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US 7,741,144 B2Granted
Plasma treatment between deposition processes
AssigneeApplied Materials, Inc.
InventorsSoo Young Choi, Yong-Kee Chae, Shuran Sheng, Liwei Li
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Abstract
Embodiments of the present invention include an improved method of forming a thin film solar cell device using a plasma processing treatment between two or more deposition steps. Embodiments of the invention also generally provide a method and apparatus for forming the same. The present invention may be used to advantage to form other single junction, tandem junction, or multi-junction solar cell devices.
Claims15
A method of forming a thin film solar cell, comprising:
- transferring a substrate into a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition chamber;
- depositing an n-doped amorphous silicon layer over the substrate;
- providing a plasma treatment to the n-doped amorphous silicon layer disposed on the substrate;
- depositing an n-doped microcrystalline silicon layer over the n-doped amorphous silicon layer;
- removing the substrate from the chamber;
- and
- forming a p-i-n junction over the n-doped microcrystalline silicon layer, wherein forming the p-i-n junction comprises:
- depositing a p-doped microcrystalline silicon layer over the n-doped microcrystalline silicon layer;
- depositing an n-doped amorphous silicon layer over the p-doped silicon layer;
- and
- depositing an intrinsic microcrystalline silicon layer between the p-doped microcrystalline silicon layer and the n-doped amorphous silicon layer.
8 more elements
A method of forming a thin film solar cell, comprising:
- transferring a substrate into a first plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition chamber disposed in a first system;
- depositing a p-doped silicon layer over a surface of the substrate in the first plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition chamber;
- transferring a substrate from the first plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition chamber into a second plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition chamber disposed in the first system;
- depositing an intrinsic amorphous silicon layer in the second plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition chamber over the p-doped silicon layer;
- depositing an n-doped amorphous silicon layer over the intrinsic amorphous silicon layer;
- exposing the n-doped amorphous silicon layer to a plasma treatment;
- depositing an n-doped microcrystalline silicon layer over the n-doped amorphous silicon layer;
- removing the substrate from the second plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition chamber;
- and
- forming a p-i-n junction over the n-doped microcrystalline silicon layer, wherein forming the p-i-n junction comprises:
- depositing a p-doped microcrystalline silicon layer over the n-doped microcrystalline silicon layer;
- depositing an n-doped amorphous silicon layer over the p-doped silicon layer;
- and
- depositing an intrinsic microcrystalline silicon layer between the p-doped microcrystalline silicon layer and the n-doped amorphous silicon layer.
11 more elements
A method of forming a thin film solar cell, comprising:
- depositing an amorphous silicon layer over a surface of a transparent substrate;
- providing a plasma treatment to the amorphous silicon layer disposed on the transparent substrate;
- depositing an microcrystalline silicon layer over the amorphous silicon layer;
- and
- forming a p-i-n junction over the microcrystalline silicon layer, wherein forming the p-i-n junction comprises:
- depositing a p-doped microcrystalline silicon layer over the n-doped microcrystalline silicon layer;
- depositing an n-doped amorphous silicon layer over the p-doped silicon layer;
- and
- depositing an intrinsic microcrystalline silicon layer between the p-doped microcrystalline silicon layer and the n-doped amorphous silicon layer.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.