Scaling up picosecond laser ablation of a LATGP-type glass-ceramic solid electrolyte for all-solid-state battery production

Abstract

All-solid-state batteries are an intensively studied technology expected to complement conventional lithium-ion batteries in the near future. Research into fundamental production processes is crucial for enabling economic, industrial-scale all-solid-state battery production. Laser radiation is a production tool suited for contour cutting and surface structuring of inorganic solid electrolyte separators. In the scope of this work, the laser ablation of the commercial glass-ceramic solid electrolyte lithium aluminum germanium titanium phosphate (LAGTP) using ultrashort-pulsed laser radiation at different wavelengths, fluences, and pulse repetition rates is studied. Ablation thresholds, efficiencies, and rates were determined by manufacturing percussion drillings, trenches, and cavities. Geometry dependencies, such as the ablation rate decay with advancing depth during laser cutting, necessitated an application-oriented determination of ablation metrics. The surface qualities of the solid electrolyte layers were evaluated after laser ablation by scanning electron microscopy and surface roughness measurements. A wavelength of 532 nm was found to be beneficial compared to shorter and longer wavelengths in terms of productivity and ablation quality, reaching volume ablation efficiencies up to 36 μm3∙μJ−1 and surface roughnesses Sa below 500 nm. The determined metrics are discussed for ablation cutting and structuring of solid electrolyte layers in all-solid-state battery production, considering throughput and surface quality. The results provide insight into the ablation behavior of glass-ceramic materials and support the application of ultrashort-pulsed laser ablation in next-generation battery production.