Devices for emitting and/or receiving electromagnetic radiation, and method for providing same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10403840-B2
Application number	US-201615137288-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 25, 2016
Priority date	Oct 25, 2013
Publication date	Sep 3, 2019
Grant date	Sep 3, 2019

Abstract

The invention describes a device for emitting or detecting electromagnetic radiation. The device has a first and a second electrode which are connected to each other via an electrically conductive nanostructure. The electrically conductive nanostructure is configured to receive electrons and holes from the first and second electrode or transport same to the first and second electrode. In addition, the device has a radiation molecule arranged at a circumferential surface of the electrically conductive nanostructure. The radiation molecule is configured to absorb electrons and holes or electromagnetic radiation and emit the electromagnetic radiation with recombination of electrons absorbed and holes absorbed, or emit electrons and holes based on the electromagnetic radiation absorbed. The electrically conductive nanostructure is, in the region of a circumferential surface, surrounded at least partly by the first or second electrode at an end arranged at the first or second electrode in order to provide electrical contact of the first or second electrode and the electrically conductive nanostructure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A device for emitting or detecting electromagnetic radiation, comprising:
a first electrode and a second electrode;
at least one electrically conductive nanostructure which connects the first electrode and the second electrode to each other and is configured to transport electrons and holes from the first and the second electrode or to the first and the second electrode; and
at least one nanoscopic material structure arranged at a circumferential surface of the electrically conductive nanostructure, configured to absorb electrons and holes and emit the electromagnetic radiation with recombination of electrons absorbed and holes absorbed or to absorb electromagnetic radiation and emit electrons and holes based on the electromagnetic radiation absorbed; wherein
an end of the electrically conductive nanostructure arranged at the first or the second electrode is surrounded at least partly by the first or second electrode along a region of the circumferential surface in order to provide electrical contact between the first or second electrode and the electrically conductive nanostructure,
a control electrode element arranged to be adjacent to the electrically conductive nanostructure and configured to influence, when applying an electric voltage to the control electrode element by means of an electric field generated, an energy level of holes or electrons in the electrically conductive nanostructure; and
wherein the device is implemented such that at least one of:
the control electrode element is adjacent to the first electrode and additionally comprises at least another control electrode element arranged to be adjacent to the second electrode and configured to influence, when applying an electric voltage to the further control electrode element by means of an electric field generated, an energy level of holes or electrons in the electrically conductive nanostructure;
the control electrode element is arranged between a substrate and the first electrode;
the first electrode is arranged between the control electrode element and a substrate; and
the control electrode element is arranged offset in a lateral direction perpendicularly to a connective axis between the first electrode and the second electrode; and
wherein the device further comprises an electroluminescent or phosphorescent or fluorescent light converter molecule arranged at a circumferential surface of the electrically conductive nanostructure and configured to receive at least partly the electromagnetic radiation at the first wavelength and emit electromagnetic radiation at a second wavelength based on a fluorescence or phosphorescence.

2. The device in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the nanoscopic material structure is a colloidal or elongated quantum dot.

3. The device in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the nanoscopic material structure is arranged at the electrically conductive nanostructure by means of covalent bonding.

4. The device in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the nanoscopic material structure is arranged at the electrically conductive nanostructure by means of non-covalent bonding.

5. The device in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the electrically conductive nanostructure is arranged in an angle of smaller than or equaling 20° relative to a surface plane of the device.

6. The device in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the nanoscopic material structure is configured to emit electromagnetic radiation at a wavelength, wherein said wavelength comprises a wavelength range between 1*10(exp-7) m and 1*10(exp-5) m.

7. The device in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the at least one nanoscopic material structure is one of a plurality of nanoscopic material structures of the device, the plurality of nanoscopic material structures configured to emit electromagnetic radiation at least two wavelength ranges.

8. The device in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising an insulation material at a surface of the device facing away from a substrate.

9. The device in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the first and second electrodes are directly connected to each other by means of the nanostructure by a first end of the nanostructure being arranged directly at the first electrode and a second end of the nanostructure being arranged directly at the second electrode.

10. A method for providing a device for emitting or receiving electromagnetic radiation, comprising:
arranging a first and a second electrode;
connecting the first electrode and the second electrode to at least one electrically conductive nanostructure for transporting electrons and holes from the first and the second electrode or to the first and the second electrode such that an end of the electrically conductive nanostructure arranged at the first or the second electrode is surrounded at least partly by the first or second electrode along a region of the circumferential surface in order to provide electrical contact between the first or second electrode and the electrically conductive nanostructure;
arranging at least one nanoscopic material structure at a circumferential surface of the electrically conductive nanostructure for absorbing electrons and holes for emitting the electromagnetic radiation with recombination of electrons absorbed and holes absorbed or for absorbing electromagnetic radiation and emitting electrons and holes based on the electromagnetic radiation absorbed; and
arranging a control electrode element arranged to be adjacent to the electrically conductive nanostructure such that, when applying an electric voltage to the control electrode element by means of an electric field generated, an energy level of holes or electrons in the electrically conductive nanostructure may be influenced; and
implementing the device such that at least one of:
the control electrode element is adjacent to the first electrode and additionally comprises at least another control electrode element arranged to be adjacent to the second electrode and configured to influence, when applying an electric voltage to the further control electrode element by means of an electric field generated, an energy level of holes or electrons in the electrically conductive nanostructure;
the control electrode element is arranged between a substrate and the first electrode;
the first electrode is arranged between the control electrode element and a substrate;
the control electrode element is arranged offset in a lateral direction perpendicularly to a connective axis between the first electrode and the second electrode;
the device further comprises an electroluminescent or phosphorescent or fluorescent light converter molecule arranged at a circumferential surface of the electrically conductive nanostructure and configured to receive at least partly the electromagnetic radiation at the first wavelength and emit electromagnetic radiation at a second wavelength based on a fluorescence or phosphorescence.

Assignees

• Fraunhofer Ges Forschung
• Univ Chemnitz Tech

Inventors

• Gessner Thomas
• Otto Thomas
• Schulz Stefan
• Hermann Sascha
• Blaudeck Thomas
• Spudat Christian

Classifications

• B82Y20/00

  Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals · CPC title

• H01L51/56

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L51/428

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L29/42316

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L29/775

  Electricity · mapped topic