Electrode for an electronic device
View Patent ↗An embodiment of the present invention pertains to an electrode that includes a metal oxide layer, and a conductive layer on that metal oxide layer. The metal oxide layer is an alkali metal oxide or an alkaline earth metal oxide that is formed by: (1) decomposing a compound that includes (a) oxygen and (b) an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal, or (2) thermally reacting at least two compounds where one of the at least two compounds includes the alkali metal or the alkaline earth metal, and another one of the at least two compounds includes oxygen. The metal oxide layer can also be formed by thermally reacting at least two compounds where one of those compounds includes (a) oxygen and (b) an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal.
1. A method to fabricate an electrode, comprising:
forming a metal oxide layer wherein said metal oxide layer is an alkali metal oxide or an alkaline earth metal oxide that is formed by: (1) decomposing a compound that includes (a) oxygen and (b) an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal, or (2) thermally reacting at least two compounds where one of said at least two compounds includes said alkali metal or said alkaline earth metal, and another one of said at least two compounds includes said oxygen; and
depositing a conductive layer on said metal oxide layer.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein
said compound that includes (a) said oxygen and (b) said alkali metal or said alkaline earth metal is a salt that includes (a) said oxygen and (b) said alkali metal or said alkaline earth metal; and
said one of said at least two compounds that includes said alkali metal or said alkaline earth metal is a salt that includes said alkali metal or said alkaline earth metal.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein
said salt that includes (a) said oxygen and (b) said alkali metal or said alkaline earth metal is any one of: formates, acetates, carbonates, bicarbonates, sulphates, nitrates, or oxalates of said alkali metal or said alkaline earth metal; and
said salt that includes said alkali metal or said alkaline earth metal is any one of: formates, acetates, carbonates, bicarbonates, sulphates, nitrates, or oxalates of said alkali metal or said alkaline earth metal.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein
said metal oxide layer is a cesium oxide layer;
said compound that includes (a) said oxygen and (b) said alkali metal or said alkaline earth metal is a compound that includes (a) said oxygen and (b) cesium; and
said one of said at least two compounds includes said cesium.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein
said metal oxide layer is a cesium oxide layer;
said compound that includes (a) said oxygen and (b) said alkali metal or said alkaline earth metal is cesium carbonate;
said one of said at least two compounds is cesium sulfate; and
said other one of said at least two compounds is barium oxide.
6. The method of claim 5 wherein said cesium oxide layer is any one of: CsO, Cs 2 O, or CsO 2 .
7. The method of claim 5 wherein said cesium oxide layer has a thickness from about 0.2 nm to about 10 nm.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein
decomposing said compound that includes (a) said oxygen and (b) said alkali metal or said alkaline earth metal includes heating said compound, and
thermally reacting said at least two compounds includes physically mixing said at least two compounds and then heating said mixture.
9. A method to fabricate an electrode, comprising:
forming a metal oxide layer wherein said metal oxide layer is an alkali metal oxide or an alkaline earth metal oxide that is formed by thermally reacting at least two compounds where one of said at least two compounds includes (1) oxygen and (2) an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal; and
depositing a conductive layer on said metal oxide layer.
10. The method of claim 9 wherein
said one of said at least two compounds that includes (1) said oxygen and (2) said alkali metal or said alkaline earth metal is a salt that includes (1) said oxygen and (2) said alkali metal or said alkaline earth metal.
11. The method of claim 9 wherein
said salt that includes (1) said oxygen and (2) said alkali metal or said alkaline earth metal is any one of: formates, acetates, carbonates, bicarbonates, sulphates, nitrates, or oxalates of said alkali metal or said alkaline earth metal.
12. The method of claim 9 wherein
said metal oxide layer is a cesium oxide layer; and
said alkali metal or said alkaline earth metal is cesium,
wherein said cesium oxide layer is any one of: CsO, Cs 2 O, or CsO 2 .
13. The method of claim 9 wherein
thermally reacting said at least two compounds includes physically mixing said at least two compounds and then heating said mixture.
14. The method of claim 1 wherein decomposing said compound includes heating said compound.
15. The method of claim 1 wherein decomposing said compound produces: (a) said alkali metal oxide or said alkaline earth metal oxide, and (b) residual gasses.
16. The method of claim 15 , wherein forming said metal oxide layer further comprises:
evaporating said alkali metal oxide or said alkaline earth metal oxide; and
removing said residual gasses.
17. The method of claim 1 , wherein thermally reacting said at least two compounds includes
physically mixing said at least two compounds and then heating said mixture.
18. The method of claim 1 wherein thermally reacting said at least two compounds produces: (a) said alkali metal oxide or said alkaline earth metal oxide, and (b) residual gasses.
19. The method of claim 18 wherein forming said metal oxide layer further comprises:
evaporating said alkali metal oxide or said alkaline earth metal oxide; and
removing said residual gasses.
20. The method of claim 9 wherein thermally reacting said at least two compounds produces: (a) said alkali metal oxide or said alkaline earth metal oxide, and (b) residual gasses.
21. The method of claim 20 wherein forming said metal oxide layer further comprises:
evaporating said alkali metal oxide or said alkaline earth metal oxide; and
removing said residual gasses.