Thin-film pn junctions and applications thereof
AssigneeWake Forest University
InventorDavid CARROLL
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Abstract
Composite materials including a thin-film layer of lateral p-n junctions can be employed in circuits or various components of electrical devices. A composite material comprises a thin-film layer including p-type regions alternating with n-type regions along a face of the thin-film layer, the p-type regions comprising electrically conductive particles dispersed in a first organic carrier and the n-type regions comprising electrically conductive particles dispersed in a second organic carrier, wherein p-n junctions are established at interfaces between the p-type and n-type regions.
Claims19
1-26. (canceled)
A method for making a composite material comprising laterally joined p-type and n-type segments, said method comprising:
- dispersing p-type nanoparticles in a first liquid phase organic carrier to form a p-type nanoparticle dispersion;
- dispersing n-type nanoparticles in a second liquid phase organic carrier to form an n-type nanoparticle dispersion;
- casting said p-type nanoparticle dispersion into thin-film p-type segments;
- casting said n-type nanoparticle dispersion into thin-film n-type segments;
- and
- laterally joining said thin-film p-type segments and said thin-film n-type segments to form a single-layer thin film in which p-n junctions are established at interfaces between said p-type and said n-type segments.
A method for making a composite material comprising laterally joined p-type and n-type segments, said method comprising:
- dispersing p-type nanoparticles in a first liquid phase organic carrier to form a p-type nanoparticle dispersion;
- dispersing n-type nanoparticles in a second liquid phase organic carrier to form an n-type nanoparticle dispersion;
- and
- forming a single-layer thin film by casting said p-type nanoparticle dispersion into thin-film p-type segments and casting said n-type nanoparticle dispersion into thin-film n-type segments
- wherein said first liquid phase organic carrier and said second liquid phase organic carrier are formed of the same material and
- wherein said p-type nanoparticle dispersion and said n-type nanoparticle dispersion establish seamless p-n junctions at interfaces between said p-type and said n-type segments.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.