Electrolytic preparation of tin
OwnerRichard M. Westfallinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Electrolytic processes for the growth of single crystal tin or other elemental or compound cystals, with or without the use of a substrate. Cubic forms of alpha-tin and tetragonal forms of beta-tin are grown using a shaped anode and a pointed cathode to provide electrical geometric fields within an electrodeposition system to enhance the growth of the desired crystalline tin. The single crystal cubic tin is preferred because it provides an excellent epitaxial substrate for the deposition of various binary, ternary, and quaternary semiconductors. Combinations of the cubic alpha-tin with the present binary and ternary semiconductors in several forms of photovoltaic cells and infrared detectors are set forth.
Claims13
A process for electrolytically producing single crystal tin comprising the steps of:
- forming a bath containing cations of tin and anions selected from the group consisting of sulfate anions, fluoride anions, chloride anions, bromide anions, hydrogen ions, and stable cations having a reduction potential below that of the tin cations;
- immersing a cathode and an anode into said bath, said cathode being shaped in a manner to be capable of providing for nucleation of tin cations on said cathode along at least one crystalline twinning plane;
- passing an electrical current between said anode and said cathode at an applied cathodic potential above the critical overpotential for the composition of said bath;
- and
- reducing said tin cations at said cathode by the application of said electrical current to thereby form a single crystal tin deposit at the cathode.
A process for electrolytically producing single crystal materials at the tip of a cathode which includes the steps of:
- forming a bath including cations of the to-be-produced material;
- immersing in said bath a pointed cathode and an anode shaped to substantially replicate a portion of the desired to-be-deposited crystal lattice;
- and
- passing a current between said anode and said cathode to reduce said cations and form a single crystal material at the tip of said cathode.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.