University of Illinois

Adam D Smith

Munir H Nayfeh

Joel M Therrien

Taysir H Nayfeh

Gennadiy Belomoin

According to the invention, silicon nanoparticles are applied to a substrate using an electrochemical plating processes, analogous to metal plating. An electrolysis tank of an aqueous or non-aqueous solution, such as alcohol, ether, or other solvents in which the particles are dissolved operates at a current flow between the electrodes. In applying silicon nanoparticles to a silicon, metal, or non-conducting substrate, a selective area plating may be accomplished by defining areas of different conductivity on the substrate. Silicon nanoparticle composite platings and stacked alternating material platings are also possible. The addition of metal ions into the silicon nanoparticle solution produces a composite material plating. Either composite silicon nanoparticle platings or pure silicon nanoparticle platings may be stacked with each other or with convention metal platings.

Elemental silicon nanoparticle plating and method for the same

An electronic fast switch for operation at room temperature utilizing uniform silicon nanoparticles (&tilde;1 nm with about 1 part per thousand exceeding 1 nm) between two conducting electrodes. The silicon nanoparticles, when on an n-type silicon substrate exhibit, at zero bias, a large differential conductance, approaching near full transparency. The conductance is observed after one of the electrode is first biased at a voltage in the range 3 to 5 eV (switching voltage), otherwise the device does not conduct (closed). A practical MOSFET switch of the invention includes the silicon nanoparticles in a body of the MOSFET, with the gate and substrate forming the two conducting electrodes. Electrodes may be realized by metal in other switches of the invention.

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Urbana, IL, United States of America

Adam D Smith