Claims
- 1. A method of reducing the sintering temperature of a device, comprising:
providing nanostructured powders of the active material of the device; preparing the device from the nanostructured powders, sintering the device at a temperature that is at least 100° C. lower than the sintering temperature necessary for a device prepared from micron-sized powders of the active material, and wherein sintering is controlled such that the resultant device has an average domain size less than 500 nm.
- 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the temperature is between 100° C. and 500° C. lower than the sintering temperature necessary for a device prepared from micron-sized powders.
- 3. The method of claim 1 wherein the temperature is greater than 500° C. lower than the sintering temperature necessary for a device prepared from micron-sized powders.
- 4. The method of claim 1 further comprising forming an electrode comprising a low melting point metal on the device prior to sintering, wherein the low melting point metal comprises a material having a melting point below the high melting point metal necessary for a device prepared from micron-sized powders of the active material because of high sintering temperature of the active material.
- 5. The method of claim 4 wherein the high melting point metal comprises platinum.
- 6. The method of claim 1 wherein the sintering is performed with lower levels of sintering aids than levels necessary for a device prepared from micron-sized powders.
- 7. The method of claim 1 wherein the sintering time required is less than sintering time necessary for a device prepared from micron-sized powders.
- 8. The method of claim 1 wherein the device exhibits domain confinement effects.
- 9. A method of preparing a quantum confined device comprising:
providing nanostructured materials with domain sizes where size confinement effects become observable, wherein the size confinement modifies the material properties from the group comprising thermal properties and electrical properties, forming the nanostructured materials into a device component, and the resulting device exhibits domain confinement effects.
- 10. The method of claim 9 wherein the average domain size in the device component is less than 500 nm.
- 11. The method of claim 9 wherein the average domain size in the device component is less than 100 nm.
- 12. The method of claim 9 wherein the forming step comprises sputtering.
- 13. The method of claim 9 wherein the forming step comprises vapor deposition.
- 14. The method of claim 9 wherein the forming step comprises electrochemical deposition.
- 15. The method of claim 9 wherein the forming step comprises electrophoretic deposition.
- 16. The method of claim 9 wherein the forming step comprises spraying.
- 17. The method of claim 9 wherein the forming step comprises stamping.
- 18. The method of claim 9 wherein the nanostructured materials comprise chalcogenide.
- 19. The method of claim 9 wherein the nanostructured materials comprise nitride.
- 20. The method of claim 9 wherein the nanostructured materials comprise boride.
- 21. The method of claim 9 wherein the nanostructured materials comprise carbide.
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application claims priority to copending U.S. patent applications Ser. No. 09/024,837 entitled “THERMAL SENSORS PREPARED FROM NANOSTRUCTURED POWDERS” which was filed on Feb. 17, 1998 and claims priority to an earlier filed provisional application serial No. 60/062,907 entitled “Thermal Sensors Prepared from Nanostructured Powders” which was filed on Oct. 21, 1997.
Divisions (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09024837 |
Feb 1998 |
US |
Child |
10001660 |
Dec 2001 |
US |