Method for treating photoactive semiconductors for improved stability and resistance to dopant leaching

Abstract

The invention is directed to a method for silica-treating semiconductors, particularly photoactive semiconductors such as BaTiO3, ZnO, and ZnS. The process comprises adding a densifying agent, such as citric acid, to an aqueous slurry of the semiconductor particles; treating the aqueous slurry with a source of silica, such as a solution of sodium silicate, to form silica-treated semiconductor particles; treating the silica-treated semiconductor particles with a source of alumina, such as a solution of sodium aluminate, to form silica- and alumina-treated photoactive semiconductor particles. The treated particles of this invention can be used in high dielectric constant compositions for use in thick films and castable tape for making multilayer circuits. The treated semiconductor particles are stable in dispersions and resist dopant leaching during high temperature processing.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.