Hydrogen-activated thin film switching device
AssigneeU.S. Philips Corporation
InventorsRonald P. Griessen, Johannes N. Huiberts, Jan H. Rector
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Abstract
A description is given of a switching device (1) comprising a transparent substrate (3), a reflective switching film (5) of yttrium having a thickness of 500 nm and a palladium layer (7) having a thickness of 5 nm. Using hydrogen gas at atmospheric pressure and at room temperature, a transparent, semiconductive film (5) of YH.sub.3 is formed, which is converted to a metallic mirror-like film (5) of YH.sub.2 by exposure to heat. The conversion of YH.sub.2 into YH.sub.3 is reversible and can for example be used in an optical switching element and in thin displays.
Claims12
A switching device comprising a substrate and a thin switching film including a trivalent metal which can form a hydride with hydrogen, which switching film can be reversibly switched from a metallic state to a semiconductive state by an exchange of hydrogen.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.