Thin solid electrolytic capacitor embeddable in a substrate
View Patent ↗An improved method for forming a capacitor. The method includes the steps of: providing a metal foil; forming a dielectric on the metal foil; applying a non-conductive polymer dam on the dielectric to isolate discrete regions of the dielectric; forming a cathode in at least one discrete region of the discrete regions on the dielectric; and cutting the metal foil at the non-conductive polymer dam to isolate at least one capacitor comprising one cathode, one discrete region of the dielectric and a portion of the metal foil with the discrete region of the dielectric.
1. A method for forming a capacitor comprising:
providing a conductive foil;
forming a dielectric on said conductive foil;
applying a non-conductive dam on said dielectric to isolate discrete regions of said dielectric;
forming a cathode in at least one discrete region of said discrete regions on said dielectric; and
cutting at said non-conductive dam to isolate at least one capacitor comprising at least one said cathode, at least one said discrete region of said dielectric and a portion of said conductive foil comprising said at least one discrete region of said dielectric.
2. The method for forming a capacitor of claim 1 wherein said non-conductive dam comprises a polymer.
3. The method for forming a capacitor of claim 1 further comprising applying a carbon layer to said cathode.
4. The method for forming a capacitor of claim 3 further comprising applying a metal layer to said carbon layer.
5. The method for forming a capacitor of claim 1 further comprising applying a metal layer to said cathode layer.
6. The method for forming a capacitor of claim 1 wherein conductive foil comprises a metal.
7. The method for forming a capacitor of claim 1 wherein said conductive foil comprises a valve metal or a conductive oxide of a valve metal.
8. The method for forming a capacitor of claim 7 wherein said valve metal is selected from the group consisting of aluminum, tantalum, titanium, niobium, zirconium, and hafnium.
9. The method for forming a capacitor of claim 1 wherein said cathode comprises a solid electrolyte layer.
10. The method for forming a capacitor of claim 9 wherein said solid electrolyte layer comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of a metal, a conductive polymer and manganese dioxide.
11. The method for forming a capacitor of claim 10 wherein said conductive polymer is an intrinsically conducting polymer.
12. The method for forming a capacitor of claim 1 wherein said non-conductive dam surrounds at least one of said discrete regions.
13. The method for forming a capacitor of claim 1 wherein said conductive foil further comprises at least one tab extending beyond said discrete region.
14. The method for forming a capacitor of claim 1 wherein said cutting comprises a method selected from the group consisting of blade dicing, saw dicing, water jet, laser cutting, rotary cutting, shearing and die punching.
15. A method for forming a capacitor comprising:
providing a conductive foil with a dielectric on a surface thereof;
applying a non-conductive dam to said conductive foil sheet thereby forming discrete regions of said conductive foil;
forming a cathode in at least two discrete regions of said discrete regions wherein said cathode is in contact with said dielectric and at least one cathode is separated from at least one other cathode by said non-conductive dam;
separating a discrete region of said conductive foil thereby forming a capacitor.
16. The method for forming a capacitor of claim 15 wherein said non-conductive dam comprises a polymer.
17. The method for forming a capacitor of claim 15 wherein said non-conductive dam surrounds at least one discrete region of said discrete regions.
18. The method for forming a capacitor of claim 15 further comprising applying a carbon layer to said cathode.
19. The method for forming a capacitor of claim 18 further comprising applying a metal layer to said carbon layer.
20. The method for forming a capacitor of claim 15 further comprising applying a metal layer to said cathode layer.
21. The method for forming a capacitor of claim 15 wherein conductive foil comprises a metal or a conductive metal oxide.
22. The method for forming a capacitor of claim 15 wherein said conductive foil comprises a valve metal or a conductive oxide of a valve metal.
23. The method for forming a capacitor of claim 22 wherein said valve metal is selected from the group consisting of aluminum, tantalum, titanium, niobium, zirconium, and hafnium.
24. The method for forming a capacitor of claim 15 wherein said cathode is a solid electrolyte layer.
25. The method for forming a capacitor of claim 24 wherein said solid electrolyte layer comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of a metal, a conductive polymer and manganese dioxide.
26. The method for forming a capacitor of claim 25 wherein said conductive polymer is an intrinsically conducting polymer.
27. The method for forming a capacitor of claim 15 wherein said metal foil further comprises at least one tab extending beyond said discrete region.
28. The method for forming a capacitor of claim 15 wherein said cutting comprises a method selected from the group consisting of blade dicing, saw dicing, water jet, laser cutting, rotary cutting, shearing and die punching.
29. The method for forming a capacitor of claim 1 further comprising forming at least one anode connector in electrical contact with said conductive foil.
30. The method for forming a capacitor of claim 29 wherein said cathode comprises a mounting layer and said anode connector comprises a surface which is coplanar with a surface of said mounting layer.
31. The method for forming a capacitor of claim 13 further comprising forming an anode connector in electrical contact with said tab.
32. The method for forming a capacitor of claim 1 further comprising:
laminating said capacitor to a first substrate;
forming a second substrate over said capacitor opposite to said first substrate;
forming an anode trace and a cathode trace;
forming a first electrical connection between said anode connector and said anode trace; and
forming a second electrical connection between said cathode and said cathode trace.
33. The method for forming a capacitor of claim 32 wherein said first electrical connection is a via.
34. The method for forming a capacitor of claim 32 wherein said second electrical connection is a via.
35. The method for forming a capacitor of claim 1 wherein said cutting at said non-conductive dam isolates at least one capacitor comprising at least two cathodes.
36. The method for forming a capacitor of claim 35 wherein said capacitor comprising at least two cathodes has a single anode.
37. The method for forming a capacitor of claim 1 wherein said cutting at said non-conductive dam isolates at least one capacitor comprising one cathode and two.
38. The method for forming a capacitor of claim 1 further comprising forming an anode connector in electrical contact with said conductive foil.
39. The method for forming a capacitor of claim 38 wherein said cathode comprises a mounting layer and said anode connector comprises a surface which is coplanar with a surface of said mounting layer.
40. The method for forming a capacitor of claim 39 further comprising forming an anode connector in electrical contact with said tab.
41. The method for forming a capacitor of claim 40 further comprising:
laminating said capacitor to a first substrate;
forming a second substrate over said capacitor opposite to said first substrate;
forming an anode trace and a cathode trace;
forming a first electrical connection between said anode connector and said anode trace; and
forming a second electrical connection between said cathode and said cathode trace.
42. The method for forming a capacitor of claim 41 wherein said first electrical connection is a via.
43. The method for forming a capacitor of claim 41 wherein said second electrical connection is a via.
44. The method for forming a capacitor of claim 15 wherein said cutting at said non-conductive polymer dam isolates at least one capacitor comprising at least two cathodes.
45. The method for forming a capacitor of claim 44 wherein said capacitor comprising at least two cathodes has a single anode.
46. The method for forming a capacitor of claim 15 wherein said cutting at said non-conductive dam isolates at least one capacitor comprising one cathode and two anodes.
47. A method for forming an electrical device comprising:
forming a capacitor by:
providing a conductive foil with a dielectric on a surface thereof;
applying a non-conductive dam to said conductive foil thereby forming discrete regions of said conductive foil with a tab extending beyond at least one of said discrete regions;
forming a cathode in at least one discrete region of said discrete regions wherein said cathode is in contact with said dielectric and at least one cathode is separated from at least one other cathode by said non-conductive dam;
separating a discrete region of said conductive foil; and
forming an anode connector in electrical contact with said tab;
laminating said capacitor to a first substrate;
forming a second substrate over said capacitor opposite to said first substrate;
forming an anode trace and a cathode trace;
forming a first electrical connection between said anode connector and said anode trace; and
forming a second electrical connection between said cathode and said cathode trace.
48. The method for forming an electrical device of claim 47 wherein said non-conductive dam comprises a polymer.
49. The method for forming an electrical device of claim 47 further comprising applying a metal layer to said cathode layer.
50. The method for forming a capacitor of claim 47 wherein conductive foil comprises a metal or a conductive metal oxide.
51. The method for forming a capacitor of claim 47 wherein said conductive foil comprises a valve metal or a conductive oxide of a valve metal.
52. The method for forming a capacitor of claim 51 wherein said valve metal is selected from the group consisting of aluminum, tantalum, titanium, niobium, zirconium, and hafnium.
53. The method for forming an electrical device of claim 47 wherein said cathode is a solid electrolyte layer.
54. The method for forming an electrical device of claim 53 wherein said solid electrolyte layer comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of a metal, a conductive polymer and manganese dioxide.
55. The method for forming an electrical device of claim 54 wherein said conductive polymer is an intrinsically conducting polymer.
56. The method for forming an electrical device of claim 47 wherein said first electrical connection is a via.
57. The method for forming an electrical device of claim 47 wherein said second electrical connection is a via.
58. The method for forming a capacitor of claim 47 wherein said cutting at said non-conductive dam isolates at least one capacitor comprising at least two cathodes.
59. The method for forming a capacitor of claim 58 wherein said capacitor comprising at least two cathodes has a single anode.
60. The method for forming a capacitor of claim 47 wherein said cutting at said non-conductive dam isolates at least one capacitor comprising one cathode and two anodes.