Method for increasing bulk conductivity of a ferroelectric material such as lithium tantalate

US7527755B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Silicon Light Machines Corporation · US

Inventors

• Ronald Miles · Evington, US
• Ludwig Galambos · Menlo Park, US
• Janos Lazar · Redwood City, US
• Gabriel Risk · San Francisco, US
• Alexei L. Alexandrovski · Los Gatos, US
• Gregory D. Miller · Palo Alto, US
• David Caudillo · Saratoga, US
• Joseph M. McRae · San Jose, US
• Gisele L. Foulon · Cupertino, US

Key dates

• Filing date: May 9, 2005
• Grant date: May 5, 2009
• Expiry date: Apr 6, 2027

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H03H9/02921
• WIPO field: Materials, metallurgy
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

In one embodiment, a ferroelectric material is processed by placing the material in an environment including metal vapor and heating the material to a temperature below the Curie temperature of the material. This allows the bulk conductivity of the ferroelectric material to be increased without substantially degrading its ferroelectric domain properties. In one embodiment, the ferroelectric material comprises lithium tantalate and the metal vapor comprises zinc.