Deposition of device quality, low hydrogen content, hydrogenated amorphous silicon at high deposition rates
Abstract
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.
- Inventors:
-
- Golden, CO
- Rotterdam, NL
- Louisville, CO
- Lafayette, CO
- Issue Date:
- Research Org.:
- Midwest Research Institute, Kansas City, MO (United States)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 874825
- Patent Number(s):
- 6468885
- Assignee:
- Midwest Research Institute (Kansas City, MO)
- Patent Classifications (CPCs):
-
C - CHEMISTRY C23 - COATING METALLIC MATERIAL C23C - COATING METALLIC MATERIAL
H - ELECTRICITY H01 - BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS H01L - SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC36-99GO10337
- Resource Type:
- Patent
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 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; /438/
Citation Formats
Mahan, Archie Harvin, Molenbroek, Edith C, Gallagher, Alan C, Nelson, Brent P, Iwaniczko, Eugene, and Xu, Yueqin. Deposition of device quality, low hydrogen content, hydrogenated amorphous silicon at high deposition rates. United States: N. p., 2002.
Web.
Mahan, Archie Harvin, Molenbroek, Edith C, Gallagher, Alan C, Nelson, Brent P, Iwaniczko, Eugene, & Xu, Yueqin. Deposition of device quality, low hydrogen content, hydrogenated amorphous silicon at high deposition rates. United States.
Mahan, Archie Harvin, Molenbroek, Edith C, Gallagher, Alan C, Nelson, Brent P, Iwaniczko, Eugene, and Xu, Yueqin. Tue .
"Deposition of device quality, low hydrogen content, hydrogenated amorphous silicon at high deposition rates". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/874825.
@article{osti_874825,
title = {Deposition of device quality, low hydrogen content, hydrogenated amorphous silicon at high deposition rates},
author = {Mahan, Archie Harvin and Molenbroek, Edith C and Gallagher, Alan C and Nelson, Brent P and Iwaniczko, Eugene and Xu, Yueqin},
abstractNote = {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.},
doi = {},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2002},
month = {Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2002}
}