Optical uses of diamondoid-containing materials

Abstract

Novel optical devices based on diamondoid-containing materials are disclosed. Materials that may be fabricated from diamondoids included diamondoid nucleated CVD films, diamondoid-containing CVD films, molecular crystals, and polymerized materials. Devices that may be fabricated from the diamondoid-containing materials disclosed herein include solid state dye lasers, semiconductor lasers, light emitting diodes, photodetectors, photoresistors, phototransistors, photovoltaic cells, solar cells, anti-reflection coatings, lenses, mirrors, pressure windows, optical waveguides, and particle and radiation detectors.

1 . An optical device comprising a diamondoid-containing material.  
   
   
       2 . The optical device of  claim 1 , wherein the diamondoid-containing material comprises at least one higher diamondoid.  
   
   
       3 . The optical device of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one higher diamondoid is a derivatized higher diamondoid.  
   
   
       4 . A photodetector comprising a diamondoid-containing material having a bandgap, and a means of processing current from at least one electronic transition that results from the absorption of light by the material.  
   
   
       5 . The photodetector of  claim 4 , wherein the electronic transition occurs across the bandgap.  
   
   
       6 . The photodetector of  claim 5  further configured such that the electronic transition occurs without participation of electronic states within the bandgap.  
   
   
       7 . The photodetector of  claim 5  wherein the bandgap of the diamondoid-containing material is at least 3 eV.  
   
   
       8 . The photodetector of  claim 5 , wherein the bandgap of the diamondoid-containing material is at least 4 eV.  
   
   
       9 . The photodetector of  claim 5 , wherein the bandgap of the diamondoid-containing material is at least 5 eV.  
   
   
       10 . The photodetector of  claim 4 , wherein the wavelength of the detected light is in the ultraviolet range of the electromagnetic spectrum.  
   
   
       11 . The photodetector of  claim 4 , wherein the diamondoid-containing material is selected from the group consisting of a CVD-deposited film, a molecular crystal, and a polymerized material.  
   
   
       12 . The photodetector of  claim 4 , wherein the diamondoid-containing material comprises at least one diamondoid selected from the group consisting of adamantane, diamantane, and triamantane, and heterodiamondoid derivatives thereof.  
   
   
       13 . The photodetector of  claim 4 , wherein the diamondoid-containing material comprises at least one diamondoid selected from the group consisting of tetramantane, pentamantane, hexamantane, heptamantane, octamantane, nonamantane, decamantane, and undecamantane, and heterodiamondoid derivatives thereof.  
   
   
       14 . A method of detecting light with a photodetector, the method comprising: 
 a) providing a diamondoid-containing material having a bandgap; and    b) absorbing light by the diamondoid-containing material to cause an electronic transition to occur across the bandgap, thereby generating laser light.    
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 14 , further including the step of detecting light in the ultraviolet range of the electromagnetic spectrum.