Method of forming a carbon nanotube-based contact to semiconductor

US8044388B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Nantero, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Jonathan W. Ward · Fairfax, US
• Benjamin Schlatka · Lexington, US
• Mitchell Meinhold · Medford, US
• Robert F. Smith · Newbury Park, US
• Brent M. Segal · Woburn, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Jul 21, 2009
• Grant date: Oct 25, 2011
• Expiry date: Jul 21, 2029

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10T428/31678
• WIPO field: Micro-structural and nano-technology
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

Manufacturers encounter limitations in forming low resistance ohmic electrical contact to semiconductor material P-type Gallium Nitride (p-GaN), commonly used in photonic applications, such that the contact is highly transparent to the light emission of the device. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) can address this problem due to their combined metallic and semiconducting characteristics in conjunction with the fact that a fabric of CNTs has high optical transparency. The physical structure of the contact scheme is broken down into three components, a) the GaN, b) an interface material and c) the metallic conductor. The role of the interface material is to make suitable contact to both the GaN and the metal so that the GaN, in turn, will make good electrical contact to the metallic conductor that interfaces the device to external circuitry. A method of fabricating contact to GaN using CNTs and metal while maintaining protection of the GaN surface is provided.