Electron emitting element and power generation element

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11664182-B2
Application number	US-202117401823-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 13, 2021
Priority date	Nov 2, 2020
Publication date	May 30, 2023
Grant date	May 30, 2023

Abstract

According to one embodiment, an electron emitting element includes a first region, a second region, and a third region. The first region includes a semiconductor including a first element of an n-type impurity. The second region includes diamond. The diamond includes a second element including at least one selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, phosphorous, arsenic, antimony, and bismuth. The third region is provided between the first region and the second region. The third region includes Al x1 Ga 1-x1 N (0<x1≤1) including a third element including at least one selected from the group consisting of Si, Ge, Te and Sn. A +c-axis direction of the third region includes a component in a direction from the first region toward the second region.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electron emitting element, comprising:
a first region including a semiconductor including a first element of an n-type impurity;
a second region including diamond, the diamond including a second element including at least one selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, phosphorous, arsenic, antimony, and bismuth; and
a third region provided between the first region and the second region, the third region including Al x1 Ga 1-x1 N (0<x1≤1) including a third element including at least one selected from the group consisting of Si, Ge, Te and Sn, a +c-axis direction of the third region including a component in a direction from the first region toward the second region.

2. The element according to claim 1 , wherein
the +c-axis direction is along the direction from the first region toward the second region.

3. The element according to claim 1 , wherein
the x1 is not less than 0.2.

4. The element according to claim 1 , wherein
the x1 is not less than 0.5.

5. The element according to claim 1 , wherein
a concentration of the third element in the third region is not less than 1×10 14 /cm 3 .

6. The element according to claim 1 , wherein
a concentration of the third element in the third region is not less than 1×10 16 /cm 3 .

7. The element according to claim 5 , wherein
the concentration of the third element in the third region is not more than 1×10 20 /cm 3 .

8. The element according to claim 1 , wherein
a thickness of the third region along a first direction from the first region toward the second region is not less than 5 nm.

9. The element according to claim 8 , wherein
the thickness of the third region is not more than 50 nm.

10. The element according to claim 1 , wherein
the semiconductor includes Al x2 Ga 1-x2 N (0≤x2<1, x2<x1), and
the first element includes at least one selected from the group consisting of Si, Ge, Te and Sn.

11. The element according to claim 1 , wherein
the semiconductor includes at least one selected from the group consisting of Si and SiC, and
the first element includes at least one selected from nitrogen, phosphorous, arsenic, antimony, and bismuth.

12. The element according to claim 1 , wherein
the semiconductor includes GaAs, and
the first element includes at least one selected from the group consisting of S, Se and Te.

13. The element according to claim 1 , wherein
the second region includes a first surface and a second surface,
the second surface is between the first surface and the third region, and
the first surface includes at least one selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and hydroxyl group.

14. The element according to claim 1 , wherein
the second region includes a first surface and a second surface,
the second surface is between the first surface and the third region, and
a concentration of hydrogen on the first surface is higher than a concentration of hydrogen on the second surface.

15. The element according to claim 1 , wherein
the third region contacts the second region.

16. The element according to claim 1 , wherein
the diamond includes a plurality of crystal grains.

17. The element according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a first electrode,
the first region being between the first electrode and the second region, and
the first electrode electrically connected to the first region.

18. A power generation element, comprising:
the electron emitting element according to claim 1 ; and
an opposing member facing the second region,
a gap being between the second region and the opposing member.

19. The element according to claim 18 , further comprising:
a container,
the electron emitting element and the opposing member are provided in the container.

20. The element according to claim 18 , wherein
a distance between the second region and the opposing member along a direction from the second region toward the opposing member is not less than 100 nm and not more than 1 mm.

Assignees

• Toshiba Kk
• Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corp

Inventors

• Kimura Shigeya
• Yoshida Hisashi
• Miyazaki Hisao
• Tomita Hiroshi
• Ueno Souichi
• Hoshi Takeshi

Classifications

• H01J1/308 Primary

  Semiconductor cathodes, e.g. cathodes with PN junction layers · CPC title

• H01J1/312 Primary

  having an electric field perpendicular to the surface, e.g. tunnel-effect cathodes of metal-insulator-metal [MIM] type {(H01J1/304- H01J1/308 take precedence)} · CPC title

• H01J45/00

  Discharge tubes functioning as thermionic generators {(structural combination of fuel element with thermoelectric element G21C3/40; nuclear power plants using thermionic converters G21D7/04; structural combination of a radioactive source with a thermionic converter, e.g. radioisotope batteries G21H1/10; generators in which thermal or kinetic energy is converted into electrical energy by ionisation of a fluid and removal of the charge therefrom H02N3/00)} · CPC title