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AssigneeStauffer Chemical Company
InventorsChristian G. Michel, Rozalie Schachter, Mark A. Kuck, John A. Baumann, Paul M. Raccah
Estimating the term…
High phosphorus polyphosphides, namely MP.sub.x, where M is an alkali metal (Li, Na, K, Rb, and Cs) or metals mimicking the bonding behavior of an alkali metal, and where x=7 to 15 or very much greater than 15 (new forms of phosphorus) are useful semiconductors in their crystalline, polycrystalline and amorphous forms (boules and films). MP.sub.15 appears to have the best properties and KP.sub.15 is the easier to synthesize. P may include other pnictides as well as other trivalent atomic species. Resistance lowering may be accomplished by doping with Ni, Fe, Cr, and other metals having occupied d or f outer electronic levels; or by incorporation of As and other pnictides. Rectifying Schottky junction devices doped with Ni and employing Ni as a back contact comprise Cu, Al, Mg, Ni, Au, Ag, and Ti as junction forming top contacts. Photovoltaic, photoresistive, and photoluminescent devices are also disclosed. All semiconductor applications appear feasible. Single and multiple source vapor transport, condensed phase, melt quench, flash evaporation, chemical vapor deposition, and molecular flow deposition may be employed in synthesizing these materials. Vapor transport may be employed to purify phosphorus. The materials may be employed as protective coatings, optical coatings, fire retardants, fillers and reinforcing fillers for plastics and glasses, antireflection coatings for infrared optics, infrared transmitting windows, and optical rotators.
A method of forming a semiconductor device comprising the steps of:
A method of forming a semiconductor device comprising the steps of:
The method of claims, 13, 14 or 15 wherein said polyphosphide has the formula MP.sub.x and x is greater than 15.
A method of forming a semiconductor device comprising the steps of:
A method of conducting electrical current comprising the step of applying an electrical potential to a material which comprises, at least as one component thereof, a polyphosphide containing phosphorus-to-phosphorus bonds and alkali metal atoms, which atoms are bonded to said phosphorus, and wherein the number of consecutive covalent phosphorus-to-phosphorus bonds is sufficiently greater than the number of non-phosphorus-to-phosphorus bonds, to render said material semiconducting.
A method of conducting electrical current comprising the step of applying an electrical potential to a material which comprises, at least as one component thereof, at least two polyphosphide units, each unit having a skeleton of at least 7 covalently bonded phosphorus atoms, said units having associated therewith at least one alkali metal atom, said alkali metal atoms conductively bridging the phosphorus skeleton of one unit with the phosphorus skeleton of another unit, and said material having a band gap primarily determined by said phosphorus-to-phosphorus bonds.
A method of conducting electrical current comprising the step of applying an electrical potential to a material which comprises, at least as one component thereof, a polyphosphide having the formula MP.sub.x wherein M is an alkali metal, x is the atom ratio of P to M, x being at least 7, and wherein said material has a band gap within the range of from 1 to 3 eV.
A method of generating electrical potential between spared electrodes, comprising the steps of:
A method of generating electrical potential between spaced electrodes, comprising the steps of:
A method of generating electrical potential between spaced electrodes comprising the steps of:
A semiconductor device comprising:
A semiconductor device comprising:
A semiconductor device comprising:
The process of using as the active semiconductor in a semiconductor device, material having as at least one component thereof a polyphosphide containing phosphorus-to-phosphorus bonds and containing metal atoms selected from the group consisting of Li, Na, K, Rb, and Cs, which atoms are bonded to said phosphorus, and wherein the number of consecutive covalent phosphorus-to-phosphorus bonds is sufficiently greater than the number of non-phosphorus-to-phosphorus bonds, to render said material semiconducting.
The process of using as the active semiconductor in a semiconductor device, material having as at least one element thereof at least two polyphosphide units, each unit having a skeleton of at least 7 covalently bonded phosphorus atoms, said units having associated therewith at least one metal atom from the group consisting of Li, Na, K, Rb, and Cs, said atom conductively bridging the phosphorus skeleton of one unit with the phosphorus skeleton of another unit, and said material having a band gap primarily determined by said phosphorus-to-phosphorus bonds.
The process of using as the active semiconductor in a semiconductor device, material having as at least one component thereof a polyphosphide having the formula MP.sub.x wherein M is a metal selected from the group consisting of Li, Na, K, Rb, and Cs, and x is the atomic ratio of P to M, x being at least 7, and wherein said material has an energy band gap within the range of from 1 to 3 eV.
A semiconductor device formed of material substantially comprising throughout trivalent atoms the vast majority of said atoms having homatomic, covalent, bonds and having a bandgap within the range of 1.4 to 2.2 eV.
A semiconductor device formed of material substantially comprising throughout trivalent atoms the vast majority of said atoms having homatomic, covalent, bonds and having a photoconductivity ratio within the range of 100 to 10,000.
A semiconductor device formed of material substantially comprising throughout, a local order defined by groups of seven or more atoms covalently bonded together into substantially pentagonal tubes and having a bandgap substantially within the range of 1.4 to 2.2 eV.
A semiconductor device formed of material substantially comprising throughout, a local order defined by groups of seven or more atoms covalently bonded together into substantially pentagonal tubes and having a photoconductivity ratio substantially within the range of 100 to 10,000.
A semiconductor device formed of material substantially comprising throughout, a local order defined by polyphosphide groups having the formula MP.sub.x where M is an alkoli metal and x is greater than six.
A semiconductor device comprising material substantially comprising throughout, a local order defined by atoms joined together by multiple covalent atom-to-atom bonds forming layers of pentagonal tubes, the tubes within each layer being substantially parallel to each other.
A semiconductor device comprising an inorganic material having as its dominant local order substantially throughout its extent catenations of homatomic covalently bonded atoms, substantially all of the covalent bonds of said material being involved in the catenation of said atoms and said covalent bonds providing the dominant conduction paths in said material, said material having a bandgap substantially within the range of 1.4 to 2.2 eV.
A semiconductor device comprising an inorganic material having as its dominant local order substantially throughout its extent catenations of homatomic covalently bonded atoms, substantially all of the covalent bonds of said material being involved in the catenation of said atoms and said covalent bonds providing the dominant conduction paths in said material, said material having a photoconductivity ratio substantially within the range of 100 to 10,000.
A semiconductor device comprising MP.sub.x, wherein M is an alkali metal, P is at least one pnictide, x is the atom ratio of P to M, and x is greater than 14.
The process of using in a semiconductor device MP.sub.x, wherein M is an alkali metal, P is at least one pnictide, x is the atom ratio of P to M, and x is greater than 14.
A semiconductor device comprising a high phosphorus material formed as the deposition product of vapor transport from separated heated sources of phosphorus vapor and the vapor of one or more alkali metals.
A semiconductor device comprising a new form of solid phosphorus wherein the phosphorus atoms are joined together by multiple covalent phosphorus to phosphorus bonds forming substantially pentagonal tubular arrays of bonded phosphorus atoms the local order substantially throughout said phosphorus being defined by said tubular arrays having predominantly all of their axes generally parallel to each other.
A semiconductor device comprising a solid film of MP.sub.x deposited on a substrate where M is one or more alkali metals and P is one or more pnictides.
A semiconductor device comprising a solid stable material having the formula MP.sub.x where M is one or more alkali metals and P is primarily phosphorus but may include one or more other pnictides and x is greater than 15.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.