All-wavelength (VIS-LWIR) transparent electrical contacts and interconnects and methods of making them

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9548415-B1
Application number	US-201414530365-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Oct 31, 2014
Priority date	Feb 19, 2013
Publication date	Jan 17, 2017
Grant date	Jan 17, 2017

Abstract

A method for fabricating an optically transparent conductor including depositing a plurality of metal nanowires on a substrate, annealing or illuminating the plurality of metal nanowires to thermally or optically fuse nanowire junctions between metal nanowires to form a metal nanowire network, disposing a graphene layer over the metal nanowire network to form a nanohybrid layer comprising the graphene layer and the metal nanowire network, depositing a dielectric passivation layer over the nanohybrid layer, patterning the dielectric passivation layer using lithography, printing, or any other method of patterning to define an area for the optically transparent conductor, and etching the patterned dielectric passivation layer to define the optically transparent conductor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An optically transparent conductor comprising:
a substrate;
a plurality of metal nanowires on the substrate having fused junctions between the metal nanowires, the plurality of metal nanowires having fused junctions forming a metal nanowire network;
a graphene layer disposed on the metal nanowire network, the graphene layer disposed on the metal nanowire network forming a nanohybrid layer of the graphene layer and the metal nanowire network; and
a dielectric passivation layer disposed on a portion of the nanohybrid layer;
wherein the optically transparent conductor has a transmittance greater than 92% over the entire range extending from the near infrared to the long wavelength infrared.

2. The optically transparent conductor of claim 1 wherein:
the dielectric passivation layer comprises an atomic-layer-deposition (ALD) of Al2O3.

3. The optically transparent conductor of claim 1 wherein:
the metal nanowires comprise Ag, Au, Cu, or Ni, and combinations thereof, or any other metal nanowires.

4. The optically transparent conductor of claim 1 wherein:
the substrate comprises a InAsSb medium wavelength infrared detector, an InAs/GaSb superlattice long wavelength infrared detector, or a HgCdTe-based medium wavelength infrared to long wavelength infrared detector.

5. The optically transparent conductor of claim 1 wherein:
the graphene layer comprises monolayer graphene, or the graphene has a thickness of less than 10 Å.

6. The optically transparent conductor of claim 1 wherein the substrate comprises GaAs, InAsSb, InAs, GaSb or HgCdTe.

7. The optically transparent conductor of claim 1 wherein the entire range extending from the near infrared to the long wavelength infrared comprises the wavelength range of between 0.9 μm to 17 μm.

8. An optically transparent conductor comprising:
a substrate;
a first graphene layer disposed on the substrate;
a plurality of metal nanowires disposed on the first graphene layer, the plurality of metal nanowires having fused junctions between the metal nanowires, the plurality of metal nanowires having fused junctions forming a metal nanowire network, and the first graphene layer and the metal nanowire network forming a nanohybrid layer; and
a dielectric passivation layer disposed on a portion of the nanohybrid layer;
wherein the optically transparent conductor has a transmittance greater than 92% over the entire range extending from the near infrared to the long wavelength infrared.

9. The optically transparent conductor of claim 8 , wherein:
a second graphene layer is disposed on the plurality of metal nanowires.

10. The optically transparent conductor of claim 9 wherein:
the first graphene layer comprises monolayer graphene, or the first graphene layer has a thickness of less than 10 Å; and
the second graphene layer comprises monolayer graphene, or the second graphene layer has a thickness of less than 10 Å.

11. The optically transparent conductor of claim 8 wherein:
the dielectric passivation layer comprises Al2O3.

12. The optically transparent conductor of claim 8 wherein:
the optically transparent conductor has a sheet resistance Rs of less than 20 ohms/sq.

13. The optically transparent conductor of claim 8 wherein:
the plurality of metal nanowires comprise Ag, Au, Cu, or Ni and combinations thereof, or any other metal nanowires formed by spin-coating, electrospinning, spraying, or printing.

14. The optically transparent conductor of claim 8 wherein:
the substrate comprises a InAsSb medium wavelength infrared detector an InAs/GaSb superlattice long wavelength infrared detector, or a HgCdTe-based medium wavelength infrared to long wavelength infrared detector.

15. The optically transparent conductor of claim 8 wherein the substrate comprises GaAs, InAsSb, InAs, GaSb or HgCdTe.

16. The optically transparent conductor of claim 8 wherein the entire range extending from the near infrared to the long wavelength infrared comprises the wavelength range of between 0.9 μm to 17 μm.

17. An optically transparent conductor comprising:
a substrate;
a first graphene layer disposed on the substrate;
a plurality of metal nanowires disposed on the first graphene layer, the plurality of metal nanowires having fused junctions between the metal nanowires, the plurality of metal nanowires having fused junctions forming a metal nanowire network;
a second graphene layer disposed on the metal nanowire network, the first graphene layer, the metal nanowire network, and the second graphene layer disposed on the metal nanowire network forming a nanohybrid layer; and
a dielectric passivation layer disposed on an area of the nanohybrid layer;
wherein the optically transparent conductor has a transmittance greater than 92% over the entire range extending from the near infrared to the long wavelength infrared.

18. The optically transparent conductor of claim 17 wherein:
the dielectric passivation layer comprises Al2O3.

19. The optically transparent conductor of claim 17 wherein:
the metal nanowires comprise Ag, Au, Cu, or Ni, and combinations thereof, or any other metal nanowires.

20. The optically transparent conductor of claim 17 wherein:
the substrate comprises a InAsSb infrared detector, an InAs/GaSb superlattice infrared detector, or a HgCdTe-based infrared detector.

21. The optically transparent conductor of claim 17 wherein:
the first graphene layer comprises monolayer graphene, or has a thickness of less than 10 Å; and
the second graphene layer comprises monolayer graphene, or has a thickness of less than 10 Å.

22. The optically transparent conductor of claim 17 wherein the substrate comprises GaAs, InAsSb, InAs, GaSb or HgCdTe.

23. The optically transparent conductor of claim 17 wherein the entire range extending from the near infrared to the long wavelength infrared comprises the wavelength range of between 0.9 μm to 17 μm.

Assignees

• Hrl Lab Llc

Inventors

• Son Kyung-Ah

Classifications

• H01L31/1884 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L31/1035

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L31/022466

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L31/109

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L31/035236

  Electricity · mapped topic