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Title: Atomic layer deposition of metal sulfide thin films using non-halogenated precursors

Patent ·
OSTI ID:1347438

A method for preparing a metal sulfide thin film using ALD and structures incorporating the metal sulfide thin film. The method includes providing an ALD reactor, a substrate, a first precursor comprising a metal and a second precursor comprising a sulfur compound. The first and the second precursors are reacted in the ALD precursor to form a metal sulfide thin film on the substrate. In a particular embodiment, the metal compound comprises Bis(N,N'-di-sec-butylacetamidinato)dicopper(I) and the sulfur compound comprises hydrogen sulfide (H.sub.2S) to prepare a Cu.sub.2S film. The resulting metal sulfide thin film may be used in among other devices, photovoltaic devices, including interdigitated photovoltaic devices that may use relatively abundant materials for electrical energy production.

Research Organization:
Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
DOE Contract Number:
AC02-06CH11357
Assignee:
UChicago Argonne, LLC (Chicago, IL)
Patent Number(s):
9,040,113
Application Number:
12/780,664
OSTI ID:
1347438
Resource Relation:
Patent File Date: 2010 May 14
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (12)

Method of chemical vapor deposition of copper, silver, and gold using a cyclopentadienyl/metal complex patent August 1990
Surface treatment using iodine plasma to improve metal deposition patent May 2006
Method of forming copper sulfide layer over substrate patent December 2006
Photovoltaic devices fabricated from nanostructured template patent-application May 2005
Formation of CIGS absorber layer materials using atomic layer deposition and high throughput surface treatment patent-application August 2005
Atomic layer deposition of Cu2S for future application in photovoltaics journal March 2009
Growth of conductive copper sulfide thin films by atomic layer deposition journal February 2002
Atomic Layer Deposition of Ultrathin Copper Metal Films from a Liquid Copper(I) Amidinate Precursor journal January 2006
CuInS2–TiO2 heterojunctions solar cells obtained by atomic layer deposition journal May 2003
Comparison of Cu x S Films Grown by Atomic Layer Deposition and Chemical Vapor Deposition journal May 2005
Copper(I) tert -Butylthiolato Clusters as Single-Source Precursors for High-Quality Chalcocite Thin Films:  Film Growth and Microstructure Control journal May 2007
Synthesis and Characterization of Copper(I) Amidinates as Precursors for Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) of Copper Metal journal March 2005