# US 10,483,535 B2 · Apparatus comprising a plurality of nanowires

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- Number: US 10,483,535 B2
- Document ID: US10483535B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/977,719
- Filed: 2015-12-22
- Published: 2016-04-21
- Granted: 2019-11-19
- Earliest claimed: 2013-01-11
- Assignees: Infineon Technologies AG
- Applicants: Infineon Technologies AG
- Inventors: Marko Lemke; Stefan Tegen; Uwe Rudolph
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10483535B2

## CPC

- H01M 4/386: {Silicon or alloys based on silicon}
- C01B 32/05: Preparation or purification of carbon not covered by groups C01B32/15, C01B32/20, C01B32/25, C01B32/30
- H01M 4/66: Selection of materials
- H01M 10/0525: Rocking-chair batteries, i.e. batteries with lithium insertion or intercalation in both electrodes; Lithium-ion batteries
- H10D 62/122: {oriented at angles to substrates, e.g. perpendicular to substrates}
- H10D 62/83: being Group IV materials, e.g. B-doped Si or undoped Ge
- H10P 50/242: {of Group IV materials}
- B82Y 40/00: Manufacture or treatment of nanostructures
- H01M 2004/025: {with shapes other than plane or cylindrical}
- H01M 2004/027: {Negative electrodes}
- Y02E 60/10: Energy storage using batteries
- H01M: PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
- C01B: NON-METALLIC ELEMENTS; COMPOUNDS THEREOF; {METALLOIDS OR COMPOUNDS THEREOF NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASS C01C}
- H10D: INORGANIC ELECTRIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10
- B82Y: SPECIFIC USES OR APPLICATIONS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MEASUREMENT OR ANALYSIS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF NANOSTRUCTURES
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION

## Abstract

A method for manufacturing a plurality of nanowires, the method including: providing a carrier comprising an exposed surface of a material to be processed and applying a plasma treatment on the exposed surface of the material to be processed to thereby form a plurality of nanowires from the material to be processed during the plasma treatment.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A nanowire array comprising:
a carrier comprising silicon;
a diffusion barrier layer disposed over the carrier, the diffusion barrier layer comprising a nitride;
a plurality of nanowires disposed over the diffusion barrier layer, the nanowires of the plurality of nanowires comprising silicon;
wherein a majority of the nanowires of the plurality of nanowires are aligned substantially perpendicular to the diffusion barrier layer; and
a silicon layer disposed over the diffusion barrier layer, wherein the nanowires of the plurality of nanowires are formed over the silicon layer.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The nanowire array according to claim 1,
wherein the nanowires of the plurality of nanowires have a diameter in the range from about 10 nm to about 100 nm.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The nanowire array according to claim 1,
wherein the nanowires of the plurality of nanowires have a length in the range from about 50 nm to about 10 μm.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The nanowire array according to claim 1,
wherein the carrier is a silicon wafer.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The nanowire array according to claim 1,
wherein the nitride is a transition metal nitride.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The nanowire array according to claim 1,
wherein the nitride is a rare earth metal nitride.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The nanowire array according to claim 1,
wherein the nitride comprises at least one material of the following group of materials:
titanium nitride,
tungsten nitride,
molybdenum nitride,
niobium nitride,
lanthanum nitride, and
tantalum nitride.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The nanowire array according to claim 1,
wherein the plurality of nanowires are provided as a self-assembled array of nanowires.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The nanowire array according to claim 1,
wherein the nanowires of the plurality of nanowires are irregularly distributed.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The nanowire array according to claim 1,
wherein the diffusion barrier layer is an electrically conductive diffusion barrier layer.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The nanowire array according to claim 1,
wherein the carrier further comprises an integrated circuit.

### Claim 12

A nanostructure array comprising:
a wafer;
a diffusion barrier layer disposed over the wafer, the diffusion barrier layer comprising an electrically conductive nitride;
a layer disposed over the diffusion barrier layer;
a plurality of nanostructures disposed over the diffusion barrier layer, wherein both the plurality of nanostructures and the layer comprise a same material; and
wherein a majority of the plurality of nanostructures are aligned substantially perpendicular to the diffusion barrier layer.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The nanostructure array according to claim 12,
wherein the nanostructures of the plurality of nanostructures comprise at least one of the following group of nanostructures:
nanowires,
nanotubes, and
nanopillars.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The nanostructure array according to claim 12,
wherein the material is at least one of the following group of materials:
silicon,
germanium, and
carbon.

### Claim 15

A battery comprising:
a carrier;
a first layer stack disposed over the carrier, the first layer stack comprising a diffusion barrier layer disposed over the carrier and a surface layer disposed over the diffusion barrier layer, wherein the diffusion barrier layer is configured to prevent diffusion of lithium-ions into the carrier during battery storage and operation and wherein the surface layer comprises at least one material;
a plurality of nanowires disposed over the surface layer, the nanowires of the plurality of nanowires comprise the at least one material,
wherein a majority of the nanowires of the plurality of nanowires are aligned substantially perpendicular to the diffusion barrier layer;
a second layer stack disposed over the plurality of nanowires, wherein the second layer stack comprises
at least one electrolyte layer,
at least one cathode layer, and
at least one cathode current collector layer,
wherein the plurality of nanowires is at least part of an anode of the battery.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The battery according to claim 15,
wherein the diffusion barrier layer comprises an electrically conductive nitride and is configured as an anode current collector layer.

### Claim 17 (depends on 15)

The battery according to claim 15, further comprising:
a carbon layer disposed between the plurality of nanowires and the electrolyte layer of the second layer stack.

### Claim 18 (depends on 15)

The battery according to claim 15,
wherein the second layer stack provides a part of a lithium-ion based rechargeable battery.

### Claim 19 (depends on 15)

The battery according to claim 15,
wherein the at least one material of the surface layer and of the nanowires of the plurality of nanowires is one of the following group of materials:
silicon,
germanium, and
carbon.