Abstract:
An apparatus for forming porous silicon layers on at least two surfaces of a plurality of silicon templates in a batch electrochemical anodic etch process is provided. The apparatus comprises a plurality of edge-sealing template mounts operable to prevent formation of porous silicon at the edges of a plurality of templates. An electrolyte is disposed among the plurality of templates. The apparatus further comprises a power supply operable to switch polarity, change current intensity, and control etching time to produce the porous silicon layers.
Abstract:
This disclosure presents manufacturing methods and apparatus designs for making TFSSs from both sides of a re-usable semiconductor template, thus effectively increasing the substrate manufacturing throughput and reducing the substrate manufacturing cost. This approach also reduces the amortized starting template cost per manufactured substrate (TFSS) by about a factor of 2 for a given number of template reuse cycles.
Abstract:
This disclosure presents manufacturing methods and apparatus designs for making TFSSs from both sides of a re-usable semiconductor template, thus effectively increasing the substrate manufacturing throughput and reducing the substrate manufacturing cost. This approach also reduces the amortized starting template cost per manufactured substrate (TFSS) by about a factor of 2 for a given number of template reuse cycles.
Abstract:
A method for void free filling with in-situ doped amorphous silicon of a deep trench structure is provided in which a first fill is carried out in at a temperature, pressure and dopant to silane ratio such that film deposition occurs from the bottom of the trench upwards. By way of this first fill, step coverages well in excess 100% are achieved. In the second fill step, deposition is carried out under changed conditions so as to reduce the impact of dopant on deposition rate, whereby trench fill is completed at a deposition rate which exceeds the deposition rate of the first fill. In an application of this method to the formation of deep trench capacitor structures, the intermediate steps further including the capping of the void free filled trench with a thick layer of amorphous silicon, planarization of the wafer thereafter, followed by a thermal anneal to re-distribute the dopant within the filled trench. Thereafter, additional steps can be performed to complete the formation of the capacitor structure.
Abstract:
A structure and method operable to create a reusable template for detachable thin semiconductor substrates is provided. The template has a shape such that the 3-D shape is substantially retained after each substrate release. Prior art reusable templates may have a tendency to change shape after each subsequent reuse; the present disclosure aims to address this and other deficiencies from the prior art, therefore increasing the reuse life of the template.
Abstract:
It is an object of this disclosure to provide high productivity, low cost-of-ownership manufacturing equipment for the high volume production of photovoltaic (PV) solar cell device architecture. It is a further object of this disclosure to reduce material processing steps and material cost compared to existing technologies by using gas-phase source silicon. The present disclosure teaches the fabrication of a sacrificial substrate base layer that is compatible with a gas-phase substrate growth process. Porous silicon is used as the sacrificial layer in the present disclosure. Further, the present disclosure provides equipment to produce a sacrificial porous silicon PV cell-substrate base layer.
Abstract:
This disclosure enables high-productivity fabrication of semiconductor-based separation layers (made of single layer or multi-layer porous semiconductors such as porous silicon, comprising single porosity or multi-porosity layers), optical reflectors (made of multi-layer/multi-porosity porous semiconductors such as porous silicon), formation of porous semiconductor (such as porous silicon) for anti-reflection coatings, passivation layers, and multi-junction, multi-band-gap solar cells (for instance, by forming a variable band gap porous silicon emitter on a crystalline silicon thin film or wafer-based solar cell). Other applications include fabrication of MEMS separation and sacrificial layers for die detachment and MEMS device fabrication, membrane formation and shallow trench isolation (STI) porous silicon (using porous silicon formation with an optimal porosity and its subsequent oxidation). Further the disclosure is applicable to the general fields of Photovoltaics, MEMS, including sensors and actuators, stand-alone, or integrated with integrated semiconductor microelectronics, semiconductor microelectronics chips and optoelectronics.
Abstract:
A structure and method operable to create a reusable template for detachable thin semiconductor substrates is provided. The template has a shape such that the 3-D shape is substantially retained after each substrate release. Prior art reusable templates may have a tendency to change shape after each subsequent reuse; the present disclosure aims to address this and other deficiencies from the prior art, therefore increasing the reuse life of the template.
Abstract:
Methods for manufacturing three-dimensional thin-film solar cells using a template. The template comprises a template substrate comprising a plurality of three-dimensional surface features. The three-dimensional thin-film solar cell substrate is formed by forming a sacrificial layer on the template, subsequently depositing a semiconductor layer, selectively etching the sacrificial layer, and releasing the semiconductor layer from the template. Select portions of the three-dimensional thin-film solar cell substrate are then doped with a first dopant, while other select portions are doped with a second dopant. Next, selective emitter and base metallization regions are formed using a PECVD shadow mask process.
Abstract:
Methods here disclosed provide for selectively coating the top surfaces or ridges of a 3-D substrate while avoiding liquid coating material wicking into micro cavities on 3-D substrates. The substrate includes holes formed in a three-dimensional substrate by forming a sacrificial layer on a template. The template includes a template substrate with posts and trenches between the posts. The steps include subsequently depositing a semiconductor layer and selectively etching the sacrificial layer. Then, the steps include releasing the semiconductor layer from the template and coating the 3-D substrate using a liquid transfer coating step for applying a liquid coating material to a surface of the 3-D substrate. The method may further include coating the 3-D substrate by selectively coating the top ridges or surfaces of the substrate. Additional features may include filling the micro cavities of the substrate with a filling material, removing the filling material to expose only the substrate surfaces to be coated, coating the substrate with a layer of liquid coating material, and removing said filling material from the micro cavities of the substrate.