US 12,131,867 B2
Dielectric nanolayer capacitor and method of charging a dielectric nanolayer capacitor
Alexey Bezryadin, Urbana, IL (US); Eduard Ilin, Champaign, IL (US); and Irina Burkova, Champaign, IL (US)
Assigned to The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois, Urbana, IL (US)
Filed by The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois, Urbana, IL (US)
Filed on Jul. 14, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/375,251.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/054,003, filed on Jul. 20, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0351902 A1, Nov. 3, 2022
Int. Cl. H01G 4/06 (2006.01); H02J 7/00 (2006.01); H02J 7/34 (2006.01); B82Y 30/00 (2011.01)
CPC H01G 4/06 (2013.01) [H02J 7/007182 (2020.01); H02J 7/345 (2013.01); B82Y 30/00 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of charging a dielectric nanolayer capacitor, the method comprising:
cooling a nanolayer capacitor to a charging temperature of 200 K or less, the nanolayer capacitor comprising a nanoscale dielectric layer between a cathode layer and an anode layer;
during the cooling, applying a high electric field of at least about 0.5 GV/m to the nanolayer capacitor to inject electrons into the nanoscale dielectric layer,
wherein applying the high electric field comprises applying a charging voltage greater than or equal to a threshold voltage Vin for field emission tunneling into the nanoscale dielectric layer, and
wherein, while the nanolayer capacitor remains cooled to the charging temperature, the electrons are trapped in the nanoscale dielectric layer and form a Coulomb barrier to suppress leakage current.