US 12,281,409 B2
Bipolar nanocomposite semiconductors
Boris N. Feigelson, Springfield, VA (US); Alexander L. Efros, Annandale, VA (US); Benjamin L. Greenberg, Alexandria, VA (US); and Michael Shur, Vienna, VA (US)
Assigned to The Government of the United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the Navy, Arlington, VA (US)
Filed by The Government of the United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the Navy, Arlington, VA (US)
Filed on Sep. 23, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/951,181.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/247,819, filed on Sep. 24, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2024/0014263 A1, Jan. 11, 2024
Int. Cl. C30B 29/22 (2006.01); H01L 29/66 (2006.01); H01L 29/732 (2006.01); H10D 10/01 (2025.01); H10D 10/40 (2025.01)
CPC C30B 29/22 (2013.01) [H10D 10/021 (2025.01); H10D 10/40 (2025.01)] 10 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for forming a bipolar nanocomposite semiconductor (BNS) material, the method including steps of:
making or selecting a nanopowder comprising nanoparticles having a core/shell structure of materials X1/X2 . . . XN, each of the core/shell nanoparticles having a core of a first material X1 and at least one shell of an additional material X2 . . . XN, XN being an external material for each nanoparticle and having a corresponding p- or n-type conductivity OXN;
making a nanoparticle network compact from the X1/X2 . . . XN nanoparticles, the compact having an open porosity allowing permeation of the compact with gas or liquid;
infilling and conformally coating all available surfaces inside the porous compact made from the X1/X2 . . . XN nanoparticles with a material Y1 having p- or n-type conductivity σY1 opposite to the conductivity type of the material XN to form a nanocomposite material comprising the X1/X2 . . . XN nanoparticles coated with Y1; and
sintering the formed nanocomposite material to remove residual porosity, intimately connect n- and p-type domains of the materials XN and Y1, and form strong chemical bonds between the materials XN and Y1 at all interfaces between materials XN and Y1;
wherein the n- and p-type domains comprising the materials XN and Y1 are interconnected throughout the BNS material to form a three-dimensional network of p-n junctions such that electrons and/or holes are transported throughout the BNS material via their respective transport channels throughout the BNS material in a predefined manner.