Method and apparatus for making diamond-like carbon films
AssigneeAlliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC
InventorsFu-Jann Pern, Kenell J. Touryan, Zhozef Retevos Panosyan, Aleksey Alekseyevich Gippius
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Ion-assisted plasma enhanced deposition of diamond-like carbon (DLC) films on the surface of photovoltaic solar cells is accomplished with a method and apparatus for controlling ion energy. The quality of DLC layers is fine-tuned by a properly biased system of special electrodes and by exact control of the feed gas mixture compositions. Uniform (with degree of non-uniformity of optical parameters less than 5%) large area (more than 110 cm2) DLC films with optical parameters varied within the given range and with stability against harmful effects of the environment are achieved.
Claims8
A method of depositing a diamond-like carbon film on a substrate, comprising:
- producing a plasma comprising C+, H+, N+, Ar+ ions with an electric field chamber with a magnetic field perpendicular to the electric field;
- slowing electrons and collimating a flow of the ions in the plasma with an annular, grounded diaphragm;
- emitting electrons into the plasma to neutralize slow ions and non-dissociated CxHx radicals in the plasma with a neutralizer electrode;
- and
- controlling energy of the ions in the flow of the ions toward the substrate by passing the flow of ions through an accelerating electrode and a grid.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.