. For example, the development of interchangeable batteries has been greatly influenced by the development of appropriate separator materials.

In particular, the separator used in high-energy batteries or high-performance batteries can be very thin to ensure low specific space conditions and to minimize internal resistance, and can have high porosity to ensure low internal resistance, and light weight to Achieve low specific weight of battery system.

The separator generally includes a ceramic layer, which is porous to the ions of the battery. In the case of a lithium battery, the ceramic layer may be porous to lithium ions (Li-ions). However, the ceramic layer may not be all porous. For example, the ceramic layer may include metal atoms, is not completely bound and may react with lithium ions during the charge / discharge of the lithium ion battery. As a result, battery performance may deteriorate.

In view of the above, the embodiments described herein focus on providing methods and systems for forming several elements of an electrochemical energy storage device, which can overcome at least some problems in the art. This disclosure focuses on providing several methods and systems for forming several elements of an electrochemical energy storage device, which can increase the charge transfer (discharge / charge rate) voltage and life of the electrochemical energy storage device.

In view of the above, a method, an evaporation source, and a processing chamber for forming several elements of an electrochemical energy storage device are proposed. Other aspects, advantages, and features of this application are made clearer through the scope, description, and accompanying drawings of the attached patent application.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a method for forming a ceramic layer of an element of an electrochemical energy storage device is provided. The method includes evaporating a material on a soft substrate; providing a first processing gas; and providing a second processing gas, the second processing gas including hydrogen, and the ceramic layer includes at least the evaporated material, the first processing gas, and the first Two process gases are formed.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, an evaporation source for forming a ceramic layer of an element of an electrochemical energy storage device is provided. The evaporation source includes a material source assembled to evaporate a material; and a gas supplier having a first gas outlet and a second gas outlet, the first gas outlet is assembled to provide a first process gas and a second gas outlet Assembled to provide a second process gas, the second process gas includes hydrogen; the ceramic layer is formed from at least an evaporated material, the first process gas, and the second process gas.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a processing chamber is proposed. The processing chamber includes an evaporation source. The evaporation source includes a material source assembled to evaporate a material; and a gas supplier having a first gas outlet and a second gas outlet, the first gas outlet is assembled to provide a first process gas and a second gas outlet Assembled to provide a second process gas, the second process gas includes hydrogen; the ceramic layer is formed from at least an evaporated material, the first process gas, and the second process gas. The processing chamber further includes a substrate transfer mechanism, which is assembled to transfer a soft substrate through the processing chamber. The evaporation source is arranged relative to the substrate transfer mechanism so that the ceramic layer is formed on the soft substrate.

Several examples also relate to equipment used to perform the disclosed methods, and include equipment components to perform the described method blocks. These method blocks may be implemented by hardware components, a computer programmed with suitable software, any combination of the two, or any other means. Furthermore, the examples according to this application also refer to several methods for operating the described equipment. These methods include several method blocks to perform the functions of the device. In order to have a better understanding of the above and other aspects of the present invention, the following specific examples are described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings:

Detailed reference will now be achieved with several embodiments of the present disclosure. One or more examples of the several embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the drawings. In the description below the drawings, the same reference numerals refer to the same elements. In particular, differences between individual embodiments will be described. Examples are provided by way of illustration and are not meant to be a limitation of this disclosure. The features described or described as part of one embodiment can be used in or combined with other embodiments to obtain yet other embodiments. It is expected that this disclosure includes such adjustments and changes.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an evaporation source 102 for forming a ceramic layer 52 of an element of an electrochemical energy storage device. The evaporation source 102 may be exemplarily configured in the processing chamber 100. The processing chamber 100 may be part of a processing system, such as a processing system for a vacuum processing system.

In the context of this disclosure, “electrochemical energy storage device” can be understood as an electrochemical energy storage that can be exchangeable or non-exchangeable. In this regard, the disclosure does not distinguish between the name "accumulator" on the one hand and "battery" on the other. In the context of this disclosure, the names "electrochemical energy storage device", "electrochemical device" and "electrochemical cell" may be used synonymously in the following. The name "electrochemical energy storage device" is exemplified as may also include a fuel cell. In the several embodiments described herein, an electrochemical cell can be understood as the basic or lowest functional unit of an energy storage. In industrial practice, multiple electrochemical cells can usually be connected in series or parallel to increase the overall energy capacity of the storage. In this context, reference may be made to multiple electrochemical cells. Industrially designed batteries can thus have a single battery, or multiple electrochemical cells connected in parallel or in series.

In general, an electrochemical energy storage device as an example of a basic functional unit may include two electrodes of opposite polarities, that is, a negative anode and a positive cathode. The cathode and anode can be separated by a separator. The separator is arranged between the cathode and the anode to avoid a short circuit between the cathode and the anode. The battery may be filled with an electrolyte. The electrolyte may be an ionic conductor, may be in the form of a liquid, a colloid, or sometimes a solid. The separator may be ion-pervious and allow ion exchange between the anode and cathode during a charge or discharge cycle. The components included in the electrochemical energy storage device can be understood as the elements of the electrochemical energy storage device. Therefore, a part or each of the above-mentioned components including the cathode, the anode, the electrolyte, and the separator can be regarded as components of the electrochemical energy storage device, but not limited to these components.

According to several embodiments described herein, the evaporation source 102 may include a material source 140 that is assembled to vaporize the material. The source of material 140 may be assembled to provide at least one element constituting the ceramic layer 52. The material source 140 may be assembled to evaporate a metal, such as aluminum.

According to several embodiments described herein, the evaporation source 102 may include a gas supplier configured to provide a process gas. In particular, the gas supplier may be equipped to supply at least a first and a second process gas. The processing gas may be a reaction gas, and in particular, the first processing gas and / or the second processing gas may be a reaction gas. In particular, the processing gas, especially the first processing gas and / or the second processing gas, may be a reaction gas that reacts with the material evaporated by the material source 140. In addition, the first processing gas and / or the second processing gas may be a reaction gas that reacts with the other of the first processing gas and the second processing gas. The product of the reaction between the first processing gas and the second processing gas may be a third processing gas, and the third processing gas may be a reaction gas. In particular, the third processing gas may be a reaction gas that reacts with the material evaporated by the material source 140. Therefore, any one of the first processing gas, the second processing gas, and the third processing gas may be a reaction gas that can react with the material evaporated by the material source 140.

The gas supplier may be assembled to provide at least one element constituting the ceramic layer 52. For example, the first processing gas and / or the second processing gas may be and / or include oxygen, ozone, argon, and combinations thereof. Furthermore, the gas supplier may be assembled to provide at least two elements constituting the ceramic layer 52. For example, the first process gas and / or the second process gas may be and / or include oxygen, ozone, argon, and combinations thereof, and / or the other of the first process gas and / or the second process gas may be Is and / or includes hydrogen, water vapor, argon, and combinations thereof. The first processing gas may be different from the second processing gas. The first processing gas may be a first reaction gas and / or the second processing gas may be a second reaction gas.

When the ceramic layer 52 is formed by evaporation, and in particular, the ceramic layer 52 is formed by reactive evaporation, the ceramic layer 52 may not be formed entirely stoichiometrically or non-stoichiometrically. In the context of this disclosure, "stoichiometry" is, for example, the stoichiometry of the ceramic layer 52, and can be understood as the calculation of the relative quantities of reactants and products in a chemical reaction. Therefore, "non-stoichiometric" or "incomplete stoichiometry" can mean a situation where the product does not include all reactants. Examples of alumina as the material of the ceramic layer 52, a complete stoichiometric reaction may _{4Al + 3O 2 = 2Al 2 O} 3. If the alumina is not formed in a fully stoichiometric or non-stoichiometric manner, the reaction product may be exemplified by Al ₂ O _2.5 . Therefore, any composition of AlO _x with x ≠ 1.5 may be considered non-stoichiometric or not formed at full stoichiometry. In this non-stoichiometric ceramic layer, particularly during charging and / or discharging of the electrochemical energy storage device, there may be unbound excess atoms that can react with elements of the electrochemical energy storage device. In the example of a lithium ion battery, for example, during the charging and / or discharging of a lithium ion battery, unbound excess atoms can react with lithium ions passing through the ceramic layer. In the example of alumina as the material of the ceramic layer 52, the unbound excess atom may be aluminum (Al).

According to several embodiments described herein, the gas supplier may have a first gas outlet 107a and / or a second gas outlet 107b. The first gas outlet 107a is assembled to provide a first process gas. The second gas outlet 107b is assembled to provide a second process gas. The first process gas includes oxygen and / or the second process gas includes hydrogen.

According to several embodiments described herein, the ceramic layer 52 may have a chemical composition including oxygen and hydrogen. For example, the ceramic layer 52 may be a layer including aluminum oxide and aluminum hydroxide. The ceramic layer 52 may additionally or alternatively be a layer of hydrated alumina. For example, the ceramic layer may include alumina and hydrogen dissolved in alumina. Therefore, instead of forming a pure alumina layer that may have the aforementioned stoichiometry problems, this application can provide an alternative ceramic layer 52 without accompanying stoichiometry problems. Therefore, a stoichiometric ceramic layer 52 may be formed, and in particular, a fully stoichiometric ceramic layer 52 may be formed.

In the case where aluminum hydroxide is the material or part of the material of the ceramic layer 52, aluminum hydroxide can be formed to have an improved stoichiometry, especially a complete stoichiometry, so that the total amount of unbound excess Al atoms is reduced. And / or alumina includes incremental Al ₂ O ₃ . In particular, without wishing to be bound by theory, hydroxides can be considered reactive materials, especially when compared to oxygen. Therefore, aluminum hydroxide can be formed with improved stoichiometry. Therefore, fewer elements of the electrochemical energy storage device can react with the ceramic layer 52, and less elements of the electrochemical energy storage device are, for example, the lithium ions described above. When several embodiments are implemented, higher discharge and / or recharge rates, higher voltages, and / or improved life can be achieved. As a result, improved charge migration, improved voltage, and / or extended cycle life can be achieved in practice.

Furthermore, the condensation of enthalpy can be reduced. Therefore, the temperature of the evaporation process can be reduced. In particular, the temperature experienced by the ceramic layer 52 and / or the soft substrate 111 can be reduced. When increasing the temperature may be advantageous, for example to increase the reaction rate and the completeness of the reaction, the elements to be formed as described herein may be or include thermally sensitive components. When implementing several embodiments, the thermal integrity of the elements to be formed can be ensured.

Furthermore, the mechanical robustness of the ceramic layer 52 can be improved. When implementing several embodiments, the manufacturing, post-processing, and storage of such electrochemical energy storage device components and electrochemical energy storage devices can be improved. In particular, the improved robustness of the ceramic layer 52 may help roll and / or reroll the ceramic layer 52 formed on the soft substrate 111.

Therefore, the ceramic layer 52 may be formed of at least the evaporated material, the first processing gas, and the second processing gas. In particular, the evaporation source 102 can be assembled to deposit a ceramic layer 52 on or on the soft substrate 111. In particular, the soft substrate may have a first side and / or a second side, and the second side is opposite to the first side. The ceramic layer 52 may be deposited on or over at least one of the first side and the second side of the soft substrate 111. According to several embodiments described herein, this at least partially ionizing process is capable of forming a ceramic layer 52 with improved stoichiometry.

In the context of the present disclosure, the “ceramic layer” is, for example, the ceramic layer 52, and can be understood to include a ceramic material or a layer formed of a ceramic material. "Ceramic materials" can be understood as inorganic, non-metal, solid materials including metals, non-metals, or metal atoms that are mainly bound by ions and covalent bonds. In the present disclosure, the ceramic material can be particularly understood as a dielectric material, and the dielectric material includes metal and oxygen atoms, for example, aluminum hydroxide, aluminum oxide, aluminum nitride, and the like. According to several embodiments described herein, the ceramic layer 52 may be an aluminum hydroxide layer.

According to several embodiments described herein, the ceramic material may be at least one non-conductive or very poorly conductive metal such as aluminum, silicon, lead, zirconium, titanium, hafnium, lanthanum, magnesium, zinc, tin, cerium, yttrium, Oxides of calcium, barium, strontium and combinations thereof. Although silicon is often referred to as a metalloid, in the context of this disclosure, silicon should be included whenever metal is mentioned. According to several embodiments described herein, the components of an electrochemical energy storage device can be optimized for use in an electrochemical cell containing a strong alkaline electrolyte by selecting, in particular, an alkali-resistant input material. For example, zirconium or titanium may be used instead of aluminum or silicon as an inorganic element forming the ceramic layer 52. In this example, the ceramic layer 52 may include zirconia or titanium oxide instead of alumina or silicon oxide.

In the example of the separator, the soft substrate 111 may be made of microporous polyethylene, polypropylene, polyolefin, and / or a laminate thereof, and / or include microporous polyethylene , Polypropylene, polyolefin, and / or a stack thereof.

In the case of a cathode, the soft substrate 111 may be made of and / or include aluminum. In this case, the cathode layer may be formed on the soft substrate 111. The ceramic layer 52 may be formed on the cathode layer. For example, the soft substrate 111 may have a thickness of 5 to 12 µm in the case of a cathode and / or the cathode layer may have a thickness of up to 100 µm. The soft substrate 111 may additionally or alternatively be a polymer material described herein or include a polymer material described herein, such as polyester, and an aluminum layer is deposited on the soft substrate 111. The polymer substrate may be thinner than an aluminum substrate and / or a deposited aluminum layer, for example. The deposited aluminum layer may have a thickness of about 0.5 µm to about 1 µm. When implementing several embodiments, the thickness of the cathode can be reduced.

In the case of an anode, the soft substrate 111 may be made of and / or include copper. In this case, an anode layer may be formed on the soft substrate 111. The ceramic layer 52 may be formed on the anode layer. For example, the soft substrate 111 may have a thickness of 5 to 12 µm in the case of an anode and / or the anode layer may have a thickness of up to 100 µm. The flexible substrate 111 may additionally or alternatively be a polymer material as described herein or include a polymer material as described herein, such as polyester, and a copper layer is deposited on the flexible substrate 111. The polymer substrate may be thinner than a copper substrate and / or a deposited copper layer, for example. The deposited copper layer may have a thickness of about 0.5 µm to about 1 µm. When implementing several embodiments, the thickness of the anode can be reduced.

According to several embodiments described herein, the ceramic layer 52 may be a porous layer or have a porosity. In particular, the ceramic layer 52 may be porous so that a certain element can pass through the ceramic layer 52.

The flexible substrate 111 may particularly include a flexible substrate, such as a plastic film, a web, a foil, a flexible glass, or a strip. The name soft substrate may also include other forms of soft substrate. The flexible substrate used with the embodiments described herein may be flexible. The name "soft substrate" or "substrate" can be used synonymously with the name "foil" or the name "grid". In particular, several of the embodiments described herein can be utilized to coat any kind of soft substrate, such as to make a flat coating with a uniform thickness, or to make a coating pattern or a coating structure into a predetermined Shaped on top of a coated structure on or under a soft substrate. In addition to ceramic layers, electronic devices and structures can be formed on soft substrates by masking, etching, and / or deposition.

According to several embodiments described herein, the soft substrate 111 may include a polymer material selected from the group. The group is: polyacrylonitrile, polyester, polyamide, polyimide, polyolefin, polytetrafluoroethylene, carmellose (carboxymethyl cellulose), polyacrylic acid, polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyphenyl ether, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride Vinylidene chloride, polyvinylidene fluoride, poly (vinylidenefluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene), polylactic acid, polypropylene ), Polybutylene, polybutylene terephthalate, polycarbonate, polytetrafluoroethylene, polystyrene, acrylonitrile-butadiene -Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, poly (methyl methacrylate), polyoxymethylene, poly (pol) ysulfone), styrene-acrylonitrile, styrene-butadiene rubber, ethylene vinyl acetate, styrene-maleic anhydride copolymer (styrene maleic anhydride), and combinations thereof. Any other polymer material that is stable in the strongly reducing conditions found in, for example, lithium-based electrochemical energy storage devices may also be used. According to several embodiments described herein, the soft substrate 111 and / or the ceramic layer 52 can be optimized for use in an electrochemical energy storage device containing a strong alkaline electrolyte by particularly selecting an alkali-resistant input material. For example, the flexible substrate 111 may include polyene or polyacrylonitrile instead of polyester.

According to several embodiments described herein, the material of the soft substrate 111, especially the polymer material, may have a high melting point, for example, equal to or greater than 200 ° C. An element of an electrochemical energy storage device including a polymer material having a high melting point may be useful in an electrochemical energy storage device having a fast charging cycle. In practice, and particularly with the high thermal stability of elements including polymer materials with high melting points according to several embodiments described herein, electrochemical energy storage devices equipped with such elements may not be too thermally sensitive , And can allow the temperature increase due to rapid charging, without adversely changing components or damaging the electrochemical energy storage device. When several embodiments are implemented, a faster charging cycle can be achieved, which can be beneficial in electric vehicles that can be charged in a shorter time.

According to several embodiments described herein, the soft substrate 111 with and without the ceramic layer 52 may have porosity in a range from 10% to 90%, and in particular, from 40% to 80% Porosity in the range. The soft substrate 111 and / or the ceramic layer 52 may actually provide a path for the electrolyte, and may reduce the electrolyte penetration time. In the context of this disclosure, “porosity” is, for example, the porosity of the soft substrate 111 and / or the ceramic layer 52, and may be related to the accessibility of the open pores. For example, porosity can be determined by common methods, for example, by the method of mercury porosimetry and / or it can be calculated from the volume and density of the material by assuming that all pores are open.

According to several embodiments described herein, the electrochemical energy storage device may be a lithium-ion battery. In a lithium-ion battery, the soft substrate 111 can often be made of microporous polyethylene and polyolefin. During the electrochemical reaction during the charge and discharge cycles, lithium ions migrate through the holes in the soft substrate 111 and / or the ceramic layer 52 between the two electrodes of the lithium ion battery. High porosity increases ionic conductivity. However, when, for example, lithium dendrites formed during a cycle cause a short circuit between electrodes, some soft substrates 111 having high porosity may be susceptible to electrical short circuits.

The disclosure can provide very thin components of electrochemical energy storage devices, such as very thin separators. When several embodiments are implemented, the proportion of the components of the electrochemical energy storage device that does not contribute to the activity of the electrochemical energy storage device may be reduced. Furthermore, a reduction in thickness can simultaneously lead to an increase in ionic conductivity. Elements according to several embodiments described herein may allow, for example, an increased density of battery stacks, so that a large amount of energy can be stored in the same volume. When several embodiments are implemented, the limited current density can be similarly increased in the enlarged electrode area.

The several embodiments described herein can be used to make spacers. The separator can be separated from the electrochemical energy storage device or directly integrated into the electrochemical energy storage device, such as a lithium-ion battery with an integrated separator, for example. In an integrated separator application, a single-layer separator or a multilayer separator may be formed directly on an electrode of an electrochemical energy storage device. Furthermore, the ceramic layer 52 may be coated on an electrode of an electrochemical energy storage device, such as an anode or a cathode. Therefore, the components of the electrochemical energy storage device may be a separator or a separator, an electrolyte, an anode, and / or a cathode.

According to several embodiments described herein, the ceramic layer 52 may be formed by an evaporation material, particularly a metal. In particular, the ceramic layer 52 may be formed by, for example, evaporating a metal in an induction heating crucible. Furthermore, for example, a processing gas such as oxygen may be provided to form the ceramic layer 52. According to several embodiments described herein, the ceramic layer 52 may be formed by reactive evaporation. When several embodiments are implemented, very high coating speeds can be achieved compared to general spacer coating techniques. A common spacer coating technique is, for example, dip-coating. In particular, the coating speed can be changed according to the thickness and form of the ceramic material to be formed on the soft substrate 111.

According to several embodiments described herein, the thickness of the ceramic layer formed on the flexible substrate 111 may be equal to or greater than 25 nm, particularly equal to or greater than 50 nm, and particularly equal to or greater than 100 nm, and / Or equal to or less than 1000 nm, especially equal to or less than 530 nm, and especially equal to or less than 150 nm. When implementing several embodiments, a very high energy density in an electrochemical energy storage device can be achieved.

The soft substrate 111 can be moved during processing in the processing chamber 100, for example, by the evaporation source 102. According to several embodiments described herein, a substrate transfer mechanism may be provided. For example, the soft substrate 111 may be conveyed through the evaporation source 102 along the conveyance path P.

As shown in FIG. 1, a first substrate support and / or a second substrate support may be provided. The second substrate supporting member is disposed at a distance from the first substrate supporting member. The first substrate support and / or the second substrate support may also be referred to as a roller, such as a first roller and / or a second roller. The first roller 22 and the second roller 24 may be part of a substrate transfer mechanism. According to several embodiments described herein, the soft substrate 111 may be transferred from the first roller 22 to the second roller 24. The soft substrate 111 can be carried from the first roller 22 along the conveying path P and / or to the second roller 24 (shown by a circle with a point in the center to indicate the conveying path P perpendicular to the projection plane). According to several embodiments described herein, the substrate transfer mechanism may be assembled to transfer the soft substrate 111 to the second roller 24 along the transfer path P from the first roller 22. The evaporation source 102 may be disposed at a position between the first roller 22 and the second roller 24. According to several embodiments described herein, the evaporation source 102 may be configured along the transfer path P. According to several embodiments described herein, the ceramic layer 52 may be formed when the soft substrate 111 is transferred from the first roller 22 to the second roller 24.

In some applications, the soft substrate 111 can be unrolled from the storage roller, can be conveyed on the outer surface of the coating drum, and can be guided along the outer surface of other rollers. The coated soft substrate can be wound on a winding reel.

In the content of this disclosure, for example, "roller", "roller" or "roller device" as part of a roller assembly can be understood as providing a surface A device, such as a substrate (or a portion of a flexible substrate 111) that is a soft substrate 111 (or a portion of the flexible substrate 111) may be contacted during the substrate's presence in a deposition configuration (such as a deposition equipment or evaporation chamber) This surface. At least a part of the roller device may include a circular shape for contacting the substrate. In some embodiments, the roller device may have a substantially cylindrical shape. This substantially cylindrical shape may be formed around a linear longitudinal axis or may be formed around a curved longitudinal axis. According to some embodiments, a roller device as described herein may be adapted to contact a soft substrate. The roller device referred to herein may be a guide roller, a spreader roller, a deflection roller, or the like. The guide roller is suitable for guiding the substrate when the substrate is coated (or part of the substrate is coated) or when the substrate is present in the processing equipment. Coater rollers are suitable to provide a defined tension on the substrate to be coated. The deflection roller is used to deflect the substrate according to a defined path of travel.

According to several embodiments described herein, the processing chamber may be equipped for processing a soft substrate 111 having a length of 500 m or more, 1000 m or more, or several kilometers. The substrate width may be 100 mm or more, 300 mm or more, 500 mm or more, or 1 m or more. The substrate width may be 5 m or less, especially 2 m or less. In general, the substrate thickness can be 5 µm or more and 200 µm or less, especially from 15 µm to 20 µm.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a processing chamber 100 for depositing a ceramic layer 52 on a surface of a soft substrate 111. The processing chamber 100 may include a loading / unloading chamber 101. The loading / unloading chamber 101 may be assembled to load and / or unload the soft substrate 111 into and from the processing chamber 100. According to several embodiments described herein, the loading / unloading chamber may be maintained under vacuum during processing of the soft substrate 111. The vacuum device 190 may be provided to exhaust the loading / unloading chamber 101, and the vacuum device 190 is, for example, a vacuum pump.

According to several embodiments described herein, the loading / unloading chamber 101 may include an unwinding module 110 and / or a rewinding module 130. The unwinding module 110 may include a unwinding roller for unwinding the soft substrate 111. During processing, the soft substrate 111 may be unrolled (indicated by arrow 113) and / or guided to the coating drum 120 by one or more guide rollers 112. After processing, the soft substrate 111 can be wound (arrow 114) on a rewinding roller in the rewinding module 130.

Furthermore, the loading / unloading chamber 101 may include a tension module 180, for example, including one or more tension rollers. The loading / unloading chamber 101 may also additionally or alternatively include a pivot device 170, such as a pivot arm, for example. The pivot device 170 may be assembled to be movable relative to the rewind module 130.

According to several embodiments described herein, the unwinding module 110, the rewinding module 130, the guide roller 112, the pivot device 170, and the tension module 180 may be a substrate transfer mechanism and / or a roller assembly Part of it.

According to several embodiments described herein, the processing chamber 100 may include an evaporation chamber 103. The evaporation chamber 103 may include an evaporation source 102. The evaporation source 102 may be similar to or the same as the evaporation source 102 described in particular with reference to FIG. 1. The evaporation chamber 103 may be exhausted by a vacuum device 190, and the vacuum device 190 may also be used to exhaust the loading / unloading chamber 101. The evaporation chamber 103 may additionally or alternatively have a vacuum device, and this vacuum device for loading / unloading the chamber 101 with exhaust gas may also be used separately from the vacuum device 190.

As exemplarily shown in FIG. 2, the evaporation source 102 may include a material source 140. The material source 140 can be assembled to evaporate materials, especially metals. According to several embodiments described herein, the material source 140 may include one or more evaporation dishes. The material source 140 may further include one or more lines routed into the material source 140. In particular, there can be one line for each evaporation dish. The one or more lines may include and / or be made from a material to be evaporated. In particular, the one or more wires may provide a material that will evaporate.

According to several embodiments described herein, the material source 140 may be one or more induction heating crucibles. With radio frequency (RF) induction heating, especially intermediate frequency (MF) induction heating, induction heating crucibles can be exemplified as being assembled to evaporate metals in a vacuum environment. Furthermore, the metal may be provided in an exchangeable crucible, such as, for example, one or more graphite containers. The exchangeable crucible may include an insulating material surrounding the crucible. One or more induction coils can be wound around the crucible and insulating material. According to several embodiments described herein, the one or more induction coils may be water cooled. Where an interchangeable crucible is used, there is no need to place a wire into the material source 140. The exchangeable crucible can be pre-loaded with metal and can be replaced or replenished periodically. In particular, supplying metals in batches has the advantage of accurately controlling the total amount of evaporated metal.

Unlike the conventional evaporation method that uses a resistance heating crucible to evaporate metal, the induction heating crucible provides a heating process generated inside the crucible, instead of providing an external heating process through heat conduction. Induction heating crucibles have the advantage of very fast and uniform heating of all walls of the crucible. The evaporation temperature of metal can be controlled more closely than that of a general resistance heating crucible. When using an induction heating crucible, heating the crucible above the evaporation temperature of the metal may not be necessary. When several embodiments are implemented, more controllable and efficient metal evaporation can be provided to make the ceramic layer formed on the soft substrate more uniform. By reducing the possibility of splattering of evaporated metal, precise control of the temperature of the crucible can also avoid / reduce pin hole and through hole defects in the ceramic layer. Defects in pin holes and through holes in separators may cause short circuits in electrochemical cells.

According to several embodiments described herein, an induction heating crucible can be exemplified by being surrounded by one or more induction coils (not shown in the drawings). The induction coil can be part of the induction heating crucible. Furthermore, the induction coil and the induction heating crucible can be provided as separate components. Separate induction heating crucibles and induction coils provide easy maintenance of the evaporation equipment.

According to several embodiments described herein, the evaporation source may include one or more electrode beam sources. The one or more electrode beam sources may provide one or more electrode beams to evaporate the material to be evaporated.

According to several embodiments described herein, a power source 240 may be provided (see FIG. 3). The power source 240 can be connected to the induction coil. The power source may be an alternating current (AC) power source and may be assembled to provide power with low voltage but high current and high frequency. Furthermore, the reaction power can be increased by including a resonance coil, for example. According to several embodiments described herein, in addition to or in place of a conductive material, an induction heating crucible may be exemplified by including a ferromagnetic material. Examples of magnetic materials include improved induction heating processes and better control of the evaporation temperature of metals.

According to several embodiments described herein, the coating drum 120 of the processing chamber 100 can separate the loading / unloading chamber 101 and the evaporation chamber 103. The coating drum 120 may be assembled to guide the soft substrate 111 into the evaporation chamber 103. In particular, the coating drum 120 may be disposed in the processing chamber so that the soft substrate 111 can pass above the evaporation source 102. According to several embodiments described herein, the coating drum 120 may be cooled.

According to several embodiments described herein, the evaporation source 102 may include a gas supplier for supplying a process gas. The gas supplier may include a first gas guiding device and / or a second gas guiding device. The first gas guiding device and / or the second gas guiding device may be configured to controllably guide the first processing gas and / or the second processing gas into the evaporation source 102 and / or the evaporation chamber 103. The first gas guide device and / or the second gas guide device may include, for example, a nozzle and a supply pipe, and are connected to the first process gas supplier and / or the second process gas supplier, for example, to provide a first process gas And / or the second processing gas into the evaporation source 102 and / or the evaporation chamber 103.

According to several embodiments described herein, the first processing gas and the second processing gas may be provided at a ratio of one of the first processing gas and the second processing gas. This ratio can be adjusted so that the stoichiometry of the ceramic layer 52 can be set. For example, the ratio of the first processing gas and the second processing gas can be set so that a stoichiometric ceramic layer 52 can be formed, and in particular, a fully stoichiometric ceramic layer 52 can be formed.

The processing gas may be a reaction gas, and in particular, the first processing gas and / or the second processing gas may be a reaction gas. In particular, the processing gas, especially the first processing gas and / or the second processing gas, may be a reaction gas that reacts with the material evaporated by the material source 140. In addition, the first processing gas and / or the second processing gas may be a reaction gas that reacts with the other of the first processing gas and the second processing gas. The product of the reaction between the first processing gas and the second processing gas may be a third processing gas, and the third processing gas may be a reaction gas. In particular, the third processing gas may be a reaction gas that reacts with the material evaporated by the material source 140. Therefore, any one of the first processing gas, the second processing gas, and the third processing gas may be a reaction gas that can react with the material evaporated by the material source 140.

The gas supplier may be assembled to provide at least one element constituting the ceramic layer 52. For example, the first processing gas and / or the second processing gas may be and / or include oxygen, ozone, argon, and combinations thereof. Furthermore, the gas supplier may be assembled to provide at least two elements constituting the ceramic layer 52. For example, the first process gas and / or the second process gas may be and / or include oxygen, ozone, argon, and combinations thereof, and / or the other of the first process gas and / or the second process gas may be Is and / or includes hydrogen, water vapor, argon, and combinations thereof. The first processing gas may be different from the second processing gas. The first processing gas may be a first reaction gas and / or the second processing gas may be a second reaction gas.

For the case where oxygen is included in the first processing gas and / or water vapor is included in the second processing gas, oxygen and / or water vapor may be exemplified to react with the evaporated metal to form a ceramic layer 52 on a soft substrate. Wood 111. In the context of this disclosure, water vapor can be understood as a processing gas containing hydrogen. Elements of an electrochemical energy storage device such as a separator or a separator, an electrolyte, a cathode, and an anode may include Al (OH) ₃ . Metals such as aluminum can be exemplified by induction heating crucible evaporation, and oxygen and water vapor can be provided to the evaporated metal via a gas guide.

According to several embodiments described herein, the second processing gas may include water vapor. Water vapor can be supplied in particular to a vacuum environment. Furthermore, the first processing gas may include oxygen, and the second processing gas may include water vapor. In particular, supplying oxygen and hydrogen to the evaporation source 102 may cause water vapor to form in the evaporation source 102. Furthermore, when water vapor may cause adverse reactions with lithium, the flow rate may be adjusted so that no or substantially no water vapor remains on the element to be formed.

The evaporation source 102 may include a plasma source 108. The plasma source can be assembled to at least partially ionize and / or dissociate the process gas. In particular, the plasma source 108 may be assembled to generate a plasma between the material source 140 and the coating drum 120. The plasma source 108 may be exemplified by an electron beam device that is configured to ignite the plasma using the electron beam. According to other embodiments described herein, the plasma source may be a hollow anode deposition plasma source. By further reducing the possibility of splattering of evaporated metal, plasma can help avoid / reduce pin holes and through holes in porous coatings on substrates. Plasma can also excite particles of evaporated metal. According to several embodiments described herein, plasma can increase the density and uniformity of porous coatings deposited on soft substrates.

According to several embodiments described herein, the evaporation source 102 may include a plasma source 108 configured to at least partially ionize the processing gas. In particular, the plasma source 108 may be assembled to generate a plasma between the material source 140 and the outlet of the evaporation source 102. In particular, the plasma source 108 may be assembled to generate a plasma between the material source 140 and the first gas guide and / or the second gas guide. That is, the plasma source 108 can be assembled to generate a plasma between the material source 140 and the soft substrate 111 to be coated. When several embodiments are implemented, the stoichiometry of the ceramic layer 52 can be improved. According to an advantageous embodiment, a fully stoichiometric ceramic layer 52 can be obtained virtually.

According to several embodiments described herein, the processing chamber may include an oxidation module 150. The oxidation module 150 may be an annealing module for annealing the ceramic layer 52. As shown in FIG. 2, the oxidation module 150 may be disposed downstream of the evaporation chamber 103. The oxidation module 150 can be assembled so that the ceramic layer 52 is in an oxidation environment and / or an annealing environment. According to several embodiments described herein, the ceramic layer 52 may be in an oxidizing environment and / or an annealing environment, particularly at elevated temperatures. Furthermore, the oxidation module 150 can be assembled to place the ceramic layer in an oxidation environment and / or an annealing environment at an oxidation distance and / or an annealing distance. The oxidation distance and / or annealing distance may be long enough to obtain the desired total amount of oxidation and / or annealing. When several embodiments are implemented, the stoichiometry of the ceramic layer 52 can be improved. According to an advantageous embodiment, a fully stoichiometric ceramic layer 52 can be obtained virtually.

In the content of this application, the “oxidizing environment” is, for example, an oxidizing environment in which the ceramic layer 52 can be located, and can be understood as an environment that is favorable for the oxidation reaction. An example is to improve the stoichiometry of the ceramic layer 52. According to several embodiments described herein, the oxidizing environment may contain more than 20 vol .-% oxygen.

According to several embodiments described herein, the oxidation module 150 may include a gas component. The gas assembly can be assembled to provide an oxidizing gas, such as oxygen. According to several embodiments described herein, the oxidation module 150 may include a heating element (not shown). The heating assembly can be assembled to increase the temperature of at least one of the supplied oxidizing gas, the soft substrate 111 and the ceramic layer 25.

According to several embodiments described herein, the oxidation module 150 may include a suction device. The suction device can be assembled to suck an excessive amount of an oxidizing gas, that is, an oxidizing gas that is not used to oxidize the ceramic layer 52. The suction device may be disposed with respect to the soft substrate 111 and opposite to the gas component. Therefore, the processing gas supplied from the gas assembly can be supplied to the ceramic layer 52, passed through the soft substrate 111, and sucked by the suction device. When several embodiments are implemented, contamination of the processing chamber 100 can be avoided.

Furthermore, the oxidation module 150 may include a plasma source. The plasma source of the oxidation module 150 can be assembled to generate a plasma between the gas component and the soft substrate. An example of the plasma source of the oxidation module 150 is an electron beam device, which is assembled to ignite the plasma using the electron beam. According to other embodiments described herein, the plasma source may be a hollow anode deposition plasma source. Furthermore, the plasma source of the oxidation module 150 may be the same or similar to the plasma source 108 of the evaporation source 102 described in particular with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. Plasma can ionize and / or heat the oxidizing gas supplied by the gas assembly. Therefore, the oxidation rate of the ceramic layer 52 can be increased.

According to several embodiments described herein, the oxidation module 150 may include a heating component. The heating assembly can be assembled to increase the temperature of at least one of the oxidation chamber, the oxidation environment, the soft substrate 111 and the ceramic layer 52. In particular, the heating assembly can be assembled to produce an elevated temperature. Therefore, the oxidation rate of the ceramic layer 52 can be increased. When implementing several embodiments, a fully stoichiometric ceramic layer can be obtained.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the processing chamber 100 shown in FIG. 2. According to several embodiments described herein, the evaporation source 102 may include an airflow controller 220. The airflow controller 220 may be assembled to independently set a first gas flow rate of the first process gas and / or a second gas flow rate of the second process gas. The first gas flow rate of the first processing gas may be different from the second gas flow rate of the second processing gas.

The airflow controller 220 may be connected to at least one of the first gas guiding device and the second gas guiding device. For example, the airflow controller 220 may be configured to adjust the flow rate and / or power supplied to the first gas guide and / or the second gas guide.

According to several embodiments described herein, the first processing gas and the second processing gas may be provided at a ratio of one of the first processing gas and the second processing gas. This ratio can be adjusted so that the stoichiometry of the ceramic layer 52 can be set. For example, the ratio of the first processing gas and the second processing gas can be set so that a stoichiometric ceramic layer 52 can be formed, and in particular, a fully stoichiometric ceramic layer 52 can be formed.

Furthermore, the airflow controller 220 may be a part of the processing chamber 100, for example, a part of a control system of the processing chamber 100. According to several embodiments described herein, the processing chamber 100 may include a control system. The control system may be connected to at least one of the evaporation source 102, the oxidation module 150, the first gas guiding device, the second gas guiding device, the plasma source 108, and the power source 240. According to several embodiments described herein, the control system may be equipped to adjust the power supplied to the evaporation source 102, the power supplied to the plasma source 108, the first gas guiding device and / or the second gas guiding device. The total amount of processing gas and / or the orientation of the gas flow leading to the evaporation source 102, the total amount of the oxidation gas supplied by the oxidation module 150 and / or the orientation of the gas flow of the oxidation gas, and the At least one.

According to several embodiments described herein, the first gas guide and / or the second gas guide may be configured to provide the first process gas and / or in a direction approximately parallel to the evaporation direction 230 of the material. The flow of the second process gas. According to several embodiments described herein, the orientation of the gas flow provided by the first gas guiding device and / or the second gas guiding device may be adjusted according to at least one of the uniformity and composition of the ceramic layer 52. When implementing several embodiments, it is possible to ensure a more efficient reaction between the first processing gas and / or the second processing gas and the evaporated material to form a ceramic layer. By being able to more accurately control the total amount of the first process gas and / or the second process gas, the first gas guide and / or the second gas guide is configured to be substantially parallel to the material from the material source 140 Guiding the first reaction gas and / or the second reaction gas in the direction of the evaporation direction 230 may also help to better control the coating process. The first process gas and / or the second process gas system reacts with the evaporated material.

According to several embodiments described herein, the plasma 210 may be guided in a direction that is substantially perpendicular to the evaporation direction 230 of the metal. When implementing several embodiments, splashing of evaporated metal can be avoided and / or pin hole defects of the ceramic layer can be reduced.

Although the oxidation module 150 is shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 to be arranged in series with the evaporation source 102, the oxidation module 150 may be configured offline as described above. For example, the oxidation chamber may be disposed at the configurable oxidation module 150. The oxidation chamber may be separated from the evaporation chamber 103. Furthermore, the oxidation chamber may be separated from the processing chamber 100. In addition, the processing chamber 100 may be a multi-chamber system including a plurality of processing chambers, such as an evaporation chamber 103 and / or an oxidation chamber. Furthermore, the processing chamber 100 may include a storage chamber. In the storage chamber, before the re-rolled soft substrate 111 having the ceramic layer 52 deposited on the soft substrate 111 can be transferred to the oxidation chamber, the re-rolled soft substrate having the ceramic layer 52 deposited on the soft substrate 111 The substrate 111 can be stored.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a method 500 for forming a ceramic layer of an element of an electrochemical energy storage device. This method may include operating at least one of 510-530. According to operation 510, the material may be evaporated on or above the soft substrate 111. According to operation 520, a first process gas may be provided. The first processing gas may include oxygen. According to operation 530, a second processing gas may be provided. The second processing gas may include hydrogen. The ceramic layer 52 may be formed from an at least evaporated material and this at least partially ionized processing gas. When implementing several embodiments, ceramic layers with improved stoichiometry can be obtained.

FIG. 5 illustrates a method 300 for forming a component of an electrochemical energy storage device. According to embodiments described herein, the method 300 may include providing 310 a soft substrate having a front side and a back side. According to several embodiments described herein, providing a soft substrate may include guiding the soft substrate from the unwinding module through a coating drum of an evaporation device to the rewinding module.

According to several embodiments described herein, this method may further include evaporating 320 materials, especially evaporating materials in an induction heating crucible. In particular, according to several embodiments described herein, aluminum and / or silicon can be evaporated by an induction heating crucible. In several embodiments herein, the method further includes providing 330 ceramic layers to at least one of the front side and the back side of the soft substrate.

According to several embodiments described herein, evaporating metal in an induction heating crucible may further include inducing the evaporation temperature of 340 metal evaporation, and adjusting the power provided to evaporate metal in the induction heating crucible according to the induction evaporation temperature . Monitoring and adjusting the evaporation temperature can improve the energy efficiency of the method used to form the elements of the electrochemical energy storage device, and / or can help avoid any pinhole defects of the porous coating provided to the soft substrate.

In several embodiments described herein, the ceramic layer provided to the soft substrate may have a thickness from about 25 nm to about 300 nm, for example, a thickness from 100 nm to 200 nm.

According to several embodiments described herein, the ceramic layer 52 forming the element of the electrochemical energy storage device may further include providing 350 a first processing gas to the evaporated metal. The first processing gas is, for example, oxygen. The first reaction gas may be provided in a direction substantially parallel to the evaporation direction of the metal.

According to several embodiments described herein, the ceramic layer 52 forming the element of the electrochemical energy storage device may further include providing 360 a second processing gas to the evaporated metal. The second processing gas is, for example, water vapor. The second reaction gas may be provided in a direction substantially parallel to the evaporation direction of the metal.

The method for forming an element of an electrochemical energy storage device may further include providing a 370 plasma between the evaporated metal and the soft substrate. Plasma can increase the stoichiometry and / or density of porous coatings on soft substrates, and can also help reduce pinhole defects in porous coatings. When several embodiments are implemented, the stoichiometry of the ceramic layer can be improved. It is even possible to actually obtain a fully stoichiometric ceramic layer. In particular, according to several embodiments described herein, the plasma may be provided by way of example as an electron beam device or a hollow anode deposition plasma source. The density of the porous coating may be affected by the density of the plasma.

The stoichiometry of the porous layer deposited on the soft substrate can be exemplified by the evaporation rate of the metal, the total amount of processing gas provided to the evaporated material, and / or plasma ionization of the processing gas. Other aspects that may affect the stoichiometry of the deposited porous layer may be the pressure difference between the vacuum inside the evaporation chamber and the pressure of the surrounding atmosphere.

According to several embodiments described herein, the method for forming an electrochemical energy storage device may include subjecting the ceramic layer 52 to an oxidizing environment at an elevated temperature of 380.

This written description uses several examples, including best practices, to disclose this disclosure, and is also capable of implementing the stated objectives, including manufacturing and using any equipment or system and performing any incorporated methods. When several specific embodiments have been disclosed in the foregoing, the non-exclusive features of the above embodiments may be combined with each other. The patentable scope is defined by the scope of the patent application, and if the example has structural elements that are not different from the literal language of the patent scope, or if the example includes equivalent structural elements, and the equivalent structural element is When the language is non-substantial, other examples are intended to be included in the scope of the patent application. In summary, although the present invention has been disclosed as above with the embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Those with ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains can make various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention shall be determined by the scope of the attached patent application.

22‧‧‧The first roller

24‧‧‧Second Roller

52‧‧‧ceramic layer

100‧‧‧ treatment chamber

101‧‧‧ Loading / unloading chamber

102‧‧‧ evaporation source

103‧‧‧ evaporation chamber

107a‧‧‧First gas outlet

107b‧‧‧Second gas outlet

108‧‧‧ Plasma source

110‧‧‧Unwinding module

111‧‧‧ soft substrate

112‧‧‧Guide roller

113, 114‧‧‧ arrows

120‧‧‧ coating drum

130‧‧‧ Rewind Module

140‧‧‧Material source

150‧‧‧ Oxidation Module

170‧‧‧ Pivot device

180‧‧‧ tension module

190‧‧‧Vacuum device

210‧‧‧ Plasma

220‧‧‧Airflow controller

230‧‧‧ evaporation direction

240‧‧‧ Power

300, 500‧‧‧ methods

310-380‧‧‧step

510-530‧‧‧ Operation

P‧‧‧ Transmission path

In order to make the above features of the present disclosure understandable in detail, a more specific description, which is briefly extracted from the above disclosure, may refer to several embodiments. The attached drawings relate to several embodiments of the disclosure and are described below:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an evaporation source used to form an element of an electrochemical energy storage device according to several embodiments. The electrochemical energy storage device is disposed in a processing chamber;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a processing chamber used to form an element of an electrochemical energy storage device according to several embodiments; FIG.

Figure 3 shows an enlarged view of the processing chamber shown in Figure 2;

FIG. 4 illustrates a method for forming an element of an electrochemical energy storage device according to several embodiments; and

FIG. 5 illustrates a method for forming an element of an electrochemical energy storage device according to several embodiments.

Claims (20)

A method for forming a ceramic layer (52) of an element of an electrochemical energy storage device, comprising: evaporating a material on a soft substrate (111); providing a first processing gas; and providing a second A processing gas, the second processing gas includes hydrogen, and the ceramic layer (52) is formed by at least the material, the first processing gas, and the second processing gas that have been evaporated. The method according to item 1 of the patent application scope, wherein the ceramic layer (52) has a chemical composition, including oxygen and hydrogen. The method according to item 1 or 2 of the patent application scope, wherein the ceramic layer (52) is an aluminum hydroxide layer. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the electrochemical energy storage device is a lithium battery. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the element is an isolation film. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the element is an electrode. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the second processing gas system is water vapor. The method according to item 3 of the scope of patent application, wherein the second processing gas system is water vapor. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the first processing gas and the second processing gas system are provided as a ratio of the first processing gas and the second processing gas, and the ratio The system is adjustable so that a stoichiometry of one of the ceramic layers can be set. The method according to item 3 of the scope of patent application, wherein the first processing gas and the second processing gas system are provided by a ratio of the first processing gas and the second processing gas, and the ratio is adjustable, Makes one stoichiometry of the ceramic layer settable. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, further comprising: transferring the soft substrate (111) from a first roller (22) to a second roller (24), the ceramic The layer (52) is formed when the soft substrate (111) is transferred from the first roller (22) to the second roller (24). An evaporation source (102) for forming a ceramic layer of an element of an electrochemical energy storage device. The evaporation source includes: a material source (140) that is assembled to evaporate a material; and a gas supplier having a A first gas outlet (107a) and a second gas outlet (107b), the first gas outlet is assembled to provide a first processing gas, and the second gas outlet is assembled to provide a second processing gas, the second processing gas Including hydrogen, the ceramic layer (52) is formed by at least the material, the first processing gas, and the second processing gas that have been evaporated. The evaporation source (102) according to item 12 of the scope of patent application, further comprising: a gas flow controller (220), which is configured to independently set a first gas flow rate of the first processing gas and the second processing gas One of the second gas flow rate. The evaporation source (102) according to item 12 or 13 of the scope of the patent application, wherein the gas flow controller (220) is assembled to provide the first process by using a ratio of the first process gas and the second process gas. The ratio of the gas and the second processing gas is adjustable, so that a stoichiometry of one of the ceramic layers can be set. A processing chamber (100), comprising: an evaporation source (102) as described in item 14 of the scope of patent application; and a substrate transfer mechanism configured to transfer a soft substrate (111) through the processing chamber; wherein The evaporation source (102) is arranged relative to the substrate transfer mechanism so that the ceramic layer (52) is formed on the soft substrate (111). A processing chamber (100), comprising: an evaporation source (102) as described in item 12 of the scope of patent application; and a substrate transfer mechanism configured to transfer a soft substrate (111) through the processing chamber; wherein The evaporation source (102) is arranged relative to the substrate transfer mechanism so that the ceramic layer (52) is formed on the soft substrate (111). A processing chamber (100), comprising: the evaporation source (102) as described in item 13 of the scope of patent application; and a substrate transfer mechanism configured to transfer a soft substrate (111) through the processing chamber; wherein The evaporation source (102) is arranged relative to the substrate transfer mechanism so that the ceramic layer (52) is formed on the soft substrate (111). The processing chamber (100) according to item 15 of the scope of patent application, wherein the substrate conveying mechanism includes a first roller (22) and a second roller (24), and is assembled from the first roller (22) The soft substrate (111) is conveyed to the second roller (24) along a conveying path (P), and the evaporation source (102) is arranged along the conveying path (P). The processing chamber (100) according to item 18 of the scope of patent application, wherein the processing chamber (100) is a vacuum processing chamber. The processing chamber (100) according to item 15 of the scope of patent application, wherein the processing chamber (100) is a vacuum processing chamber.