Kerala women awarded Indian patent for eco-friendly semiconductor fabrication method

Alappuzha: Two women researchers have been granted an Indian patent for developing a pioneering, eco-friendly method to fabricate semiconducting zinc gallate thin films directly onto glass substrates used in electronics.

The 20-year patent was awarded to Indu Treasa Jochan, Assistant Professor of Physics at St. Aloysius College, Edathua, and currently a research scholar at CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Bengaluru, along with Dr. E. I. Anila, Professor of Physics at CHRIST University.

This green fabrication technique deposits zinc gallate thin films onto glass using minimal energy. The breakthrough holds immense promise for significantly boosting the performance and efficiency of optoelectronic devices, LED displays, UV sensors, and solar cells. The researchers discovered that coating glass with zinc gallate through a hydrothermal process allows for precise control over light emission properties.

A key highlight of this innovation is its ability to bypass complex, cost-prohibitive conventional technologies, relying instead on a relatively simple hydrothermal setup to achieve highly stable and precise thin-film coatings.

Indu Treasa Jochan is the daughter of Dr. Jochan Joseph, former Principal of St. Aloysius College, and Dr. Eathal Das, Senior Surgeon at the Kidangara Veterinary Hospital. Her husband, Alex Abraham, works as an Area Controller with the London Stock Exchange Group, Bengaluru.

For Dr. E. I. Anila, wife of Dr. N. Suresh (residing at ‘Sakalyam’, Edappally, Kochi), this marks her fifth patent.