Other

Ontario Hydro

Stefan Zukotynski

Walter T Shmayda

Nazir P Kherani

Franco Gaspari

Romon V Kruzelecky

Clement I Ukah

A nuclear battery is provided by the incorporation through chemical bonding of radioactive tritium in a body of amorphous semiconductor material having a p-type conductivity region, an n-type conductivity region and a semiconductor junction therebetween, with means for electrically connecting the n-type and p-type regions to a load circuit. A preferred such nuclear battery comprises tritium chemically bonded within an amorphous silicon semiconductor including a p-i-n junction.

Nuclear batteries

A radioluminescent source is provided by a radioactive element entrapped in an amorphous semiconductor. A preferred light source comprises a beta-emitting radioactive element, such as tritium, occluded within a matrix of amorphous semiconductor material, such as amorphous silicon, with or without dopants. The matrix may serve as an intrinsic radioluminescent light source, or as an electron source to irradiate a separate phosphor.

Radioluminescent light sources

The invention provides new methods and apparatus for the deposition of materials on substrates by the use of a D.C. glow discharge, sometimes also called a plasma discharge. A precursor gas (or gases) is introduced at low pressure (10-500 milliTor) into an enclosure containing two spaced parallel cathode electrodes and an intermediate parallel anode electrode, preferably midway between the two cathodes, which anode electrode is permeable to at least electrons of the glow or plasma discharge. Upon application of a suitable positive potential to the anode a deposition plasma is generated in the space on both sides of the anode. The plasma of charged and neutral radicals moves to the cathodes both by charge attraction and by diffusion, facilitated by gas flow toward the cathodes, giving high quality films at increased deposition rates, higher possible discharge current densities, lower gas pressures with consequent gas economy and safety, improved film adhesion, and greater independence of these parameters from one another than has been possible with the prior art processes. To avoid encroachment of the plasma on the cathodes and substrates supplementary ion permeable cathode electrodes may be interposed between the first-mentioned cathodes and the anode close to the former.

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Richmond Hill, Canada

Stefan Zukotynski