KR20190140028A - How to make germane electrochemically - Google Patents

Abstract

In an electrochemical cell having a diaphragm, a positive electrode, and a negative electrode containing gold, an electrolytic solution containing a germanium compound is energized to generate only germanium at the negative electrode, thereby producing germanium electrochemically.

Description

How to make germane electrochemically

The present invention relates to a method for producing germane electrochemically.

Background Art Conventionally, high speed and low power consumption of semiconductor devices have been achieved by miniaturization of such devices. However, as a technique for further high speed and low power consumption, modified silicon such as a SiGe substrate has attracted attention.

Germanium (GeH ₄ ) is used as a raw material for producing the SiGe substrate, and the usage of GeH ₄ is expected to increase with increasing use of the SiGe substrate.

As a method for producing GeH ₄ , for example, Patent Document 1 describes that GeH ₄ can be produced electrochemically at high current efficiency by using a Cu alloy or a Sn alloy as a cathode.

In addition, in Non-Patent Document 1, as a cathode used for producing GeH ₄ electrochemically, as a result of screening Pt, Zn, Ti, graphite, Cu, Ni, Cd, Pb, Sn, Cd or Cu is current efficiency. It was described that it was optimal in terms of contamination and contamination.

In addition, Non-Patent Document 2 discloses that as a result of irradiating a plurality of negative electrodes as a negative electrode used when producing GeH ₄ electrochemically, when Hg is used as the negative electrode, the hydrogenation rate is 99% or more.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2012-52234

Turygin et. al., Inorganic Materials, 2008, vol. 44, No. 10, pp. 1081-1085 Djurkovic et. al., Glanik Hem. Drustva, Beograd, 1961, vol. 25/26, pp.469-475

In the method for producing a conventional GeH ₄ electrochemically as described in the above-mentioned document, for example, the cathode (bronze manufactured by McMaster-Carr) used in the examples of Patent Document 1 may be coated or coated. It is not suitable as a method of industrially producing GeH ₄ due to the difficulty of applying an element such as an effective element only to the surface, or the high toxicity of the negative electrode (Hg) used in the non-patent document 2, for example. It was.

One embodiment of the present invention provides an industrially advantageous method as a method for producing GeH ₄ electrochemically.

MEANS TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM As a result of earnestly examining in order to solve the said subject, it discovered that the said subject can be solved according to the following manufacturing method etc., and came to complete this invention.

The structural example of this invention is as follows.

[1] A method of producing germanium electrochemically by energizing an electrolytic solution containing a germanium compound in an electrochemical cell having a negative electrode containing a diaphragm, a positive electrode, and gold to generate only germanium at the negative electrode.

[2] The production method according to [1], wherein the electrolyte solution is an electrolyte solution containing germanium dioxide and an ionic substance.

[3] The production method according to [2], wherein the ionic substance is potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide.

[4] The production method according to [2] or [3], wherein the ionic substance is potassium hydroxide and the concentration of potassium hydroxide in the electrolyte is 1 to 8 mol / L.

[5] The production method according to any one of [1] to [4], wherein a current density of the cathode at the time of energization is 30 to 500 mA / cm 2.

[6] The production method according to any one of [1] to [5], wherein a reaction temperature when generating the germane is 10 to 100 ° C.

According to one embodiment of the invention, GeH ₄ can be electrochemically produced in an industrially advantageous method, in particular with high current efficiency.

1 is a schematic schematic diagram of a device used in Examples.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a relationship between reaction time and current efficiency in the production methods of Example 1 and Comparative Example 1. FIG.

`` Method for producing GeH ₄ electrochemically ''

The electrochemical method for producing GeH ₄ (hereinafter also referred to as "the present method") according to an embodiment of the present invention is an electrolytic solution containing a germanium compound in an electrochemical cell having a diaphragm, a positive electrode, and a negative electrode containing gold. Is energized to generate GeH ₄ at the cathode, thereby producing GeH ₄ electrochemically.

According to the method, GeH ₄ can be produced electrochemically in an industrially advantageous method, in particular with a high current efficiency. Therefore, by using GeH ₄ obtained by the present method, an SiGe substrate can be produced industrially advantageously.

As such industrial reaction, the reaction of the magnitude | size of electrolyte solution capacity | capacitance is 500-2500L, the number of cells of 30-150, and the current used is 100-300A is mentioned, for example.

According to the method, GeH ₄ can be produced with a current efficiency of preferably 10 to 90%, more preferably 12 to 40%.

In addition, the said current efficiency can be specifically measured by the method as described in the following Example.

Electrochemical Cells

The electrochemical cell is not particularly limited as long as it has a diaphragm, an anode, and the cathode, and a conventionally known cell can be used.

Specific examples of the cell include a cell in which an anode chamber containing an anode and a cathode chamber containing a cathode are separated using a diaphragm.

<Cathode>

The cathode is not particularly limited as long as it contains Au.

The cathode may be an electrode containing metal Au or an electrode containing Au-based alloy containing Au as a main component, or may be an electrode obtained by plating or coating metal Au or Au alloy.

As said plated or coated electrode, the electrode etc. which plated or coated metal Au or Au alloy on the base materials, such as Ni, are mentioned.

Among these, since metal Au is expensive, it is preferable that it is an electrode which plated or coated metal Au or Au alloy from a cost viewpoint.

The shape of the cathode is not particularly limited, and may be any of plate, columnar, hollow, and the like.

In addition, the size, surface area, etc. of the cathode are not particularly limited.

<Anode>

The anode is not particularly limited and may be an anode conventionally used when producing GeH ₄ electrochemically, but includes an electrode containing a conductive metal such as Ni and Pt, and an alloy containing the conductive metal as a main component. An electrode or the like is preferable, and an electrode containing Ni is preferable in terms of cost.

In addition, the anode may be plated or coated with the conductive metal or an alloy containing the metal, similarly to the cathode.

The shape, size, surface area, etc. of the positive electrode are not particularly limited as in the negative electrode.

<Diaphragm>

There is no restriction | limiting in particular as said diaphragm, What is necessary is just to use the diaphragm which can isolate | separate the anode chamber and cathode chamber conventionally used for an electrochemical cell.

As such a diaphragm, various electrolyte membranes and porous membranes can be used.

As an electrolyte membrane, a polymer electrolyte membrane, for example, an ion exchange solid polymer electrolyte membrane, specifically NAFION (trademark) 115, 117, NRE-212 (made by Sigma-Aldrich), etc. are mentioned.

As a porous membrane, porous polymers, such as porous glass, porous alumina, porous titania, etc., porous polyethylene, porous propylene, etc. can be used.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the diaphragm divides the electrochemical cell into an anode chamber and a cathode chamber, so that the O ₂ gas generated at the anode and the GeH ₄ generated at the cathode are not mixed with each other. Can be taken out.

When the O ₂ gas and the GeH ₄ is mixed, by the O ₂ gas and the GeH ₄ reaction, there is a tendency that the yield is lowered GeH _4.

<Electrolyte Solution Containing Germanium Compound>

In this method, GeH ₄ is produced from an electrolyte solution containing a germanium compound.

The electrolyte solution is preferably an aqueous solution.

As the germanium compound, GeO ₂ is preferable.

The higher the concentration of GeO ₂ in the electrolyte is, the faster the reaction rate is and the more efficiently GeH ₄ can be synthesized. Therefore, the concentration of GeO ₂ in the electrolyte is preferably set to a saturation concentration with respect to a solvent, preferably water.

The electrolyte preferably includes an ionic material to enhance the conductivity of the electrolytic solution, to promote solubility in water of GeO _2.

As this ionic substance, although a conventionally well-known ionic substance used for electrochemistry can be used, KOH or NaOH is preferable at the point of being excellent in the said effect. Among these, since KOH aqueous solution is more excellent in electroconductivity than NaOH aqueous solution, KOH is preferable.

The concentration of KOH in the electrolyte solution is preferably 1 to 8 mol / L, more preferably 2 to 5 mol / L.

When the concentration of KOH is in the above range, an electrolytic solution having a high GeO ₂ concentration can be easily obtained, and GeH ₄ can be efficiently produced at high current efficiency.

If the concentration of KOH is less than the lower limit of the range, there is a tendency that the conductivity of the electrolyte solution is decreased, there is a case that a high voltage is required for the production of GeH _4, also tend to decrease the amount of dissolution in water of GeO _2, Reaction efficiency may fall. On the other hand, when KOH concentration exceeds the upper limit of the said range, the material of high corrosion resistance tends to be needed as a material of an electrode or a cell, and the cost of an apparatus may become high.

<Reaction conditions>

In the present method, the magnitude (current density) of the current per unit area of the cathode at the time of producing GeH ₄ (at the time of energization) is excellent in the reaction rate, and the GeH ₄ can be produced with high current efficiency. Is preferably from 30 to 500 mA / cm 2, more preferably from 50 to 400 mA / cm 2.

When the current density is in the above range, the amount of generation of hydrogen gas due to electrolysis of water can be appropriately controlled without lowering the generation rate or reaction efficiency of GeH ₄ per unit time.

The reaction temperature for the preparation of the GeH ₄ (when generating a GeH ₄₎ is the reaction rate is excellent, that in view of capable of producing a GeH ₄ at a low cost, preferably more preferably 10 to 100 ℃, Is 15 to 40 ° C.

If the reaction temperature is in the above range, the power consumption for heating the cell may be appropriately controlled without lowering the reaction efficiency.

The reaction atmosphere for the preparation of the GeH ₄ (vapor phase portion of the anode chamber and cathode chamber) is not particularly limited, preferably the inert gas atmosphere, a nitrogen gas is preferred as the inert gas.

In this method, the said electrolyte solution in an electrochemical cell may be stopped, may be stirred, or another liquid tank may be separately provided and circulated circulating.

In the case where the other liquid tank is provided and circulated in circulation, the change in the reaction liquid concentration is relatively small, and stabilization of the current efficiency can be expected, while the GeO ₂ concentration on the electrode surface is maintained high, and the reaction rate can be expected to be improved. Can be. For this reason, it is preferable to carry out circulation circulation of the said electrolyte solution in an electrochemical cell.

<Production apparatus of GeH ₄ >

In the present method, the electrochemical cell is not particularly limited, but in addition to the cell, for example, a power supply, a measuring means (FT-IR, pressure gauge (PI), totalizer, etc.), nitrogen, as shown in FIG. the gas (N ₂₎ supply, it is possible to use a device with a mass flow controller (MFC), the exhaust or the like, conventionally-known member.

Moreover, you may use the apparatus which has the above-mentioned circulation flow path etc. which are not shown in figure.

<Example>

Hereinafter, although an Example is given and this invention is demonstrated concretely, this invention is not limited to these Examples.

Example 1

Using the following materials, an electrochemical cell made of vinyl chloride in which an anode chamber and a cathode chamber were separated by a diaphragm as shown in FIG. 1 was produced.

ㆍ cathode: Au plate of 0.5cm × 0.5cm × thickness 0.5mm

ㆍ Anode: Ni plate 2cm × 2cm × 0.5mm thick

Diaphragm: Nafion (registered trademark) NRE-212 (Sigma-Aldrich)

Electrolyte: A liquid obtained by dissolving GeO ₂ in a concentration of 90 g / L in a 4 mol / L aqueous KOH solution

ㆍ Introduction of electrolyte solution into the cathode chamber: 100 mL

ㆍ Introduction of electrolyte solution into the anode chamber: 100 mL

Standard electrode: silver-silver chloride electrode

After purging the gaseous phase portions of the anode chamber and cathode chamber in the obtained electrochemical cell with nitrogen gas (N ₂ ), the current is 10 hours at -200 mA using a Hz-5000 manufactured by Hokuto Denko Co., Ltd. as a power source. GeH ₄ was produced electrochemically by flowing Pt. The current density at this time was 348 mA / cm 2.

In addition, when the electric current was passed, the temperature of the electrochemical cell was not controlled, and the reaction temperature was 18 to 23 ° C.

By measuring the outlet gas of the cathode chamber using an integrating meter, the total amount of outlet gas generated by the reaction (gas including GeH ₄ and hydrogen gas) was measured, and the concentration of GeH ₄ in the outlet gas total amount was measured by using FT-IR. Was measured. From these measurement results, the amount of GeH ₄ generated was calculated.

From the amount of electricity it applied amount of the latest one hour of GeH ₄ and, in any particular reaction time, calculating the current efficiency based on a formula, which was the current efficiency at a current efficiency of reaction time was 1 hour. In the same manner, the current efficiency of each reaction time was calculated. The results are shown in FIG.

From the result of FIG. 2, the maximum value of current efficiency was 23%.

Current efficiency (%) = [Electric amount (C / min) × 60 (min) × 100 corresponding to generation of GeH ₄ of the generation amount (mmol / min) × [applied total electric quantity (C / min) × 60 (min)]

Comparative Example 1

The reaction was carried out under the same conditions as in Example 1 except that a 0.5 cm × 0.5 cm × 0.5 mm Cu plate was used as the cathode, and the applied current was changed to −100 mA for 10 hours.

The result of the current efficiency computed similarly to Example 1 is shown in FIG.

From the result of FIG. 2, the maximum value of current efficiency was 18%.

Claims (6)

A method of manufacturing germanium electrochemically by energizing an electrolytic solution containing a germanium compound in an electrochemical cell having a cathode containing a diaphragm, an anode, and gold to generate only germanium at the cathode. The method of claim 1,
The electrolytic solution is an electrolytic solution containing germanium dioxide and an ionic substance. The method of claim 2,
The ionic substance is potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide. The method according to claim 2 or 3,
The ionic substance is potassium hydroxide, and the concentration of potassium hydroxide in the electrolyte is 1 to 8 mol / L. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The current density of the cathode at the time of energization is 30 to 500 mA / cm 2. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The reaction method at the time of generating the said germane is 10-100 degreeC.

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