Rectifying charge storage element

• US 20050035430A1
• Filed: 07/01/2003
• Published: 02/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Precision Dynamics Corporation (Brady Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Precision Dynamics Corporation (Brady Corporation)
• Inventors: Beigel, Michael L.
• Granted Patent: US 6,982,452 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/532
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0701 at least one of the integrated circuit chips comprising an arrangement for power management
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07749 the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/4985 Flexible insulating substrates H01L23/49572 and H01L23/49855 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/49855 for flat-cards, e.g. credit cards cards per se G06K19/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/50 for integrated circuit devices, e.g. power bus, number of leadsH01L23/482 - H01L23/498 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/0788 comprising combinations of diodes or capacitors or resistors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/00 Semiconductor devices specially adapted for rectifying, amplifying, oscillating or switching and having potential barriers; Capacitors or resistors having potential barriers, e.g. a PN-junction depletion layer or carrier concentration layer; Details of semiconductor bodies or of electrodes thereof ; Multistep manufacturing processes therefor H01L31/00 - H01L33/00, H10K10/00, H10N take precedence; details other than of semiconductor bodies or of electrodes thereof H01L23/00; devices consisting of a plurality of solid state components formed in or on a common substrate H01L27/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/16 including, apart from doping materials or other impurities, only elements of Group IV of the Periodic Table
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/861 Diodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/12044 OLED

Abstract

An electronic device or signal processing device consists of a rectifier and capacitor which share common elements facilitating the construction and application of the device to various types of substrates and, particularly, flexible substrates. Components of the device may be fabricated from organic conductors and semiconductors.

Claims

1. A rectifying charge storage element, comprising:

a first conductor;

a common conductor spaced from said first conductor;

a second conductor spaced from said common conductor;

a semiconductor located between said first and common conductors; and

a dielectric located between said common and second conductors;

said first conductor being formed from a material having a first work function, and said common and second conductors being formed from a material having a second work function.

2. The rectifying charge storage element of claim 1, wherein said semiconductor defines a diode component and wherein said common and second conductors cooperate with said dielectric to define a capacitor component.

3. The rectifying charge storage element of claim 2, wherein said first work function is greater than said second work function whereby said diode component is forward biased.

4. The rectifying charge storage element of claim 2, wherein said first work function is less than said second work function whereby said diode component is reverse biased.

5. The rectifying charge storage element of claim 1, wherein said semiconductor and said dielectric comprise a common polymer semiconductor layer located between said common and second conductors, said first conductor being located on one side of said common polymer layer opposite to said common conductor and in spaced relation to said second conductor.

6. The rectifying charge storage element of claim 1, wherein said semiconductor includes an organic material.

7. The rectifying charge storage element of claim 1, wherein said dielectric includes an organic material.

8. The rectifying charge storage element of claim 2, further including a substrate carrying said diode and capacitor components.

9. The rectifying charge storage element of claim 8, wherein said substrate is a flexible substrate.

10. The rectifying charge storage element of claim 8, wherein said capacitor structure incorporates said substrate.

11. The rectifying charge storage element of claim 10, wherein said substrate is incorporated into said dielectric.

12. A rectifying charge storage element, comprising:

an anode conductor;

a common conductor;

a semiconductor connected between said anode and common conductors;

a capacitor incorporating said common conductor on one side, said capacitor further including a second conductor and a dielectric connected between said common and second conductors;

said semiconductor, common conductor and capacitor comprising a unitary composite device;

said anode conductor being formed from a material having a first work function, and said common and second conductors being formed from a material having a second work function.

13. The rectifying charge storage element of claim 12, wherein said semiconductor defines a diode component.

14. The rectifying charge storage element of claim 13, wherein said first work function is greater than said second work function whereby said diode component is forward biased.

15. The rectifying charge storage element of claim 13, wherein said first work function is less than said second work function whereby said diode component is reverse biased.

16. The rectifying charge storage element of claim 12, wherein said semiconductor and said dielectric comprise a common polymer semiconductor layer located between said common and second conductors, said anode conductor being located on one side of said common polymer layer opposite to said common conductor and in spaced relation to said second conductor.

17. The rectifying charge storage element of claim 12, wherein said semiconductor includes an organic material.

18. The rectifying charge storage element of claim 12, wherein said dielectric includes an organic material.

19. The rectifying charge storage element of claim 13, further including a substrate carrying said diode and capacitor components.

20. The rectifying charge storage element of claim 19, wherein said substrate is a flexible substrate.

21. The rectifying charge storage element of claim 19, wherein said capacitor structure incorporates said substrate.

22. The rectifying charge storage element of claim 21, wherein said substrate is incorporated into said dielectric.

23. A rectifying charge storage element, comprising:

a rectifier structure fabricated with a common conductor forming a side of the rectifier structure; and

a capacitor structure fabricated as a single unitary structure with the rectifier structure such that the capacitor structure incorporates the common conductor of the rectifier structure as a side of the capacitor structure, the capacitor structure to receive the rectified current from the rectifier structure via the common conductor;

said rectifier structure being selected from the group consisting of a shottky diode, a light emitting diode, and a light responsive diode.

24. A rectifying charge storage element, comprising:

a rectifier structure fabricated with a common conductor forming a side of the rectifier structure; and

a capacitor structure fabricated as a single unitary structure with the rectifier structure such that the capacitor structure incorporates the common conductor of the rectifier structure as a side of the capacitor structure, the capacitor structure to receive the rectified current from the rectifier structure over the common conductor;

said capacitor structure being selected from the group consisting of a light emitting capacitor, a light responsive capacitor, a supercapacitor, and an electret.

25. A rectifying charge storage element, comprising:

a rectifier component;

a common conductor connected to one side of said rectifier component; and

a capacitor component incorporating said common conductor;

said rectifier component, common conductor and capacitor component comprising a unitary element;

said capacitor component comprising said common conductor, a second conductor, and a dielectric material disposed therebetween;

said common and second conductors respectively including first and second sets of fractal-shaped fingers arranged in closely spaced and substantially mating interleaved array.

26. The rectifying charge storage element of claim 25, wherein said first and second sets of fractal-shaped fingers have generally complementary shapes.

27. The rectifying charge storage element of claim 26, wherein said first set of fractal-shaped fingers have a generally L-shaped configuration, and wherein said second set of fractal-shaped fingers have a generally inverted L-shaped configuration.

28. The rectifying charge storage element of claim 25, wherein said rectifier component includes a semiconductor incorporated into said dielectric.

29. A rectifying charge storage element, comprising:

a rectifier component;

a common conductor connected to one side of said rectifier component; and

a capacitor component incorporating said common conductor;

said rectifier component, common conductor and capacitor component comprising a unitary element;

said capacitor component comprising an electrolytic capacitor.

30. The rectifying charge storage element of claim 29, wherein said electrolytic capacitor is polarized.

31. The rectifying charge storage element of claim 29, wherein said electrolytic capacitor is nonpolarized.

32. A rectifying charge storage element, comprising:

a rectifier component;

a common conductor connected to one side of said rectifier component; and

a secondary battery component incorporating said common conductor; and

said rectifier component, common conductor and secondary battery component comprising a unitary element.

33. A rectifying charge storage element, comprising:

a first rectifier component;

a second rectifier component;

a common conductor connected to one side of said first and second rectifier components; and

a capacitor component incorporating said common conductor;

said first and second rectifier components, said common conductor and said capacitor component comprising a unitary element.

34. The rectifying charge storage element of claim 33, wherein said first rectifier component includes a forward biased diode component, wherein said second rectifier component includes a reverse biased diode component.

35. The rectifying charge storage element of claim 33, wherein said first and second rectifier components respectively include a pair of diode components biased in a common direction.

36. The rectifying charge storage element of claim 33, wherein said first and second rectifier components respectively comprise first and second semiconductor diode components.

37. The rectifying charge storage element of claim 36, further including a first conductor, said first semiconductor diode component being located between said first conductor and said common conductor, a second conductor, said second semiconductor diode component being located between said second conductor and said common conductor, and further wherein said capacitor component comprises said common conductor, a third conductor, and a dielectric located between said common and third conductors.

38. The rectifying charge storage element of claim 37, wherein said first, second and third conductors are formed from materials respectively having a first, second and third work function, said first work function being greater than said third work function, and said third work function being greater than said second work function, whereby said first and second diode components are biased in oriented directions.

39. The rectifying charge storage element of claim 37, wherein said first, second and third conductors are formed from materials respectively having a first, second and third work function, said first and second work functions being selected relative to said third work function for biasing said first and second diode components in the same direction.

40. The rectifying charge storage element of claim 36, wherein said first and second semiconductor diode components comprise an organic material.

41. The rectifying charge storage element of claim 33, further including a substrate carrying said first and second rectifier components and said capacitor component.

42. The rectifying charge storage element of claim 41, wherein said substrate is a flexible substrate.

43. The rectifying charge storage element of claim 41, wherein said capacitor structure incorporates said substrate.

44. The rectifying charge storage element of claim 43, wherein said capacitor component comprises said common conductor, a third conductor, and a dielectric located between said common and third conductors, said substrate being incorporated into said dielectric.

45. A rectifying charge storage element, comprising:

a first anode conductor;

a second anode conductor;

a common conductor;

a first semiconductor connected between said first anode and common conductors;

a second semiconductor connected between said second anode and common conductors; and

a capacitor incorporating said common conductor on one side, said capacitor further including a second conductor and a dielectric connected between said common and second conductors;

said first and second semiconductors, common conductor and capacitor comprising a unitary composite device.

46. The rectifying charge storage element of claim 45, wherein said first anode conductor is formed from a material having a work function greater than said second conductor, and further wherein said second conductor is formed from a material having a work function greater than said second anode conductor, whereby said first and second semiconductors are oriented in opposite directions.

47. The rectifying charge storage element of claim 45, wherein said first and second anode conductors are formed from a material having a work function relative to said second conductor whereby said first and second semiconductors are biased in a common direction.

48. The rectifying charge storage element of claim 45, wherein said first and second semiconductors includes an organic material.

49. The rectifying charge storage element of claim 45, wherein said dielectric includes an organic material.

50. A rectifying charge storage element, comprising:

a rectifier structure fabricated with a common conductor forming a side of the rectifier structure;

a capacitor structure fabricated as a single unitary structure with the rectifier structure such that the capacitor structure incorporates the common conductor of the rectifier structure as a side of the capacitor structure, the capacitor structure to receive the rectified current from the rectifier structure over the common conductor; and

a common substrate carrying said rectifier and capacitor structures, said substrate including at least two layers of protective material laminated together with said rectifier and capacitor structures encased therebetween.

51. The rectifying charge storage element of claim 50, wherein said substrate is formed from a flexible material.

52. The rectifying charge storage element of claim 50, wherein said substrate is formed from a dielectric material.

53. The rectifying charge storage element of claim 50, wherein said substrate comprises an elongated flexible band having opposite free ends, and further including fastening means for interconnecting said opposite free ends to form said band into a closed loop configuration.