Diode, use thereof, and a method for producing the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9508840-B2
Application number	US-201113988976-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 22, 2011
Priority date	Nov 23, 2010
Publication date	Nov 29, 2016
Grant date	Nov 29, 2016

Abstract

High frequency currents may be rectified by means of a printable diode comprising a first and a second electrode, between which a semiconducting layer comprising semiconducting particles embedded in an inert matrix, and a conducting layer comprising conducting particles embedded in an inert matrix are arranged.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A diode comprising:
a first conductor and a second conductor;
a semiconducting layer comprising semiconducting material at least partly embedded in an inert matrix, which semiconducting layer is arranged between said first conductor and said second conductor, and
a conducting layer comprising conducting material at least partly embedded in an inert matrix, which conducting layer is arranged between said semiconducting layer and said second conductor;
wherein:
said layers are stacked on top of each other in a first direction; and
the interface between said first conductor and said semiconducting layer provides a rectifying junction;
the interface between said conducting layer and said semiconducting layer provides a first junction; and
the interface between said second conductor and said conducting layer provides a second junction,

wherein the rectifying junction in operation provides a higher resistance under reversed bias, compared to the total resistance of the rectifying junction and the first and second junctions under forward bias.

2. A diode according to claim 1 , wherein the rectifying junction provides a resistance under reversed bias which is at least 2 times higher, preferably at least 5 times higher and more preferably 10 times higher, compared to the total resistance of the rectifying junction and the first and second junctions under forward bias.

3. An electric circuit comprising a diode according to claim 1 .

4. Use of a diode according to claim 1 in an electric circuit.

5. A circuitry for application to an article comprising:
an antenna arranged to receive EM-radiation from an external source and to convert the received EM-radiation into electric energy; and
a diode according to claim 1 arranged to receive electric energy from said antenna and convert said energy to a rectified current.

6. A circuitry according to claim 5 , wherein:
the circuitry further comprises an indicating device arranged to alter its state in response to said rectified current, wherein said indicating device preferably is a display or a light source, and more preferably a display selected from a group comprising electrochromic displays, e-Ink displays, LCD-displays, bistable displays, capacitive displays, LED-displays, OLED-displays, or combinations thereof or a light source selected from a group comprising LEDs and OLEDs; and/or
the circuitry is arranged to receive and rectify EM-radiation emitted from a wireless device, preferably portable and/or handheld wireless device, more preferably a portable and/or handheld wireless communication device, most preferably a PDA, notebook, electronic reading pad or a mobile telephone; and/or
the diode is arranged to rectify an alternating current having a frequency of between 0.4 and 5 GHz, or between 0.4 GHz and 3 GHz, or between 1 GHz and 3 GHz, or between 1.5 GHz and 2.5 GHz.

7. An article comprising a circuitry according to claim 5 , wherein the article is a security document, a smart packaging, an advertising material, a game, a toy, or other type of functional device.

8. A diode comprising:
a first conductor and a second conductor;
a semiconducting layer comprising semiconducting material at least partly embedded in an inert matrix, which semiconducting layer is arranged between said first conductor and said second conductor; and
a conducting layer comprising conducting material at least partly embedded in an inert matrix, which conducting layer is arranged between said semiconducting layer and said second conductor;
wherein:
said layers are stacked on top of each other in a first direction; and
the interface between said first conductor and said semiconducting layer provides a rectifying junction;
the interface between said conducting layer and said semiconducting layer provides a first substantially ohmic junction; and
the interface between said second conductor and said conducting layer provides a second substantially ohmic junction.

9. A diode according to claim 8 , wherein:
the rectifying junction in operation provides a higher resistance under reversed bias, compared to the total resistance of the rectifying junction and the first and second substantially ohmic junctions under forward bias; or
the rectifying junction in operation and under reversed bias provides a higher resistance compared to the first and second substantially ohmic junctions.

10. A diode according to claim 8 , wherein:
the semiconducting material is selected from group IV or III; or the semiconducting material is selected from group IV or III in mixture with elements selected from group V; or selected from a group consisting of Si, Ge, AlN, AlP, AlAs, GaN, GaP, GaAs, InN, InP and InAs, or wherein the semiconducting material is n- or p-doped silicon; and/or
the conducting material is selected from elements of groups I, III, IV, and VI; or is selected from elements of groups I, III, IV, and VI in mixture with elements of groups I, II, III, IV, V, VI; or is selected from the group consisting of Si, Au, Al, Mo, W, In, AuSn, AuSb, AuGe, AuSi, AuSn, AuTe, AuZn, AlIn, GaAg, InTe, InAu, AgSn, SnTe; or selected from metal silicides; or selected from transition metal silicides; or selected from the group consisting of NbSi2, TiSi2, CoSi2, WSi2, NiSi2, FeSi2, TaSi2, VSi2, or mixtures thereof.

11. A diode according to claim 8 , wherein:
the semiconducting material is n-doped or p-doped silicon, and the conducting material comprises silicide; and/or
the first conductor comprises metal, or wherein the first conductor comprises Al, Ag, Cu or combinations thereof; and/or
the second conductor comprises metal, carbon or electrically conductive polymers or combinations thereof, or wherein the second conductor comprises Au, Pedot:PSS, Ag, or combination thereof.

12. A diode according to claim 8 , wherein:
the semiconducting material is n-doped silicon, or n-doped silicon which is doped to a degree of 500 μOhm cm to 2 Ohm cm, or to a degree of 0.001 Ohm cm to 0.2 Ohm cm, or to a degree of 0.01 to 0.02 Ohm cm; and/or
the semiconducting material and/or the conducting material are/is arranged in particulate form, preferably particulate form having a particle size of 30 nm to 20 μm, and more preferably a particle size of 1 μm to 10 μm; and/or
both the semiconducting material and the conducting material comprise particles, which particles are arranged in contact with each other so as to provide particle bridges in the inert matrix between the first conductor to the second conductor.

13. A diode according to claim 8 , wherein the semiconducting material and/or the conducting material are/is arranged in particulate form, preferably particulate form having a particle size of 30 nm to 20 μm, and more preferably a particle size of 1 μm to 10 μm; and/or both the semiconducting material and the conducting material comprise particles, which particles are arranged in contact with each other so as to provide particle bridges in the inert matrix between the first conductor to the second conductor, and wherein:
the particle size of the semiconducting material is substantially equal to the coarseness of the first conductor, and/or the conducting material particle size is substantially equal to the coarseness of the second conductor; and/or
both the semiconducting material and the conducting material are arranged in particulate form, and the semiconducting particles of said semiconducting layer are distributed such that the resistance across the semiconducting layer is lower in said first direction compared to in a second direction being orthogonal to said first direction, and the conducting particles of said condu

Assignees

• Berggren Magnus
• Wang Xin
• Robertsson Mats
• Norberg Petronella
• Cooper Philip George
• Ersman Peter Andersson
• Acreo Swedich Ict Ab
• De La Rue Int Ltd

Inventors

• Berggren Magnus
• Wang Xin
• Robertsson Mats
• Norberg Petronella
• Cooper Philip George
• Ersman Peter Andersson

Classifications

• H10D64/011

  of electrodes ohmically coupled to a semiconductor · CPC title

• H02J50/10

  using inductive coupling · CPC title

• H02J50/20

  using microwaves or radio frequency waves · CPC title

• H10D8/051

  of Schottky diodes · CPC title

• H10D48/32 Primary

  Devices controlled by only the electric current supplied, or only the electric potential applied, to an electrode which does not carry the current to be rectified, amplified or switched · CPC title