Substrate having a modified native oxide layer for improved electrical conductivity.docx

Substrate having a modified native oxide layer for improved electrical conductivity.docx

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Substratehavingamodifiednativeoxidelayerforimprovedelectricalconductivity

Substratehavingamodifiednativeoxidelayerforimprovedelectricalconductivity

Abstract

Amethodforimprovingtheelectricalconductivityofasubstrateofmetal,metalalloyormetaloxidecomprisingdepositingasmallorminoramountofmetalormetalsfromGroupVIIIAmetals（Fe,Ru,Os,Co,Rh,Ir,Ni,Pd,Pt）orfromGroupIAmetals（Cu,Ag,Au）onasubstrateofmetal,metalalloysand/ormetaloxidefromGroupIVAmetals（Ti,Zr,Hf）,GroupVAmetals（V,Nb,Ta）,GroupVIAmetals（Cr,Mo,W）andAl,Mn,NiandCuandthendirectingahighenergybeamontothesubstratetocauseanintermixingofthedepositedmaterialwiththenativeoxideofthesubstratemetalormetalalloy.Thenativeoxidelayerischangedfromelectricallyinsulatingtoelectricallyconductive.Thestepofdepositingcanbecarriedout,forexample,byionbeamassisteddeposition,electronbeamdeposition,chemicalvapordeposition,physicalvapordeposition,plasmaassisted,lowpressureplasmaandplasmaspraydepositionandthelike.Thehigh-energybeamcanbeanionbeamfromahigh-energyionsourceoritcanbealaserbeam.Thedepositionmaybeperformedoneithertreatedoruntreatedsubstrate.Thesubstratewithnativeoxidelayermadeelectricallyconductiveisuseableinthemanufactureofelectrodesfordevicessuchascapacitorsandbatteries.

Claims

Whatisclaimedis:

1.Asubstrateofimprovedelectricalconductivity,thesubstratecomprising:

a）thesubstratebeingselectedfromthegroupconsistingofGroupIVA,GroupVAandGroupVIAmetals,aluminum,manganese,nickel,copper,stainlesssteel,andalloysandmixturesthereof;

b）anativeoxidelayeronasurfaceofthesubstrate;and

c）ametalcharacterizedashavingbeenintermixedwiththenativeoxidelayerbyahigh-energybeamhavingbeendirectedtothemetaldepositedonthenativeoxidelayer,themetalselectedfromthegroupconsistingofGroupIAandGroupVIIIAmetals.

2.Thesubstrateofclaim1whereinthehigh-energybeamisalaserbeam.

3.Thesubstrateofclaim1whereinthehigh-energybeamisanionbeam.

4.Thesubstrateofclaim1whereinthemetalisintermixedwiththenativeoxideinaraster-likepattern.

5.Thesubstrateofclaim1whereinthenativeoxidelayerischaracterizedashavingbeenchangedfrombeingelectricallyinsulatingtobeingmoreelectricallyconductivebyvirtueoftheintermixedmetal.

6.Thesubstrateofclaim1whereinthemetalintermixedwiththenativeoxidelayerdoesnotaffectthebulkstructureofthesubstrate.

7.Thesubstrateofclaim1whereinthemetalischaracterizedashavingbeensequentiallydepositedandintermixedwiththenativeoxidelayertoprovideapredeterminedmixeddepth.

8.Thesubstrateofclaim1whereinthesubstratehasathicknessoffromabout0.001mmtoabout2.0mm.

9.Thesubstrateofclaim1whereinthemetalischaracterizedashavingbeenintermixedwiththenativeoxidelayeratatemperatureofabout100.degree.C.orless.

10.Thesubstrateofclaim1furtherincludingacoatingonthenativeoxidelayerofanelectrodematerialrenderingthesubstrateuseableasanelectrodeinacapacitor.

11.Thesubstrateofclaim10whereintheelectrodematerialisselectedfromthegroupconsistingofruthenium,iridium,manganese,nickel,cobalt,tungsten,niobium,iron,molybdenum,palladium,platinum,leaddioxide,polyaniline,polypyrole,polythiophene,andmixturesthereof.

12.Thesubstrateofclaim1whereinthemetalischaracterizedashavingathicknessofabout50angstromstoabout1,000angstromspriortobeingintermixedwiththenativeoxidelayer.

13.Thesubstrateofclaim1whereinthemetalisintermixedintothenativeoxidelayertoadepthofabout0.04.mu.toabout0.06.mu..

14.Thesubstrateofclaim1whereinthesubstrateisoftantalumortitaniumandthemetalisofpalladium.

15.Thesubstrateofclaim10whereintheelectrodemetalisrutheniumoxide.

16.Asubstrateofimprovedelectricalconductivity,thesubstratecomprising:

a）thesubstratebeingoftantalumortitanium;

b）anativeoxidelayeronasurfaceofthesubstrate;

c）palladiumintermixedwiththenativeoxidelayer;and

d）rutheniumoxideprovidedonthenativeoxidelayerintermixedwiththepalladium.

17.Thesubstrateofclaim2whereinthelaserbeamhasapulserateof80andadarknessfactorof10,000.

18.Thesubstrateofclaim3whereintheionbeamhasanenergylevelofabout2,000keV.

19.Asubstrateofimprovedelectricalconductivity,thesubstratecomprising:

a）thesubstrateselectedfromthegroupconsistingofGroupIVA,GroupVAandGroupVIAmetals,aluminum,manganese,nickel,copper,stainlesssteel,andalloysandmixturesthereof;

b）anativeoxidelayeronasurfaceofthesubstrate;and

c）ametalintermixedwiththenativeoxidelayer,themetalselectedfromthegroupconsistingofGroupIAandGroupVIIIAmetals,whereinthemetalintermixedwiththenativeoxidelayerdoesnotaffectthebulkstructureofthesubstrate.

20.Asubstrateofimprovedelectricalconductivity,thesubstratecomprising:

a）thesubstrateselectedfromthegroupconsistingofGroupIVA,GroupVAandGroupVIAmetals,aluminum,manganese,nickel,copper,stainlesssteel,andalloysandmixturesthereof;

b）anativeoxidelayeronasurfaceofthesubstrate;and

c）ametalintermixedwiththenativeoxidelayeratatemperatureofabout100.degree.C.orless,themetalselectedfromthegroupconsistingofGroupIAandGroupVIIIAmetals.

21.Asubstrateofimprovedelectricalconductivity,thesubstratecomprising:

a）thesubstrateselectedfromthegroupconsistingofGroupIVA,GroupVAandGroupVIAmetals,aluminum,manganese,nickel,copper,stainlesssteel,andalloysandmixturesthereof;

b）anativeoxidelayeronasurfaceofthesubstrate;

c）ametalintermixedwiththenativeoxidelayer,themetalselectedfromthegroupconsistingofGroupIAandGroupVIIIAmetals;and

d）acoatingonthenativeoxidelayerofanelectrodematerialrenderingthesubstrateuseableasanelectrodeinacapacitor.

22.Thesubstrateofclaim21whereintheelectrodematerialisselectedfromthegroupconsistingofruthenium,iridium,manganese,nickel,cobalt,tungsten,niobium,iron,molybdenum,palladium,platinum,leaddioxide,polyaniline,polypyrole,polythiophene,andmixturesthereof.

23.Thesubstrateofclaim21whereintheelectrodemetalisrutheniumoxide.

Description

BACKGROUNDOFTHEINVENTION

Thisinventionrelatestotheartoftreatingmetals,metalalloysandmetaloxides,andmoreparticularlytoanewandimprovedmethodforenhancingtheelectricalconductivityofmetals,metalalloysandmetaloxides.

Oneareaofuseofthepresentinventionisinthemanufacturingofelectrodesforcapacitors,batteriesandthelike,althoughtheprinciplesofthepresentinventioncanbevariouslyapplied.Metalsandmetalalloyshaveanativeoxidepresentonthesurface.Thisisaninsulatinglayerandhenceifthematerialistobeusedasasubstrateforanelectrode,theoxidehastoberemovedormadeelectricallyconductive.

Iftheoxideisremovedbychemicaltreatment,suchasbyetchingwithanacidorelectrolyticetchingtoexposetheunderlyingmetal,specialstepsmustbetakeninordertocompletetheelectricalcontactsbeforethenativeoxidecanberegeneratedandinterferewiththeelectricalcontacts.Suchmeasuresrequirespecialapparatusandextremelycarefulhandlingofthematerials,allofwhichaddscosttothefabricatingofelectricaldevicesincorporatingthesematerialstowhichelectricalcontactmustbemade.Anotherapproachinvolvesremovingtheoxidelayerandplatingthebaresubstratemetalwithanexpensivenoblemetal,suchassilver,gold,oralloysofsilver,goldandplatinum,ortheformationofanelectricallyconductingcompoundonthebaresubstratesurface.Thematerialsemployedareexpensiveandthestepsrequiredtoplatethesubstratearecostlyandtimeconsuming.Inaddition,themetalplatingorelectricallyconductingcompoundmustbedisposedonthesubstrateasacontinuousfilmformaximumperformance.Therefore,theplatingorcompoundformationtypicallyiscarriedoutafterthesubstratemetalisformedintoitsfinalshapefortheelectricaldeviceinwhichitisincorporatedinordertoavoiddamagetothecoating.This,inturn,addstothecostandcomplexityofthemanufacturingprocess.

U.S.Pat.No.5,098,485issuedMar.24,1992toDavidA.Evansproposesasolutiontotheoxideproblembyalteringthenativeoxidefromanelectricallyinsulatingtoanelectricallyconductingconditionwithoutremovalofthenativeoxidelayertoexposetheunderlyingmetaloralloy.Asolutioncontainingionsofanelectricalmaterialisappliedtothenativeoxidelayer,andthenthesubstrate,oxideandappliedionsareheatedtoanelevatedtemperatureforatimesufficienttoincorporatetheionsintotheoxidelayertochangeitfromanelectricalinsulatortoanelectricalconductor.

SUMMARYOFTHEINVENTION

Itwould,therefore,behighlydesirabletoprovideanewandimprovedmethodforenhancingtheelectricalconductivityofmetals,metalalloysandmetaloxideswhichdoesnotrequireadditionalheattreatment,whichprovidescontroloverthedensityanddepthofthematerialintroducedtothetreatedsurface,whichcanbeperformedinamannerpreventingsubstratedegradationanddeformation,andwhichimprovesthequalityofthetreatedsurface.

Thepresentinventionprovidesamethodforimprovingtheelectricalconductivityofasubstrateofmetal,metalalloyormetaloxidecomprisingdepositingasm