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US 5,145,741 AGranted
Converting ceramic materials to electrical conductors and semiconductors
OwnerNathaniel R. Quickinventor
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OwnerNathaniel R. Quickinventor
Estimating the term…
In a preferred embodiment room temperature electrically conductive or semiconductive ceramic paths or areas are produced on carbide and nitride ceramic substrates by a process of controlled oxidation using localized thermal heating (e.g., laser heating) by tracing desired paths onto the substrates, where air is the source of oxygen. In another embodiment, nitride and carbide ceramic substrates are converted to electroconductive or semiconductive ceramics where the substrate is characterized as whiskers, fibers, flakes or platelets whose dimensions are in the micron range, by controlled oxidation as prescribed by laser beam processing. The resulting conductive or semiconductive paths or surfaces of the substrate comprise electrically conductive or semiconductive nonstoichiometric aluminum-nitrogen-oxygen ceramic, when the initial ceramic substrate material is aluminum nitride(A1N); and electrically conductive or semiconductive nonstoichiometric silicon-carbon-oxygen ceramic, when the initial ceramic material used is silicon carbide (SiC). The path cut into the surface on a flat substrate can serve e.g. as electrical interconnects akin to printed circuitry on a wiring board and patterns of semiconductors formed can serve e.g. as semiconductive devices akin to rectifier devices. In the instance of the whiskers, fibers, flakes or platelets, the electrically conductive surfaces thereof may be used directly or enhanced for example, by coating other conductor metal or alloys onto the surface for uses e.g. as composite materials in matrices at the microstructural level.
A method for directly converting at least a surface portion of a substrate of an insulative hexagonal crystalline ceramic compound to ceramic electroconductive or semiconductive traces in an oxygen containing atmosphere which penetrates said substrate surface to a selected depth therebeneath,
A method for directly converting at least a surface portion of a substrate of an insulative crystalline ceramic compound of nitride or carbide having a hexagonal crystalline structure to ceramic electroconductive or semiconductive surface,
A method for directly converting particles of insulative crystalline ceramic of aluminum nitride, silicon carbide or boron nitride having a hexagonal crystalline structure to ceramic electroconductive or semiconductive particles in an oxygen containing atmosphere when said particles have a dimension and morphology on the order of 0.50 microns thick and 200 microns wide,
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.