Semiconductor device PN junction fabrication using optical processing of amorphous semiconductor material
AssigneeAlliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC
InventorsBhushan Sopori, Anikara Rangappan
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Abstract
Systems and methods for semiconductor device PN junction fabrication are provided. In one embodiment, a method for fabricating an electrical device having a P-N junction comprises: depositing a layer of amorphous semiconductor material onto a crystalline semiconductor base, wherein the crystalline semiconductor base comprises a crystalline phase of a same semiconductor as the amorphous layer; and growing the layer of amorphous semiconductor material into a layer of crystalline semiconductor material that is epitaxially matched to the lattice structure of the crystalline semiconductor base by applying an optical energy that penetrates at least the amorphous semiconductor material.
Claims24
A method for fabricating an electrical device having a P-N junction, the method comprising:
- depositing a layer of amorphous semiconductor material onto a crystalline semiconductor base, wherein the crystalline semiconductor base comprises a crystalline phase of a same semiconductor as the amorphous layer;
- and
- growing the layer of amorphous semiconductor material into a layer of crystalline semiconductor material that is epitaxially matched to a lattice structure of the crystalline semiconductor base by applying an optical energy that penetrates through at least the amorphous semiconductor material;
- wherein the optical energy is controlled to penetrate the amorphous semiconductor material such as to produce uniform heating across an interfacing surface between the amorphous semiconductor material and the crystalline semiconductor base;
- wherein the optical energy is applied in a single application to produce the uniform heating across the interfacing surface for a duration lasting until the amorphous semiconductor material is completely crystallized.
A method for fabricating an electrical device having a P-N junction, the method comprising:
- placing a semiconductor wafer into an optical cavity furnace, wherein the semiconductor wafer comprises a layer of amorphous semiconductor material deposited onto a crystalline semiconductor base, and wherein the optical cavity furnace comprises:
- a chamber configured to accept the semiconductor wafer;
- and
- a plurality of light sources configured to apply optical energy into the chamber and onto the semiconductor wafer;
- operating the plurality of light sources to generate an optical energy profile incident onto the amorphous semiconductor material that produces uniform heating across an interfacing surface within the semiconductor wafer between the amorphous semiconductor material and the crystalline semiconductor base;
- and
- growing the layer of amorphous semiconductor material from the uniform heating at the interfacing surface into a layer of crystalline semiconductor material that is epitaxially matched to the lattice structure of the crystalline semiconductor base;
- wherein the optical energy is controlled to penetrate at least the amorphous semiconductor material such as to produce the uniform heating;
- and
- wherein the optical energy is applied in a single application to produce the uniform heating across the interfacing surface for a duration lasting until the amorphous semiconductor material is completely crystallized.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.