LiCoO2 cathode thin film fabricated by RF sputtering for lithium ion microbatteries

Thin films of lithium cobalt oxide were deposited on Pt or Pt/Ti/quartz glass substrates by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering at the substrate temperatures from room temperature to 500 °C. As the substrate temperature increased, the film structure changed from amorphous structure to crystallinity with a strong (003) texture as characterized by X-ray diffraction. The surface morphology and cross-section were observed using scanning electron microscopy. It was found that the films tended to crack at a high substrate temperature. Charge–discharge tests of these films were conducted and compared. The different electrochemical characteristics of these films were attributed to the modified crystallography, morphology, and thermal stress. The LiCoO2 film deposited at 400 °C showed a well-defined 4.0 V voltage plateau on charge and a 3.9 V plateau on discharge, and delivered 54.5 μAh/cm2 μm at the first discharge capacity, with good cycling performance, giving evidence that such films could be used as the thin film cathodes for lithium microbatteries.