Diode energy converter for chemical kinetic electron energy transfer

• US 7,674,645 B2
• Filed: 02/12/2008
• Issued: 03/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NeoKismet, LLC
• Original Assignee: NeoKismet, LLC
• Inventors: Gidwani, Jawahar M., Zuppero, Anthony C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Blum; David S
• Assistant Examiner(s): LUKE, DANIEL M
• Application Number:
  US12/029,576
• Publication Number:
  US 20080176356A1
• Time in Patent Office: 756 Days
• Field of Search: 438/48, 257/253, 257/E21.352, 136/252
• US Class Current: 438/49
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/66 Types of semiconductor device ; Multistep manufacturing processes therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H02N 11/002 Generators
• CPC Class Codes: H02N 2/18 producing electrical output from mechanical input, e.g. generators for measurement devices G01
• CPC Class Codes: H02S 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 Photovoltaic [PV] energy
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 136/291 Applications

Abstract

An improved diode energy converter for chemical kinetic electron energy transfer is formed using nanostructures and includes identifiable regions associated with chemical reactions isolated chemically from other regions in the converter, a region associated with an area that forms energy barriers of the desired height, a region associated with tailoring the boundary between semiconductor material and metal materials so that the junction does not tear apart, and a region associated with removing heat from the semiconductor.

Claims

1. A method of forming an energy converter for converting chemical vibrational energy of a vibrationally energized species into a useful form of energy, comprising:

forming a substrate;

forming a semiconductor layer on the substrate;

forming a tailoring conductor on the semiconductor layer, the tailoring conductor comprising one or more ballistic charge carrier materials;

forming a conductor material on the tailoring conductor, the conductor material comprising one or more ballistic charge carrier materials; and

forming a stabilizing interlayer conducting surface from one or more conductors and conducting catalysts on the conductor material, the stabilizing interlayer conducting surface physically isolating chemical reactants from the semiconductor layer and comprising one or more ballistic charge carrier materials.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the stabilizing interlayer conductor comprises at least gold.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the forming the conductor material includes forming an ohmic contact conductor on the tailoring conductor.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the ohmic contact conductor has a thickness of 50 nanometers or less.

5. The method of claim 1, where forming the tailoring conductor includes forming the tailoring conductor in contact with the semiconductor layer.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the tailoring conductor comprises at least chrome.

7. The method of claim 1, further including limiting the thickness of the conducting catalysts to under 20 nanometers.

8. The method of claim 1, further including limiting the thickness of the stabilizing interlayer conducting surface to under 50 nanometers.

9. The method of claim 1, further including limiting the thickness of the tailoring conductor to 4 monolayers or less.

10. The method of claim 1, further including forming the semiconductor layer with a band gap energy less than a probable energy of ballistic electrons generated in the energy converter.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more conducting catalysts include one or more of platinum;

palladium, ruthenium, ruthenium oxides, vanadium, vanadium oxides, transition metals or combinations thereof.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the forming the conductor material includes forming a Schottky conductor.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the Schottky conductor is formed from gold, silver, platinum, palladium, ruthenium and its oxides, vanadium and its oxides, transition metals, or combinations thereof.

14. The method of claim 12, further including limiting the thickness of the Schottky conductor to 10 nanometers or less.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the semiconductor layer is formed from Ti02, a wide bandgap semiconductor, or combinations thereof.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the substrate has at least a portion thereof in thermal contact with the flow of the chemical reactants.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising placing a heat conducting substrate in thermal contact with the region in thermal contact with the flow of the chemical reactants.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein the method steps recited therein are performed in seriatim.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein the substrate comprises a thermal layer.