Patent ID: 11932960
Assignee: ARIZONA BOARD OF REGENTS ON BEHALF OF ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY
Field: Surface technology, coating (Chemistry)
Classification: CPC C  H | IPC C  H

Claim 0:
1. A method for light-induced electroplating of aluminum directly onto a silicon substrate, the method comprising:
preparing an ionic liquid comprising aluminum chloride (AlCl3) and an organic halide;
placing the silicon substrate into the ionic liquid, wherein the surface of the silicon substrate is n-type and does not comprise a seed layer;
illuminating the silicon substrate with a light source comprising at least one light-emitting diode with a wavelength of about 620 nanometers, the illumination passing through the ionic liquid, and a photo-generated current is generated by the illumination;
while illuminating the silicon substrate with the light source, applying a current between an anode and a cathode to generate an applied current, wherein the applied current generates a current density of between 30 mA/cm2 and 50 mA/cm2; and
depositing aluminum onto the surface of the silicon substrate via a light-induced electroplating process, wherein the light-induced electroplating process utilizes the applied current that does not exceed the photo-generated current generated by the illumination.