Fabrication of Highly Conductive 12CaO·7Al₂O₃ Thin Films Encaging Hydride Ions by Proton Implantation

Abstract

Thin films of a new transparent oxide semiconductor 12CaO·7Al 2 O 3 consisting of subnanometer‐sized cages (see Figure inset) have been fabricated, and their light‐induced insulator–conductor conversion is described. Proton implantation at a fluence of 1 × 10 18 cm –2 followed by UV‐light irradiation increases the electrical conductivity by more than eleven orders of magnitude to the largest value ∼ 10 S cm –1 (see Figure). The conducting state is erasable by heating.