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US 4,226,897 AGranted
Method of forming semiconducting materials and barriers
AssigneePlasma Physics Corp.
InventorJohn H. Coleman
Life of this patent
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AssigneePlasma Physics Corp.
InventorJohn H. Coleman
Estimating the term…
In a gaseous glow-discharge process for coating a substrate with semiconductor material, a variable electric field in the region of the substrate and the pressure of the gaseous material are controlled to produce a uniform coating having useful semiconducting properties. Electrodes having concave and cylindrical configurations are used to produce a spacially varying electric field. Twin electrodes are used to enable the use of an AC power supply and collect a substantial part of the coating on the substrate. Solid semiconductor material is evaporated and sputtered into the glow discharge to control the discharge and improve the coating. Schottky barrier and solar cell structures are fabricated from the semiconductor coating. Activated nitrogen species is used to increase the barrier height of Schottky barriers.
The method of treating the surface of a semiconductor comprising subjecting the surface to activated gaseous species of nitrogen and hydrogen, coating said treated surface with a metallic oxide and an active metal to form a Schottky barrier with enhanced barrier potential.
The method of producing a film on the surface of a substrate in an evacuated enclosure, which includes the steps of introducing a gaseous material at sub-atmospheric pressure in the region of said surface, applying to said surface a spatially non-uniform electric field having a weak field region extending over a portion of said surface and controlling said pressure to maintain a glow-discharge in said weak field region adjacent said portion of said surface to produce a substantially uniform film on said portion of said surface.
The method of producing a film on the surface of a substrate in an evacuated enclosure, comprising the steps of introducing a gaseous material comprising silicon and nitrogen at sub-atmospheric pressure in the region of said surface, applying to said surface a spatially non-uniform electric field having a weak field region extending over a portion of said surface, and controlling said pressure to maintain a glow-discharge in said weak field region adjacent said portion of said surface to produce a substantially uniform film of a nitride of silicon on said portion of said surface.
The method of producing a film on the surface of a substrate mounted on a first electrode structure spaced apart from a second electrode structure by a gap in an evacuated enclosure, comprising the steps of introducing a gaseous material at sub-atmospheric pressure in the region of said surface, applying between said electrode structures a non-uniform electric field having a strong field region across said gap and a weak field region extending over a portion of said surface remote from said gap and controlling said pressure to maintain a glow-discharge in said weak field region adjacent said portion of said surface outside said gap to produce a substantially uniform film on said portion of said surface.
The method of producing a semiconducting film on the surface of a substrate in an evacuated enclosure comprising ionizing a gaseous, film-forming material at sub-atmospheric pressure, applying a spatially non-uniform electric field to said surface, said electric field having a weak field region extending over a portion of said surface, and controlling said pressure to collect said ionized material on said portion of said surface adjacent said weak field region to produce a uniform semiconducting film on said surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.