Development of Novel functionalities in Some Photoelectrochromic Materials and their Application to a Display Device

根据我们在光致响应性新材料研究过程中发现的一些金属氧化物半导体的光电功能，从实用的角度探讨了这些材料用于显示或存储器件的可能性。虽然WO_3和MoO_3等金属氧化物的电致变色(EC)和光致变色(PC)效应已经被证实，但人们简单地假设PC响应是由比这些半导体材料的禁带能量更大的紫外光引起的。相反，我们发现这些化合物在经过预先的电化学处理后，即使在可见光下也会表现出PC反应。这一发现使我们成功地得到了更多具有实际意义的发现：这些金属氧化物的PC反应可以由微型半导体激光系统的红光诱导，它们的PC着色很容易在阳极极化时被擦除，这些着色-脱色…更多的n个过程是高度可重复性的。本研究的目的是利用上述金属氧化物的杂化PC-EC特性，为实现低成本、高可回收的高密度显示器件或激光打印机提供指导。在过去的三年里，该项目是非常有效的，在与一家私营公司的研究人员的合作下，在基础到应用方面取得了许多有益的结果，特别是在研究人员没有足够经验的制造工艺方面。每个研究年度完成的项目有：92年；PC-EC化合物的基本表征、响应和机理；93年；PC-EC工艺的优化，工艺的多重控制；94年；写入擦除循环的重复性测试；微图案化PC-EC薄膜的加工性。较少

Based on the opto-electric functionalities of some metal oxide semiconductors which we had discovered in the course of the study of photoresponsible novel materials, the possibility of these materials for display or memory devices has been investigated from the practical point of view. Although the electrochromism (EC) and the photochromism (PC) of those metal oxides such as WO3 and MoO3 were already established, it has been simply assumed that the PC response is induced by the UV light of larger energy than the bandgaps of these semiconductor materials. On the contrary, we found that these compounds will exhibit PC reponse even to a visible light once they are treated electro-chemically in advance. This discovery led us successfully to further findings of the prac-tical importance ; the PC reaction of these metal oxides can be induced by the red beam of a tiny semiconductor laser system, their PC coloration is readily erasable upon anodic polarization, and these coloration-decoloratio … More n processes are highly reproducible. The reaction mechanism concerning this hybridized PC-EC response of these semiconductor materials were also studid in terms of a variety of spectroscopic approaches and kinetic analyzes.The purpose of the present research project is to achieve the guide-lines for the reali-zation of high density display devices or laser-printers of lower-cost and higher recyclabil-ity by utilizing the hybridized PC-EC properties of those metal oxides mentioned above. The project for the last 3 years was highly effective and many useful results in fundamen-tal to applicational aspects were obtained under the collaboration with the researcher of a private company, especially in the study of manufacturing processes in which the faculty researchers are not necesarily well-experienced.The items accomplished in each research year are :'92 ; basic characterization of PC-EC compounds, the response and the mechanism.'93 ; optimization of the PC-EC process, multiple control of the process.'94 ; repeatability test of write-erase cycles, processability of micro-patterned PC-EC film. Less