Platinum Group Metal Chalcogenide Thin Films for Near-Infrared Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Transition metal chalcogenides (TMCs) with platinum group metals, such as Ir and Ru, face challenges in stability and limited production methods, hindering their practical application as semiconductor materials for light receiving elements, especially in near-infrared regions.
Innovation Solution
Development of platinum group metal chalcogenide thin films, specifically Ir2S3, IrS2, RuS2, and RuSe2, with a thickness of 0.5 nm to 500 nm, exhibiting optical semiconductor properties and stability, which can be produced using various methods like sputtering and chemical deposition, and are suitable for near-infrared sensitivity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If HgCdTe alloy is used as a light receiving element, then the light receiving performance can be improved, but the device requires cooling mechanism which increases complexity and size
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameters by transitioning from HgCdTe alloy to transition metal chalcogenide compounds (MoS2, WS2, MoSe2, WSe2), which have different bandgap characteristics that enable room temperature operation while maintaining light receiving performance in the near-infrared region
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adopts materials and methods that eliminate the need for expensive and complex cooling mechanisms, using instead room-temperature-operating TMC materials that can be produced by conventional thin film formation processes
2Reliability
If InGaAs alloy is used as a light receiving element, then the response can be improved, but the operating voltage becomes high and structure becomes unstable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material composition from InGaAs alloy to transition metal chalcogenide compounds, adjusting the bandgap and electronic structure parameters to achieve both high response and structural stability through strong covalent bonding in the TMC lattice structure
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite material approaches by forming thin film structures of TMC compounds on suitable substrates, creating stable heterogeneous structures that maintain compositional stability while achieving desired optical and electrical properties
3Ease of manufacture
If transition metal chalcogenide is used as a semiconductor material, then the production method flexibility can be improved, but the stability and formation capability are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes production parameters including substrate temperature, deposition rate, and atmosphere composition in CVD and ALD processes to simultaneously achieve stable TMC thin film formation and maintain material stability, resolving the contradiction between manufacturing flexibility and formation capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary substrate preparation including surface cleaning, activation, and buffer layer formation before depositing TMC materials, ensuring stable film formation while maintaining the flexibility to use various production methods
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The platinum group metal chalcogenide thin films demonstrate favorable optical response in the near-infrared region, offering high stability and flexibility in production methods, making them suitable for applications in LIDAR and SWIR image sensors.
Implementation Method 1
a platinum group metal chalcogenide thin film in which Ir or Ru is applied as a platinum group metal... favorable optical response in the near-infrared region
Implementation Method 2
which can be produced using various methods like sputtering and chemical deposition
Implementation Method 3
chemical deposition methods such as a chemical vapor deposition method (CVD) and an atomic layer deposition method (ALD)
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a thin film containing a chalcogenide of Ir or Ru of a platinum group metal. This thin film is formed on a prescribed substrate, contains a platinum group metal chalcogenide, and the platinum group metal chalcogenide contains any one of Ir2S3, IrS2, RuS2, and RuSe2. A thickness of the thin film is 0.5 nm or more and 500 nm or less. The present invention has revealed, through an experimental method and simulation using first-principles calculation based on density functional theory (DFT), that a thin film containing Ir2S3, IrS2, RuS2 or RuSe2 can exhibit a photoelectric effect by near infrared light irradiation. The present invention is drawn to a thin film that is characterized by sensitivity to light with a wavelength in a near infrared region in particular, and contains a platinum group metal chalcogenide having a constitution previously unknown.