Rapidly grown IBAD LiPON films with high Li-ion conductivity and electrochemical stability

LiPON films have been produced by nitrogen ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD) of thermally evaporated Li3PO4. This process allowed us to rapidly deposit X-ray amorphous LiPON films with densities close to that of the handbook value for Li3PO4, high ionic conductivity (1.6 x 10(26) S/cm), electronic conductivity smaller than 8 x 10(-13) S/cm, and an electrochemical stability window of over 6.0 V. These properties, combined with the high deposition rates that can be achieved with this process (>1.0 nm/s), make it an attractive candidate for industrial production of LiPON thin films for Li-ion batteries. (C) 2002 The Electrochemical Society.