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  • C23C14/00—Coating by vacuum evaporation, by sputtering or by ion implantation of the coating forming material
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C23—COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION IN GENERAL
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  • C23C14/00—Coating by vacuum evaporation, by sputtering or by ion implantation of the coating forming material
  • C23C14/0021—Reactive sputtering or evaporation
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C23—COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION IN GENERAL
  • C23C—COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL
  • C23C14/00—Coating by vacuum evaporation, by sputtering or by ion implantation of the coating forming material
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  • C23—COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION IN GENERAL
  • C23C—COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL
  • C23C14/00—Coating by vacuum evaporation, by sputtering or by ion implantation of the coating forming material
  • C23C14/58—After-treatment
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C23—COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION IN GENERAL
  • C23C—COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL
  • C23C14/00—Coating by vacuum evaporation, by sputtering or by ion implantation of the coating forming material
  • C23C14/58—After-treatment
  • C23C14/5846—Reactive treatment
• • H—ELECTRICITY
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  • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
  • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
  • H01L21/02—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof
  • H01L21/02104—Forming layers
  • H01L21/02365—Forming inorganic semiconducting materials on a substrate
  • H01L21/02518—Deposited layers
  • H01L21/02521—Materials
  • H01L21/02524—Group 14 semiconducting materials
  • H01L21/02532—Silicon, silicon germanium, germanium
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
  • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
  • H01L21/02—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof
  • H01L21/02104—Forming layers
  • H01L21/02365—Forming inorganic semiconducting materials on a substrate
  • H01L21/02612—Formation types
  • H01L21/02617—Deposition types
  • H01L21/0262—Reduction or decomposition of gaseous compounds, e.g. CVD
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  • H10—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • H10F—INORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES SENSITIVE TO INFRARED RADIATION, LIGHT, ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION OF SHORTER WAVELENGTH OR CORPUSCULAR RADIATION
  • H10F71/00—Manufacture or treatment of devices covered by this subclass
  • H10F71/10—Manufacture or treatment of devices covered by this subclass the devices comprising amorphous semiconductor material
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H10—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • H10F—INORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES SENSITIVE TO INFRARED RADIATION, LIGHT, ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION OF SHORTER WAVELENGTH OR CORPUSCULAR RADIATION
  • H10F71/00—Manufacture or treatment of devices covered by this subclass
  • H10F71/10—Manufacture or treatment of devices covered by this subclass the devices comprising amorphous semiconductor material
  • H10F71/103—Manufacture or treatment of devices covered by this subclass the devices comprising amorphous semiconductor material including only Group IV materials
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
  • Y02E10/00—Energy generation through renewable energy sources
  • Y02E10/50—Photovoltaic [PV] energy
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02P—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS
  • Y02P70/00—Climate change mitigation technologies in the production process for final industrial or consumer products
  • Y02P70/50—Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

Definitions

• the invention relates to methods which permit the reduction or elimination of localized states in the energy gap , such as dangling bonds , recombination centers , etc . in amorphous semiconductor films to provide improved amorphous semiconductor films which have characteristics like those found in corresponding crystalline semiconductors .
• the amorphous films involved have their most important utility in solar radiation energy producing devices , and current control devices , such as p-n junction devices including rectifiers , transistors or the like , where heretofore crystalline semiconductor bodies have been used in their fabrication
• the principles involved in the invention can be applied to various types of amorp hous semiconductor films , both thick and thin films , which have recombination centers and other localized states inhibiting the control of the conductivity thereof , and are applicable to amorphous semiconductor films made of one or more elements , or combinations of elements which are mixtures or alloys of such elements .
• Silicon is the basis of the huge crystalline semiconductor industry and is the material which has produced expensive high efficiency (18 per cent ) crystalline solar cells .
• the main purpose of this invention is to overcome the barrier which has heretofore prevented materials such as amorphous silicon from having characteristics similar to crystalline silicon . Since this invention has overcome what up until now has been an impenetrable barrier to producing useful amorphous silicon films , we therefore initially deal with silicon films , although many aspects of the inven tion are also applicable to the production of films of various other amorphous semiconductor materials formed by elements including individual elements or mixtures or alloys of elements falling in Groups III through VI of the periodic table .
• these crystalline materials useful in solar cells and current control devices are produced under very carefully controlled conditions by growing individual single silicon or germanium crystals , and when p-n junctions are required , by dop ing such single crystals with extremely small and critical amounts of dopants .
• These crystal growing processes produce such relatively small crystals that solar cells require the assembly of hundreds of single crystals to encompass the desired area of only a single solar cell panel.
• the amount of energy necessary to make a solar cell in this process the limitation caused by the size limitations of the silicon crystal, and the necessity to cut up such a crystalline material have all resulted in an impossible economic barrier to the large scale use of crystalline semiconductor solar cells for energy conversion.
• Amorphous silicon or germanium (Group IV) films were found to have microvoids and dangling bonds and other defects which produce a high density of localized states in the energy gap thereof .
• amorphous silicon films wherein a gap of silane (SiH 4 ) and a gas of phosphine (PH 3 ) for n-type conduction, or a gas of diborance (B 2 H 6 ) for p-type conduction , were premixed and passed through a reaction tube where the gaseous mixture was decomposed by an r.f . glow discharge and deposited on a substrate at a high substrate temperature of about 500-600 o K.
• the material so deposited on the substrate is an amorphous material consisting of silicon and hydrogen and substitutional phosphorus or boron in dopant concentra tions between about 5x10 -6 and 10 -2 parts per volume .
• amorphous silicon, and also germanium is normally four-fold coordinated, and normally has microvoids and dangling bonds , producing localized states in the energy gap . While it is believed that it was not known by these researchers , it is now known that the hydrogen in the silane combines at an optimum temperature with many of the dangling bonds of the silicon during the glow discharge deposition , to decrease substantially the density of the localized states in the energy gap toward - the end of making the amorphous material approximate more nearly the corresponding crystalline material . However, the effect of the hydrogen was limited by the fixed ratio of hydrogen and sili con in silane as well as limiting the type of hydrogen bonding and introducing new anti-bonding states all of which can be of importance in these materials . Therefore , as above indicated , the density of the localized states was not reduced sufficiently to render these films commercially useful in solar cell or current control devices .
• silane glow discharge deposition of silicon film poses problems which further hinder its commercial suitability .
• such a process does not lend itself to the mass production of amorphous semiconductor films because it is a slow process , difficult to control and requires silane which is a relatively expensive starting material .
• the sputtering process must be carried out under certain critical partial pressure limitations , and since such partial pressures are effected both by the amount of argon and hydrogen gas present, the amount of molecular hydrogen gas which could be introduced into the sputtering atmosphere was accordingly limited .
• the Fermi level is believed to be moved up or down , but the density of localized states was so high that the dopant could not move the Fermi level close enough to the conduction or valence bands to have an effective p or n junction.
• the activated energy for the doped glow discharge amorphous silicon was not lowered below about 0.2 eV. This result also placed a theoretical limitation on the open-circuit photovoltage of a p-n junction of doped glow discharge amorphous silicon, since the internal field cannot exceed the separation of the Fermi level in the p and n type regions .
• the remaining activation energy limits the room-temperature DC conduction of the doped glow discharge amorphous silicon and the material would have a large sheet resistance if it were made into a large area array , the resistance not being helped by the rather low carrier mobility which is a factor of about 10 4 -10 5 less than that for crystalline silicon .
• an amorphous silicon film to form an effective ohmic interface , for example , between an intrinsic (undoped) portion thereof and an outer metal electrode
• such modified portions of the film must have a very high conductivity. It is apparent that the prior methods of doping such films which produced a conductivity of only 10 -2 (ohm cm) -1 would not provide a useful ohmic interface .
• the prior deposition of amorphous silicon which has been compensated by hydrogen from the silane in an attempt to make it more closely resemble crystalline silicon and which has been doped in a manner like that of doping crystalline silicon, all done during the glow discharge deposition, has characteristics which in all important respects are inferior to those of doped cryslline silicon and cannot be used successfully in place of doped crystalline silicon.
• the present invention enables the amorphous silicon and other films to be modified by the addition of conduction increasing materials so that the conductivity is increased to approximately one (ohm cm) -1 or greater, which makes the films useful as ohmic interfaces between other portions of the films and metal electrodes , as well as solving the basic problems of full compensation of multi (various) recombination sites and , therefore , the creation of materials able to form efficient and effective p-n junctions .
• the present invention has to do with the formation of an amorphous semiconductor film by depositing on a substrate a solid amorphous semiconductor host matrix wherein , for the first time , the density of localized states in the energy gap of the amorphous semiconductor material is so reduced as to be approximately equivalent to the corresponding crystalline material .
• This basic feature of this invention breaks the barrier which has prevented amorphous materials from functioning like crystalline materials and represents a significant improve ment in the art .
• amorphous materials can have the attributes of crystalline materials; they can provide high photoconductivity, long diffusion length, low dark intrinsic electrical conductivity , where desired and they can be properly modified to shift the Fermi level to provide substantially n or p type extrinsic electrical conductivity, and the like .
• amorphous semiconductor materials can act like crystalline materials and be useful in devices , such as solar cells and current controlling devices , including p-n junction devices , diodes , transistors and the like .
• amorphous semiconductor films such as amorphous silicon films and the like, useful in the production of current control devices and solar cells , where the desired characteristics of these films are achieved without the previous referred disadvantages and limitations of the glow discharge silane gas and sputter deposition processes described above .
• the quantity or quantities of the element or elements which form the basic amorphous semiconductor film and the quantity of the compensating agents believed to reduce the localized states in the energy gap thereof are independently controllable .
• the compensating agent is most advantageously produced and injected into the film in a manner where the quantities used are not limited by critical deposition process conditions .
• the starting materials used to produce the element or elements which constitute an amorphous silicon film are relatively inexpensive materials , as compared , for example , to gaseous mixtures .
• the process of achieving a more fully compensated amorphous semiconductor film is an easily controllable , reliable , rapid process , suitable for mass production of compensated amorphous semiconductor films .
• the quality of the amorphous semiconduct or film produced is greatly improved . For example , the density of localized states is reduced at least by a factor of 10 or more , and, in some cases , can be substantially eliminated.
• an amorphous siliconcontaining film is formed by a vacuum deposition process where the one or more elements which are to form an amorphous silicon-containing film are evaporated by heating the same in an evacuated enclosure , the elements involved then condensing upon a substrate in the enclosure .
• vapor deposition of amorphous films has heretofore produced films with extremely high density of localized states , making such films completely useless for the making of solar cell and current control devices .
• the high densities of localized states was , at least in part, due to the fact that the films were highly porous , resulting in large numbers of dangling bonds on the exposed surfaces of the film .
• the conditions for depositing the amorphous film are preferably such as to produce minimum porosity.
• the film may be separately exposed to conditions which reduce or eliminate the porosity therein.
• vacuum deposition can inherently put down film many times faster than other methods , it is by far the most economical production technique .
• the vacuum deposition process is inherently a precisely controllable process , suitable for mass production of films generally. As previously indicated , it was not seriously considered useful for making amorphous silicon and other semiconductor films for solar cells and current control devices because -10-
• the broader aspects of the invention envision the com pensation of the amorphous semiconductor silicon-containing film or the like with compensating agents in a separate environment from the deposition environment, it is believed that the compensation of the amorphous silicon film to reduce the localized states thereof can be best achieved by injecting the compensating agents into the amorphous semiconductor film as it deposits on the substrate in the enclosure of the deposition equipment. In either event, the amounts and form of the compensating agent are selected to achieve the best results for the particular film involved .
• one or more compensating agents like activated hydrogen and fluorine (e .g .
• activated hydrogen and/or fluorine can be produced by passing the molecular gas involved over a heated tungsten filament, or by decomposing the molecular hydrogen to produce a hydrogen plasma between a pair of electrodes connected to a high DC or radio frequency (RF) voltage .
• RF radio frequency
• compensating agent activating generator units are placed contiguous to the substrate upon which the semiconductor film is being deposited , since the lifetime of these actuated materials is generally relatively short.
• Still another method of producing activated gases is to irradiate the compen sating agents , preferably at the location of the depositing amorphous semiconductor film , with radiant energy like ultraviolet light.
• a desired one or more modifying agent like dopants , can b e fed to the depositing film to form one or more n and/or p conductivity regions within the depositing film .
• the activated hydrogen is effective in reducing the localized states in the energy gap at or near the Fermi level, while the activating fluorine further reduces these states as well as other states between those near the Fermi level and the conduction band .
• the electronegative and the electropositive nature of these elements respectively play a role in affecting differing states in the gap .
• the Fermi level cannot be moved almost completely to the valence or conduction band needed to make a good p-n junction unless a very low density of localized states is present.
• the Fermi level was moved to only within .2eV of the conduction band , making the film of no commercial use in solar cells or current control devices .
• an n-conductivity dopant like arsenic
• an amorphous silicon film moves the Fermi level all of the way to the conduction band .
• n-dopant like arsenic shifts the Fermi level to a point near the conduction band because it is believed that the addition of activated hydrogen reduces the localized states at or near the Fermi level and that the addition of fluorine reduces the density of localized states between those at or near the Fermi level and the conduction band. Therefore , a good n-conductivity amorphous silicon film results from such compensation of the film . To make a good p- conductivity amorphous silicon film , it is necessary substantially to reduce the localized states in the energy gap at or near the Fermi level and between those states and the valence band .
• a compensating agent other than activated hydrogen and fluorine can be used for the latter purpose .
• alkaline atoms such as lithium or sodium reduce the density of localized states between those at or near the Fermi level and the valence band , permitting an amorphous silicon film to be successfully doped with conventional p- conductivity dopant materials .
• the production of highly efficient solar cells requires long diffusion lengths so that a large number of charge carriers can be separated and collected in response to the reception of photons .
• This requires a large depletion region in the amorphous semicon- ductor film involved .
• the comparable depletion region is obtained in an intrinsic film when there is a low density of localized states producing a low dark conductivity in the amorphous semiconductor film .
• Such an amorphous semiconductor film is useful in a Schottky barrier solar cell.
• the low density of localized states makes readily possible also the addition of sensitizing agents like zinc and copper to increase carrier lifetime . If a high dark conductivity is desired , much larger amounts (e .g . 5%) of the conduction modifying agent would generally be added to the portion of the film injected .
• the utilization of two or more compensating agents to materially reduce the density of localized states of the energy gap during deposition and subsequent thereto is useful independently " of the manner in which the amorphous semiconductor film is deposited , and is thus , for example , also useful where the film is deposited by a sputtering deposition process .
• vapor reduction offers the most easily controllable and quickest method of amorphous semiconductor film deposition
• the two or more compensating agents be added in connection with a vapor deposition process .
• a vacuum deposition process has many advantages as described, it suffers from one disadvantage , namely that it produces generally less dense films than the glow discharge and sputter deposition processes described .
• the vapor deposition process is normally carried out under conditions where the mobility of the depositing atom is somewhat limited , amorphous semiconductor films deposited by this process tend to be relatively porous .
• a porous film before compensation will have a relatively higher density of localized states in the energy gap because of the many voids involved resulting in dangling bonds at the interface between the semiconductor film and the adjacent voids .
• the degree of porosity of the deposited films is reduced by activating the substrate surface upon which the amorphous semiconductor films are deposited, as by irradiating it with radiant energy like ultra-violet light, heating the substrate to a temperature close to but below the crystallization temeprature of the depositing materials , or both.
• the temperature of the substrate surface is most advantageously elevated to temperatures in the range of about200 o C to somewhat below the crystallization temperature thereof (the crystallization temperature of silicon being 680 o C) , the higher temperatures generally being preferred because the high surface mobility of the depositing material reduces the microvoids which increase the localized states in the energy gap .
• the compensating agents such as atomic or ionic hydrogen and/or fluorine
• the injection of such activated compensating agents into the depositing film reduces the porosity of the depositing film .
• the desirable effect of the injected compensating agents is also improved by directing radiant energy, like ultra-violet light upon the substrate involved .
• the compensating and modifying agents could be carried out in a separate environment.
• the films so deposited can then be conveniently delivered into a compensating agent-introducing atmosphere different from that in which vapor deposition took place .
• This is most advantageously one of high tem- perature and pressure (e . g . 1000 psi) and one where the.
• the previously produced amorphous semiconductor film is there preferably placed between electrodes connected to a high DC or RF voltage .
• the film may also be irradiated with ultra-violet light.
• the present invention enables the fabrication of amorphous semiconductor films which are like crystalline films for use in the manufacture of solar cells and current control devices including p-n junctions and the like , despite the previously accepted dogma that amorphous semiconductor materials could not be produced in a manner to be equivalent to their crystalline counterparts .
• these films are produced under conditions where the amount and type of bonding of the compensating agents injected or diffused into the films are controlled completely independently of the conditions required for the deposition of the amorphous semiconductor films involved .
• the present invention provides large area , high yield , low cost amorphous semiconductor films .
• Fig . 1 is a diagrammatic representation of more or less conventional vacuum deposition equipment to which has been added elements for carrying out the unique process of the present invention, namely the addition of molecular hydrogen and fluorine inlets and activated hydrogen and fluorine generating units which heat and decompose the molecular hydrogen and fluorine within the evacuated space of the vapor deposition equipment, to convert molecular hydrogen and fluorine to activated hydrogen and fluorine and to direct the same against the substrate during the deposition of an amorphous silicon film;
• Fig . 2 illustrates vacuum deposition equipment like that shown in Fig .
• activated hydrogen and fluorine generating means comprising an ultra-violet light source irradiating the substrate during the process of depositing the amorphous silicon film , such light source replacing the activated hydrogen and fluorine generator units shown in Fig . 1;
• Fig . 3 illustrates the vacuum deposition equipment of Fig . 1 to which has been added additional means for doping the depositing silicon film with a n or p conductivity producing material;
• Fig . 4 illustrates an application of the present invention wherein the deposition of the amorphous silicon film and the application of the activated hydrogen and fluorine are carried out as separate steps and in separate enclosures;
• s Fig 5 illustrates exemplary apparatus for diffusing activated hydrogen into a previously deposited amorphous silicon film;
• Fig . 6 is a fragmentary sectional view of one embodiment of a solar cell to illustrate one application of the amorphous semiconductor photoconductive films made by the process of the invention
• Fig . 7 is a fragmentary sectional view of a p-n junction solar cell device which includes a doped amorphous semiconductor film made by the process of the invention
• Fig . 8 is a fragmentary sectional view of a photodetection device which includes an amorphous semiconductor film made by the process of the invention
• Fig . 9 is a fragmentary sectional view of a Xerox drum including an amorphous semiconductor film made by the process of the invention.
• Fig . 10 is a p-n-p transistor- like device made from an amorphous semiconductor film made by the process of the invention .
• vapor deposition equipment generally indicated by reference numeral 2 , which may be conventional vapor deposition equipment to which is added activated compensating agent injecting means to be described .
• This equipment includes a bell jar 4 enclosing an evacuated space 4a in which is located one or more crucibles like crucible 6 containing the amorphous semiconductor film-producing element or elements to be deposited on a substrate 7 .
• the crucible 6 initially contains ground-up silicon for forming an amorphous silicon film on substrate 7 which , for example , may be a metal , crystalline semiconductor or other material upon which it is desired to form the film to be deposited by the process of the present invention.
• An electron beam source 8 is provided adjacent to the crucible 6 , which electron beam source diagrammatically illustrated usually includes a heated filament and beam deflection means (not shown) which directs a beam of electrons at the silicon contained in the crucible 6 to evaporate the same .
• a high voltage DC power supply 10 provides a suitable high voltage , for example , 10 , 000 volts DC , the positive terminal of which is connected through control unit 11 and conductor 10a to the crucible 6 and the negative terminal of which is connected through the control unit 11 and conductor 10b to the filament of the electron beam source 8 .
• the control unit 11 including relays or the like for interrupting the connection of the power supply 10 to the conductors 10a-10b when the film thickness of a film deposition sampling unit 21 in the evacuated space 4a reaches a given value set by operating a man- ual control 25 on a control panel 11a of the control unit 11 .
• the film sampling unit 21 has a cable 23 which extends to the control unit 11 which includes well-known means for responding to both the thickness of the film deposited upon the film sampling unit 21 and the rate of deposition thereof .
• a manual control 26 on the control panel 11a may be provided to fix the desired rate of deposition of the film controlled by the amount of current fed to the filament of the electron beam source through conductor 10c in a well-known manner.
• the substrate 7 is carried on a substrate holder 14 upon which a heater 15 is mounted .
• a cable 17 feeds energizing current to heater means 15 which controls the temperature of the substrate holder 14 and substrate 7 in accordance with a temperature setting set on a manual control 18 on the control panel 11a of the control unit 11 .
• the bell jar 4 is shown extending upwardly from a support base
• the support base 12 is • mounted on an enclosure 27 to which connects a conduit 28 connecting to a vacuum pump 29 .
• the vacuum pump 29 which may be continuously operated , evacuates the space 4a within the bell jar 4 .
• the desired pressure for the bell jar is set by a control knob 35 on the control panel 11a . In the most preferred form of the invention, this setting controls the pressure level at which the flow of activated hydrogen and fluorine into the bell jar 4 is regulated .
• the control knob is set to a bell jar pressure of 10 -4 tor .
• the flow of hydrogen and fluorine into the bell jar 4a will be such as to maintain such pressure in the bell jar as the vacuum pump 29 continues to operate .
• Sources 30 and 30 ' of molecular hydrogen and fluorine are shown connected through respective conduits 31 and 31 ' to the control unit 11 .
• a pressure sensor 36 in the bell jar 4 is connected by a cable 38 to the control unit 11 .
• Flow valves 30a and 30a' are controlled by the control unit 11 to maintain the set pressure in the bell jar.
• Conduits 37 and 37 ' extend from the control unit 11 and pass through the support base 12 into the evacuated space 4a of the bell jar 4 .
• Conduits 37 and 37' respectively connect with activated hydrogen and fluorine generating units 39 and 39' which convert the molecular hydrogen and fluroine respectively to activated hydrogen and fluorine , which may be atomic and/or ionized forms of these gases .
• the activated hydrogen and fluorine generating units 39 and 39' may be heated tungsten filaments which elevate the molecular gases to their decomposition temperatures or a plasma generating unit well-known in the art for providing a plasma of decomposed gases . Also , activated hydrogen and fluroine in ionized forms formed by plasma can be accelerated and injected to the depositing film by applying an electric field between the substrate and the activating source . In either event, the activated hydrogen and fluroine generator units 39 and 39 ' are preferably placed in the immediate vicinity of the substrate 7 , so that the relatively short-lived activated hydrogen and fluorine delivered thereby are immediately injected into the vicinity of the substrate 7 where the silicon film is depositing .
• the compensating agents produce a very low density of localized states in the energy gap without changing the basic intrinsic character of this film .
• This result is achieved with relatively small amounts of activated hydrogen and fluorine so that the pressure in the evacuated bell jar space 4a can still be a relatively low pressure (like 10 -4 tor. ) .
• the pressure of the gas in the generator can be higher than the pressure in the bell jar by adjusting the size of the outlet of the generator.
• the temperature of the substrate 7 is adjusted to obtain the maximum reduction in the density of the localized states in the energy gap of the amorphous semiconductor film involved.
• the substrate surface, temperature will generally be such that it ensures high mobility of the depositing materials , and preferably one below the crystallization temperature of the depositing film .
• the surface of the substrate can be irradiated by radiant energy to further increase the mobility of the depositing material, as by mounting an ultra-violet light source (not shown) in the bell jar space 4a .
• these units can be replaced by an ultra-violet light source 39 ' shown in Fig . 2 , which directs ultra-violet energy against the substrate 7.
• This ultra-violet light will decompose the molecular hydrogen and fluorine both spaced from and at the substrate 7 to form activated hydrogen and fluorine which diffuse into the depositing amorphous semiconductor film condensing on the substrate 7.
• the ultraviolet light also enhances the surface mobility of the depositing material .
• the vapor deposition equipment illustrated can include means for adding modifying agents , like a sensitizing material which enhances photoconductivity .
• modifying agents like a sensitizing material which enhances photoconductivity .
• photoconductive increasing sensitizing materials are zinc , gold , copper , silver, manganese , or the like .
• other modifying agents can also be added which create new states in the energy gap of the film , such as dopants which impart a substantial p or n conductivity to the film desirable for p-n junction devices .
• a n-conductivity dopant like phosphorus or arsenic
• a p-dopant like aluminum , gallium or indium may be added to form a good p-n junction within the film .
• a crucible 6' is shown for receiving a dopant like arsenic which is evaporated by bombarding the same with an electron beam source 8 ' , like the beam source 8 previously described .
• the rate at which the dopant evaporates into the atmosphere of the bell jar 4 which is determined by the intensity of the electron beam produced by the electron beam source 8' , is set by a manual control 41 on the control panel 11a , which controls the current fed to the filament forming part of this beam source to produce the set evaporation rate .
• the evaporation rate is measured by a film thickness sampling unit 21 ' upon which the dopant material deposits and which generates a signal on a cable 23 ' extending between the unit 21 ' and control unit 11 , which indicates the rate at which the. dopant material is deposited on the unit 21 ' .
• amorphous silicon film having the desired degree of n-conductivity has been deposited
• evaporation of silicon and the n-conductivity dopant is terminated and the crucible 6 ' (or another crucible not shown) is provided with a p-conductivity dopant described
• the amorphous film and dopant deposition process then proceeds as before to increase the thick ness of the amorphous semiconductor film with a p- conductivity region therein.
• the amorphous semiconductor host matrix involved in this invention can include mixtures or alloys of the aforementioned elements and materials , to tailor-make the energy gap for desired physical, thermal and optical purposes , while being capable of being independently compensated and modified to tailor-make the electronic configurations for desired electronic purposes .
• alloying of two or more elements can increase the high temperature stability of the film involved (e .g . silicon and carbon) .
• combination of elements from Group III and/or Group IV form high temperature amorphous semiconductor materials which can be compensated and modified as described , to produce solar cells and current control devices at temperatures up to 500oC and above .
• amorphous semiconductor films useful in solar cells can be deposited by the vaporizing equipment described and desirably may include , for example , amorphous films of arsenic or selenium , alloys of cadmium and sulphur, alloys of gallium and arsenic , alloys of arsenic and selenium , and alloys of arsenic and tellurium .
• the amorphous semiconductor films comprise two or more elements which are solid at room temperature
• alkali metals particularly lithium and sodium ; rare earth metals; transition metals like vanadium , copper and zinc; carbon and chlorine are useful in reducing the density of localized states in the energy gap when used in such small amounts as not to change the intrinsic characteristic of the film .
• the amorphous film deposition process and the process of injecting compensating and modifying agents into the semiconductor films can be done in a completely separate environment from the depositing of the amorphous film . This can have an advantage in certain applica tions since the conditions for injecting such agents are then completely independent of the conditions for film deposition. Also , as previously explained, if the vapor deposition process produces a porous film , the porosity of the film , in some cases , is more easily reduced by environmental conditions quite different from that present in the vapor deposition process .
• a high pressure container body 46 which has a high pressure chamber 47 having an opening 48 at the top thereof .
• This opening 48 is closed by a cap 50 having threads 52 which thread around a corresponding threaded portion on the exterior of the container body 46.
• a sealing O-ring 54 is sandwiched between the cap 50 and the upper face of the container body .
• a sample-holding electrode 58 is mounted on an insulating bottom wall 55 of the chamber 47 .
• a substrate 62 upon which an amorphous semiconductor film 65 has already been deposited is placed on the electrode 58. The upper face of the substrate 62 contains the amorphous semiconductor film 65 to be compensated in the manner now to be described .
• FIG. 5 illustrates only molecular hydrogen being fed into the chamber 47 by an inlet conduit 55 passing through the cap 50 and extending from a tank 65 of molecular hydrogen held at a very high pressure , like 1 , 000 psi . This high pressure is thus also present in the chamber 47.
• the conduit 55 is shown connected to a valve 61 near the tank 65 .
• a pressure indicating guage 59 is shown connected to the inlet conduit 55 beyond the valve 61 .
• Suitable means are provided for heating the interior of the chamber 47 so that the substrate temperature is elevated preferably to a temperature below but near the crystallization temperature of the film 65 .
• coils of heating wire 63 are shown in the bottom wall 55 of the chamber 47 , to which coils connect a cable (not shown) passing through the walls of the container body 46 to a source of current for heating the same .
• the combination of high temperature and pressure condition together with a plasma of hydrogen developed between the electrode 58 and 60 achieve a number of desirable results .
• the molecular hydrogen fed into the chamber 47 is activa ted between the electrodes 58 and 60 .
• the activated hydrogen so produced under the high temperature and high pressure conditions described will readily diffuse into the thin amorphous semicon- ductor film (which, for example , may be of the order of 1 micron thick) .
• the high pressure and high temperature conditions plus the diffusion of activated hydrogen into the semiconductor film 65 reduces or eliminates the porous structure of the film . Any molecular hydrogen which initially diffuses into the amorphous semiconductor film 65 will be activated also by the electric field in which the film 65 is located .
• the compensating and pore-reducing effect of the hydrogen in the amorphous semiconductor film 65 can be further enhanced by irradiating the amorphous semiconductor film 65 with radiant energy from an ultraviolet light source 67 , which is shown outside of the container body 46 directing ultraviolet light between the electrodes 58 and 60 through a quartz window 68 mounted in the side wall of the container body 46.
• an ultraviolet light source 67 which is shown outside of the container body 46 directing ultraviolet light between the electrodes 58 and 60 through a quartz window 68 mounted in the side wall of the container body 46.
• the present invention provides photoconductive and readily modifiable amorphous semiconductor films where the localized states of the energy gap are of much lower than heretofore achieved and with greatly improved photoconductivity and low internal resistance or large internal resistance , as desired .
• Figs . 6 through 10 Various applications of the improved amorphous semiconductor films produced by the unique processes of the invention are illustrated in Figs . 6 through 10 .
• Fig . 6 shows a Schottky barrier solar cell in fragmentary cross-section .
• the solar cell illus trated includes a subs trate 72 of a material having both good electrical conductivity properties under dark as well as light conditions , and the ability of making an ohmic contact with an amorphous silicon film 65 compensated to provide a low density of localized states in the energy gap as produced by the processes of the present invention.
• the substrate 72 may comprise a low work function metal, such as aluminum , tantalum , stainless steel or other material matching with the amorphous semiconductor film 65 deposited thereon which is preferably silicon , compensated in the manner of the silicon films previously described so that it has a low density of localized states in the energy gap of no more than10 16 per cubic centimeter per eV and preferably less . It is most preferred that the film have a region 65a next to the electrode 72 , which region forms a n-plus conductivity, heavily doped, low resistance interface between the electrode 72 and an undoped relatively high dark resistance region 65b which has an intrinsic low n-conductivity .
• a low work function metal such as aluminum , tantalum , stainless steel or other material matching with the amorphous semiconductor film 65 deposited thereon which is preferably silicon , compensated in the manner of the silicon films previously described so that it has a low density of localized states in the energy gap of no more than10 16 per cubic centimeter per eV and preferably less
• the upper surface of the amorphous semiconductor film 65 as viewed in Fig . 6 joins a metallic region 76 , the interface between this metallic region 76 and the amorphous semiconductor film 65 forming a Schottky barrier.
• the metallic region 76 is transparent or semi transparent to solar radiation, has good electrical conduc tivity and is of a high work function (for example , 4 . 5 eV or greater, produced, for example , by gold , platinum, palladium , etc . ) relative to that of the amorphous semiconductor film 65 , which is assumed to be silicon in the exemplary form of the invention now being described .
• the metallic region 76 may be a single layer of a metal or it may be multi-layered .
• the amorphous semiconductor film 65 may have a thickness of about 1 micron, the metallic region 76 may have a thickness of about 100 ⁇ in order to be semitrans parent to solar radiation.
• a grid electrode 84 made of a metal having good electrical conductivity .
• the grid may comprise orthogonally related lines of conductive material occupying only a minor portion of the area of the metallic region, the rest of which is to be exposed t ⁇ solar energy .
• the grid 84 may occupy only about from 5 to 10% of the entire area of the metallic region 76.
• the grid electrode 84 uniformly collects current from the metallic region 76 to assure a good low series resistance for the device .
• An antireflection layer 80 may be applied over the grid electrode 84 and the areas of the metallic region 76 between the grid electrode areas .
• the antireflection layer 80 has a solar radiation incident surface 82 which impinges the solar radiation.
• the antireflection layer 80 may have a thickness in the order of magnitude of the wavelength of the maximum energy point of the solar radiation spectrum , divided by 4 times the index of refraction of the antireflection layer 80.
• the metallic region 76 is platinum of lOO ⁇ thickness
• a suitable antireflection layer 80 would be zirconium oxide of about 500 ⁇ in thickness and an index of refraction of 2. 1 .
• a Schottky barrier is formed which enables the photons from the solar radiation to produce current carriers in the film 65 , which are collected as current by the grid electrode 84 .
• amorphous semiconductor film 65 ' are at least two adjacent regions 65a ' and 65b' where the amorphous semiconductor film has respectively oppositely doped regions , region 65a' being shown as a n-conductivity region and region 65b' being shown as a p-conductivity region.
• the doping of the regions 65a' and 65b' is only sufficient to move the Fermi levels to the valence and conduction bands involved so that the dark conductivity remains at a low value achieved by the compensation method of the invention .
• the film 65 ' has a high conductivity, highly doped ohmic contact interface regions 65c' and 65d' of the same conductivity type as the adjacent region of the film 65' .
• the film regions 65c' and 65d' contact electrodes 88 and 85 , respectively.
• Fig . 8 illustrating another application of an amorphous semiconductor film utilized in a photo-detector device whose resistance varies with the amount of light impinging thereon.
• the amorphous semiconductor film 65 thereof is compensated in accordance with the invention , has no p-n junctions as in the embodiment shown in Fig . 7 and is located between a transparent electrode 86 ' and a substrate electrode 88 ' .
• the amorphous semiconductor film 65 has an undoped and compensated region 65b and heavily doped regions 65a and 65c of the same conductivity type forming a low resistance ohmic contact with the electrodes 88' and 86 ' , which may form a substrate for the film 65.
• Fig . 9 shows an electrostatic image-producing device (like the drum of a Xerox machine) where it is desirable to have a low dark conductivity in an undoped amorphous semiconductor film 65 " thereof which is compensated in accordance with the present invention .
• the electrostatic image-producing device is deposited on a subs trate 88' .
• Fig . 10 shows a p-n-p current control device having outer electrodes 92 and 94 on the opposite faces of a film 65 " ' of an amorphous semiconductor material like silicon compensated in accordance with the invention.
• the amorphous semiconductor film 65 " has outermost p- doped regions 65b"' and 65b “' and a preferably doped base-form ing intermediate region 65a "' of n-conductivity type . If the device is to form a transistor, a terminal connection is made to the base-forming region 65a " of the film .
• the process aspects of the present invention make possible the practical utilization of amorphous semiconductor films in the making of a variety of devices which can be made solely of deposited amorphous semiconductor and metal films heretofore not believed possible because of the assumed difficulty of lowering the density of localized states of amorphous semiconductor films to values where sufficiently long diffusion lengths and good doping and other film modification capabilities are achieved .

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• 1978
  • 1978-03-08 US US05/884,664 patent/US4217374A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
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