Preparation of Metallic Oxynitride Thin Films Through Ammonolysis of Pulsed Laser Deposited Thin Films

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This invention presents a method for preparing thin films of metallic oxynitrides—specifically perovskite-type oxynitrides such as BaTaO2N—by first depositing a metallic oxide film using Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) and then converting it into an oxynitride through ammonolysis in ammonia gas. The process enables the production of high-purity, defect-minimized thin films that are especially useful for creating photoanodes in photoelectrochemical devices, designed for applications such as solar-driven water splitting.

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• Manufacture of efficient photoanodes for solar water splitting devices to generate hydrogen fuel from water using sunlight.
• Production of thin-film oxynitride layers for advanced photocatalytic and optoelectronic applications.
• Development of high-performance components for clean energy and hydrogen production systems.
• Creation of functional coatings for photoelectrochemical cells in research and industrial settings.
• Fabrication of electronic devices based on high-purity oxynitride thin films with tailored properties.

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Enables precise control over composition and thickness of oxynitride thin films, leading to enhanced material performance.
• Reduces impurities and structural defects in the resulting films compared to traditional synthesis routes, improving efficiency for target applications.
• Scalable and adaptable process suitable for various substrate types, including conducting metals and insulators.
• Leads to marked improvement in photocurrent and quantum efficiency for water splitting applications, promoting clean hydrogen generation.
• Provides a general method applicable to a broad family of oxynitride materials beyond the exemplary compounds, lending versatility.

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Patent Abstract

The present invention provides a process for forming a metallic oxynitride comprising the steps of:(1) Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) of a metallic oxide; and(2) ammonolysis of the metallic oxide prepared in step (1) to form a metallic oxynitride,wherein the metallic oxide and the resulting metallic oxynitride both contain at least one of the following metals from group 2 of the Periodic Table: Ca, Sr, Ba; and at least one of the following metals from group 5 of the Periodic Table: V, Nb, Ta.The metallic oxynitrides thus produced show reduced levels of impurities and defects and can notably be used in photoelectrochemical devices for water splitting.