NANO-STRUCTURED DIELECTRIC COMPOSITE

• US 20120003449A1
• Filed: 06/30/2010
• Published: 01/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sigma Laboratories Of Arizona LLC
• Original Assignee: Sigma Laboratories Of Arizona LLC
• Inventors: Yializis, Angelo, Goodyear, Gordon
• Granted Patent: US 8,586,173 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 428/213
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 1/60 Deposition of organic layers from vapour phase vapour phase deposition in general C23C14/00, C23C16/00
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 1/62 Plasma-deposition of organic layers plasma deposition in general C23C14/00, C23C16/00
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 2201/02 Polymeric substrate
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 3/067 Curing or cross-linking the coating
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/204 Di-electric
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/418 Refractive
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/546 Flexural strength; Flexion stiffness
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/732 Dimensional properties
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2457/00 Electrical equipment
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2551/00 Optical elements
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/16 specially treated, e.g. irradiated
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/36 comprising polyesters
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 5/16 characterised by features of a layer formed of particles, e.g. chips, powder or granules layer formed of natural mineral particles B32B19/00; layer being formed of wood fibres, chips or particles B32B21/02
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2207/101 Nanooptics
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/008 Surface plasmon devices diffractive gratings with a pitch less than or comparable to the wavelength G02B5/1809; surface plasmons in integrated optics G02B6/1226; optical analysis of materials by means of surface plasmons G01N21/553
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 4/206 inorganic and synthetic material
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2495 Thickness [relative or absolute]

Abstract

A multilayer dielectric structure is formed by vacuum depositing two-dimensional matrices of nanoparticles embedded in polymer dielectric layers that are thicker than the effective diameter of the nanoparticles, so as to produce a void-free, structured, three-dimensional lattice of nanoparticles in a polymeric dielectric material. As a result of the continuous, repeated, and controlled deposition process, each two-dimensional matrix of nanoparticles consists of a layer of uniformly distributed particles embedded in polymer and separated from adjacent matrix layers by continuous polymer dielectric layers, thus forming a precise three-dimensional nanoparticle matrix defined by the size and density of the nanoparticles in each matrix layer and by the thickness of the polymer layers between them. The resulting structured nanodielectric exhibits very high values of dielectric constant as well as high dielectric strength.

Claims

1. A multilayer nanocomposite structure produced in a vacuum environment comprising:

a void-free layer of discrete nanoparticles embedded in a radiation-cured dielectric polymer;

a layer of said polymer deposited over the layer of discrete nanoparticles in a thickness greater than an average diameter of the nanoparticles so as to provide a substantially level polymer spacer film above the layer of discrete nanoparticles, said layers of discrete nanoparticles and polymer constituting a dielectric structure;

wherein said dielectric structure is repeated to form a multilayer stack incorporating at least ten polymer layers per micron of thickness.

2. The structure of claim 1, wherein said multilayer nanocomposite structure is formed directly on a substrate.

3. The structure of claim 2, wherein said substrate is flexible.

4. The structure of claim 1, wherein said multilayer nanocomposite structure is formed over a substrate coated with a polymer layer.

5. The structure of claim 4, wherein said substrate is flexible.

6. The structure of claim 1, wherein said multilayer nanocomposite structure is formed over a substrate coated with a release layer.

7. The structure of claim 6, wherein said substrate is flexible.

8. The structure of claim 1, wherein said polymer layer has a thickness between 1 and 20 times said average diameter of the nanoparticles.

9. The structure of claim 1, wherein said polymer is radiation cured.

10. The structure of claim 1, wherein said nanoparticles include a conducting material.

11. The structure of claim 1, wherein said nanoparticles include a semiconducting material.

12. The structure of claim 1, wherein said nanoparticles include an insulating material.

13. The structure of claim 1, wherein said structure has a dielectric constant higher than the polymer.

14. The structure of claim 1, wherein said structure has a dielectric constant and a refractive index lower than the polymer.

15. The structure of claim 1, wherein the structure is incorporated into a capacitor.

16. The structure of claim 1, wherein the structure is used to produce an optical material with plasmonic resonance induced absorption peaks.

17. A process for manufacturing a nanocomposite dielectric medium in a multilayer structure comprising:

(a) vacuum depositing a layer of nanoparticles;

(b) flash evaporating and vacuum depositing a liquid monomer forming a layer that covers the nanoparticles so as to fill substantially all voids between the nanoparticles and to form a void-free, continuous spacer film overlaying the nanoparticles;

(c) polymerizing the liquid monomer; and

(d) repeating steps (a), (b) and (c) to deposit additional alternating layers of nanoparticles and polymer in a multilayer structure having at least ten nanoparticles layers for each micron of total thickness of the multilayer structure;

19. The process of claim 17, wherein said liquid monomer is radiation cured.

20. The process of claim 17, wherein said liquid monomer is plasma cured.

21. The process of claim 17, wherein said nanoparticles include a conducting material.

22. The process of claim 17, wherein said nanoparticles include a semiconducting material.

23. The process of claim 17, wherein said nanoparticles include an insulating material.

24. The process of claim 17, wherein said structure has a dielectric constant higher than the polymer.

25. The process of claim 17, wherein said structure has a dielectric constant and a refractive index lower than the polymer.

26. The process of claim 17, wherein the structure is incorporated into a capacitor.

27. The process of claim 17, wherein the structure is used to produce an optical material with plasmonic resonance induced absorption peaks.

28. The process of claim 17, wherein said step of vacuum depositing a layer of nanoparticles is carried out in a reactive plasma field.

29. The process of claim 17, wherein said step of vacuum depositing a layer of nanoparticles is preceded by a plasma treatment step.

18. The process of 17, wherein said polymer film has a thickness between 1 and 20 times an average diameter of the nanoparticles.