Deposition of device quality, low hydrogen content, hydrogenated amorphous silicon at high deposition rates

Patent · Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2002

OSTI ID:874825

Mahan, Archie Harvin ^[1]; Molenbroek, Edith C ^[2]; Gallagher, Alan C ^[3]; Nelson, Brent P ^[1]; Iwaniczko, Eugene ^[4]; Xu, Yueqin ^[1]

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1. Golden, CO
2. Rotterdam, NL
3. Louisville, CO
4. Lafayette, CO

A method of fabricating device quality, thin-film a-Si:H for use as semiconductor material in photovoltaic and other devices, comprising in any order; positioning a substrate in a vacuum chamber adjacent a plurality of heatable filaments with a spacing distance L between the substrate and the filaments; heating the filaments to a temperature that is high enough to obtain complete decomposition of silicohydride molecules that impinge said filaments into Si and H atomic species; providing a flow of silicohydride gas, or a mixture of silicohydride gas containing Si and H, in said vacuum chamber while maintaining a pressure P of said gas in said chamber, which, in combination with said spacing distance L, provides a P.times.L product in a range of 10-300 mT-cm to ensure that most of the Si atomic species react with silicohydride molecules in the gas before reaching the substrate, to thereby grow a a-Si:H film at a rate of at least 50 .ANG./sec.; and maintaining the substrate at a temperature that balances out-diffusion of H from the growing a-Si:H film with time needed for radical species containing Si and H to migrate to preferred bonding sites.

• Research Organization: Midwest Research Institute, Kansas City, MO (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC36-99GO10337
• Assignee: Midwest Research Institute (Kansas City, MO)
• Patent Number(s): US 6468885
• OSTI ID: 874825
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

deposition
device
quality
hydrogen
content
hydrogenated
amorphous
silicon
rates
method
fabricating
thin-film
a-sih
semiconductor
material
photovoltaic
devices
comprising
positioning
substrate
vacuum
chamber
adjacent
plurality
heatable
filaments
spacing
distance
heating
temperature
obtain
complete
decomposition
silicohydride
molecules
impinge
atomic
species
providing
flow
gas
mixture
containing
maintaining
pressure
combination
provides
ptimesl
product
range
10-300
mt-cm
ensure
react
reaching
grow
film
rate
50
angsec
balances
out-diffusion
growing
time
radical
migrate
bonding
sites
amorphous silicon
semiconductor material
vacuum chamber
hydrogenated amorphous
atomic species
deposition rate
hydrogen content
device quality
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