Integrated circuit components incorporating energy harvesting components/devices, and methods for fabrication, manufacture and production of integrated circuit components incorporating energy harvesting components/devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9786718-B1
Application number	US-201615095065-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Apr 9, 2016
Priority date	Apr 9, 2016
Publication date	Oct 10, 2017
Grant date	Oct 10, 2017

Abstract

An integrated circuit system, structure and/or component is provided that includes an integrated electrical power source in a form of a unique, environmentally-friendly energy harvesting element or component. The energy harvesting component provides a mechanism for generating autonomous renewable energy, or a renewable energy supplement, in the integrated circuit system, structure and/or component. The energy harvesting element includes a first conductor layer, a low work function layer, a dielectric layer, and a second conductor layer that are particularly configured to promote electron migration from the low work function layer, through the dielectric layer, to the facing surface of the second conductor layer in a manner that develops an electric potential between the first conductor layer and the second conductor layer. An energy harvesting component includes a plurality of energy harvesting elements electrically connected to one another to increase a power output of the electric harvesting component.

First claim

I claim:

1. An integrated circuit component, comprising:
an integrated circuit element; and
an energy harvesting component configured to provide an electrical energy source for the integrated circuit element, the energy harvesting component comprising:
a first conductor layer formed of a conductive material and having a first surface and a second surface;
a low work function layer formed on the first surface of the first conductor layer;
a second conductor layer formed of a conductive material and having a first surface and a second surface, the first surface of the second conductor layer (1) facing the low work function layer, (2) forming a gap between the low work surface layer and the first surface of the second conductor layer, the gap being in a range of 100 nm or less in thickness in a direction orthogonal to the first surface of the second conductor layer, and (3) having a work function substantially higher than a work function of the low work function layer; and
a dielectric layer interposed in the gap,
wherein a structure of the energy harvesting element causes the energy harvesting element to generate electric potential between the first conductor layer and the second conductor layer at any temperature above absolute zero to power the integrated circuit element.

2. The integrated circuit component of claim 1 , the low work function layer being at least one of a separate physical layer in intimate contact with the first surface of the first conductor layer, and a surface treatment applied to the first surface of the first conductor layer to lower the work function of the first surface of the first conductor layer.

3. The integrated circuit component of claim 1 , the low work function layer having a work function in a range of 1.0 eV or less and the first surface of the second conductor layer having a work function in a range of 2.0 eV or greater.

4. The integrated circuit component of claim 1 , a structure of the energy harvesting element being less than 150 nm thick.

5. The integrated circuit component of claim 1 , the dielectric layer having a thickness in a range of 20 nm to 60 nm and being sandwiched between the low work function layer and the first surface of the second conductor layer.

6. The integrated circuit component of claim 5 , the dielectric layer being formed at least in part of a plurality of tapered shapes, each of the plurality of tapered shapes having a tapered structure in which a cross-sectional area of the each of the plurality of tapered shapes is comparatively larger at an end facing the first surface of the second conductor layer and comparatively smaller at an end facing the low work function layer.

7. The integrated circuit component of claim 5 , the dielectric layer varying in thickness across a planform of the dielectric layer between the low work function layer and the first surface of the second conductor layer.

8. The integrated circuit component of claim 5 , the dielectric layer being a porous layer, at least some of the pores in the porous layer being filled at least in part with a metal cation.

9. The integrated circuit component of claim 1 , the energy harvesting component being comprised of a plurality of energy harvesting elements and a plurality of insulating layers arranged in a stack,
the plurality of energy harvesting elements being separated by the plurality of insulating layers in the stack, and
the plurality of energy harvesting elements being electrically interconnected with one another.

10. The integrated circuit component of claim 9 , further comprising a first electric lead electrically connected to an uppermost energy harvesting element in the stack and a second electric lead electrically connected to a lowermost energy harvesting element in the stack, the first and second electric leads being configured to attach the energy harvesting component to the integrated circuit element.

11. The integrated circuit component of claim 9 , further comprising an outer insulating layer substantially encasing the energy harvesting component.

12. The integrated circuit component of claim 9 , each of the plurality of insulating layers having a thickness of 1 μm or less.

Assignees

• Face Int Corp

Inventors

• Boyd Clark D

Classifications

• H01J45/00 Primary

  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

• H01L35/00

  Electricity · mapped topic

• G05B2219/45003

  Harvester · CPC title

• H01L27/16 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H10N10/00

  Thermoelectric devices comprising a junction of dissimilar materials, i.e. devices exhibiting Seebeck or Peltier effects (integrated devices or assemblies of multiple devices H10N19/00) · CPC title