Lithium-Ion Battery Processing Using Tailored Bursts of Infrared Ultrashort Pulses for Improved Quality and Cutting Speed

Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries are a key factor driving rapid growth in many diverse technology sectors, from electric vehicles to consumer electronics. A key hallmark of the technology is the ability to store and deliver high power densities in compact and lightweight packages that are not only extremely rugged but are also amenable to a wide range of geometries and configurations. As with many advanced and rapidly evolving technologies, lasers play an important role in both the development and manufacturing of Li-ion batteries, helping to deliver affordable, high-quality, and high-performance products in high volumes. One area of Li-ion battery production that requires both high quality and high throughput is the cutting of coated and uncoated materials for the anode and cathode electrodes. While continuous-wave (CW) and nanosecond pulsed lasers are currently employed for these tasks, there is the potential for new and improved processes.

Bovatsek presents results for cutting Li-ion battery materials with a high-power ultrashort-pulse (USP) laser using a unique pulse-output (burst) tailoring capability. Cutting speeds are optimized with respect to laser pulse energy, and the distribution thereof, for graphite coated copper (anode) and LiNiCoMnO2 (NMC)-coated aluminum (cathode), as well as for their respective uncoated metal foils. Results show a clear benefit to using a burst of pulses for all materials studied, greatly improving cutting speeds and maintaining or improving quality compared to single-pulse processing.

About the presenter
Jim Bovatsek is a manager of applications engineering at MKS Spectra-Physics’ industrial applications laboratory in Milpitas, Calif. He has focused on laser applications development using nanosecond, picosecond, and femtosecond pulsed lasers since 2000, generating various patents and publications. He holds a B.Sc. in physics from the University of California, Santa Barbara.