STTR Phase II: Light Transparent, Electrically Conductive Coatings by Filtered Cathodic Arc Plasma Deposition

这个小型企业技术转移（STTR）第二阶段项目将建立并扩展第一阶段项目中获得的令人鼓舞的结果，第一阶段项目研究了薄、导电、紫外线透明薄膜和三层金属涂层作为电力电子器件可能的金刚石开关电极结构的特性。第一阶段测试了14至44 nm Mo薄膜的紫外透射率、电导率和衬底附着力，该薄膜采用高能过滤阴极电弧沉积工艺沉积。一个配套程序表明，使用这些薄膜作为接触电极，可以显著降低金刚石开关的导通状态电阻，从而提高开关效率。第二阶段计划将通过证明薄膜沉积过程可以缩放和复杂的薄膜台面状电极拓扑可以实现，将这些结果应用于商业相关规范。预期的台地形设计将由一系列狭窄的三层导管组成，中间相对较大的空间涂有薄的UV透明导电膜。这种设计最大限度地提高了钻石的紫外线输入，用于激活开关，同时尽量减少电阻。电极的性能将根据商业相关的操作要求进行基准测试。该项目的商业潜力被认为是巨大的，因为它既支持钻石开关技术进入每年210亿美元的电力电子设备市场，又推进了高能沉积工艺薄膜知识库，这反过来又为启动其他商业企业提供了一个改进的平台。

This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase II project will build upon and extend the encouraging results obtained in the Phase I program, which investigated the properties of thin, electrically conductive, UV transparent films and tri-layer metal coatings as possible diamond switch electrode structures for power electronics. Phase I benchmarked UV transmission, electrical conductivity and substrate adhesion for 14 to 44 nm Mo films, deposited using an energetic filtered cathodic arc deposition process. A companion program demonstrated a significant reduction in the diamond switch on-state resistance, and hence, improvement in switch efficiency, using these films as contact electrodes. The Phase II program will apply these results to a commercially relevant specification by demonstrating that the thin film deposition process can be scaled and the complex thin film mesa-shaped electrode topology can be realized. The anticipated mesa-shaped design will consist of a series of narrow tri-layer conduits, with the relatively large spaces in between coated with the thin UV transparent, electrically conductive film. This design maximizes the UV input into the diamond, which is used to activate the switch, while minimizing the electrical resistance. The properties of the electrode will be benchmarked against commercially relevant operating requirements.The project's commercial potential is considered significant since it both supports the entry of diamond switch technology into the $21 billion per year power electronic device market as well as advancing the energetic deposition process thin film knowledge base, which in turn provides an improved platform for launching additional commercial ventures.