Electrically conductive thin films

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9837179-B2
Application number	US-201514940223-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 13, 2015
Priority date	Nov 14, 2014
Publication date	Dec 5, 2017
Grant date	Dec 5, 2017

Abstract

An electrically conductive thin film including: a material including a compound represented by Chemical Formula 1 and having a layered crystal structure,

Me m A a   Chemical Formula 1

wherein Me is Al, Ga, In, Si, Ge, Sn, A is S, Se, Te, or a combination thereof, and m and a each are independently a number selected so that the compound of Chemical Formula 1 is neutral; and
a dopant disposed in the compound of Chemical Formula 1, wherein the dopant is a metal dopant that is different from Me and has an oxidation state which is greater than an oxidation state of Me, a non-metal dopant having a greater number of valence electrons than a number of valence electrons of A in Chemical Formula 1, or a combination thereof, and wherein the compound of Chemical Formula 1 includes a chemical bond which includes a valence electron of an s orbital of Me.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electrically conductive thin film comprising:
a material comprising
a compound represented by Chemical Formula 1 and having a layered crystal structure:
Me m A a   Chemical Formula 1

wherein
Me is Al, Ga, In, Si, Ge, Sn, or a combination thereof, A is S, Se, Te, or a combination thereof, and
m and a are each independently a number selected so that the compound of Chemical Formula 1 is neutral; and

a dopant disposed in the compound of Chemical Formula 1, wherein the dopant is a metal dopant that is different from Me and has an oxidation state which is greater than an oxidation state of Me, a non-metal dopant having a greater number of valence electrons than a number of valence electrons of A in Chemical Formula 1, or a combination thereof, and

wherein the compound of Chemical Formula 1 comprises an overlap between an s orbital of a first Me cation and an s orbital of a second Me cation,
wherein the film either comprises a plurality of nanosheets comprising the material or is in a form of a continuous deposition film comprising the material.

2. The electrically conductive thin film of claim 1 , wherein the metal dopant comprises Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, W, Mn, Fe, Ru, Co, Al, Ga, In, or a combination thereof.

3. The electrically conductive thin film of claim 1 , wherein the non-metal dopant is F, Cl, Br, I, or a combination thereof.

4. The electrically conductive thin film of claim 1 , wherein the compound of Chemical Formula 1 comprises SnS 2 , SnSe 2 , GaS, GaSe, InSe, SiS 2 , GeS 2 , GeSe 2 , Al 2 Te 3 , or a combination thereof.

5. The electrically conductive thin film of claim 1 , wherein the content of the metal dopant is less than or equal to about 10 atomic percent, relative to a total content of Me of Chemical Formula 1.

6. The electrically conductive thin film of claim 1 , wherein the content of the non-metal dopant is less than or equal to about 10 atomic %, relative to a total content of A of Chemical Formula 1.

7. The electrically conductive thin film of claim 1 ,
wherein the nanosheets contact each other so as to provide an electrical connection.

8. The electrically conductive thin film of claim 1 , wherein Me is Al, Si, Ge, Sn, or a combination thereof.

9. The electrically conductive thin film of claim 1 , wherein the electrically conductive thin film has a thickness of less than or equal to about 100 nanometers.

10. The electrically conductive thin film of claim 1 , wherein the material has an electron mobility of greater than or equal to about 31 cm 2 /Vs.

11. The electrically conductive thin film of claim 1 , wherein the compound is an n-type conductor.

12. The electrically conductive thin film of claim 1 , wherein the compound of Chemical Formula 1 is polycrystalline.

13. The electrically conductive thin film of claim 1 , wherein the electrically conductive thin film has a sheet resistance of less than or equal to about 400 ohms per square and a transmittance of at least 90% for visible light.

14. The electrically conductive thin film of claim 1 , wherein the electrically conductive thin film has an electrical conductivity of 10 Siemens per centimeter to 1000 Siemens per centimeter.

15. The electrically conductive thin film of claim 1 , wherein an electrical conductivity of the electrically conductive thin film is at least 10 times greater than an electrical conductivity of the compound of Chemical Formula 1 without the dopant.

16. The electrically conductive thin film of claim 1 , wherein the electrically conductive thin film has an electrical conductivity of about 10 Siemens per centimeter to about 500 Siemens per centimeter and a transmittance of at least 98% for visible light.

17. The electrically conductive thin film of claim 1 , wherein the electrically conductive thin film has an electron concentration of 10 19 cm −3 to 10 21 cm −3 and a transmittance of at least 90% for visible light.

18. The electrically conductive thin film of claim 1 , wherein the electrically conductive thin film has an electron mobility of at least 2 times an electron mobility of the compound of Chemical Formula 1 without the dopant and a transmittance of at least 98% for visible light.

19. An electronic device comprising the electrically conductive thin film of claim 1 .

20. The electronic device of claim 19 , wherein the electronic device is a flat panel display, a touch screen panel, a solar cell, an e-window, an electrochromic mirror, a heat mirror, a transparent transistor, or a flexible display.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Kimoon
• Kim Sang Il
• Kim Se Yun
• Hwang Sung Woo
• Lee Woojin
• Park Hee Jung
• Son Yoon Chul
• Lee Hyosug
• Jung Doh Won
• Cho Youngjin
• Choi Jae-Young

Classifications

• H10P14/3466

  Crystal orientation · CPC title

• H10P14/3441

  Conductivity type · CPC title

• H10P14/2919

  being chalcogenide semiconducting materials not being oxides, e.g. ternary compounds · CPC title

• C01B19/007

  Tellurides or selenides of metals (C01B19/002 takes precedence) · CPC title

• C01P2002/30

  Three-dimensional structures · CPC title