Patent ID: 7659628
Filing Date: 2010-02-09
Classification: H01L,Y02E

Abstract:
1. An electronic device that includes at least: a semiconductor layer; and an electrical contact structure in contact with a contact surface of the semiconductor layer such that charge carriers can be injected across the contract surface; wherein the electrical contact structure includes a plurality of metal grains arranged in an essentially two-dimensional plane along the contact surface; wherein at least a plurality of the metal grains are non-continuous, and wherein at least a plurality of the non-continuous metal grains are sufficiently closely spaced such that the electrical contact structure transfers charges laterally by carrier hopping between metal grains; wherein the semiconductor layer has a highest occupied molecular orbit energy level and a lowest unoccupied molecular orbit energy level; wherein the metal grains are made of a metal that has a Fermi energy level between the highest occupied molecular orbit energy level and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbit energy level; wherein there is a first energy gap between the Fermi energy level and the highest occupied molecular orbit energy level; wherein there is a second energy gap between the Fermi energy level and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbit energy level; and wherein, for at least a plurality of the metal grains, each respective metal grain in the plurality has a capacitance value small enough that a unit charge on the respective metal grain has an electrostatic energy of at least about half of the first or second energy gap.