Other

Applied Materials, Inc.

Silicon Genesis Corporation

Merlin Solar Technologies, Inc.

Adam Brailove

Francois J Henley

Michael Robert Rice

Joseph Yudovsky

Nir Merry

Venkatesan Murali

Vinay K Shah

Steve G Ghanayem

Kaushal Kishore Singh

Sean M Seutter

Aaron Webb

Andrew J Constant

Jacob W Smith

R Suryanarayanan Iyer

Kent Riley Child

Efrain Quiles

Arvind Chari

Arthur Rudin

Albert Lamm

Jeannot Morin

Gary J Rosen

Zuqin Liu

Robert Shydo

A system for manufacturing free-standing films from work pieces. The system includes a racetrack structure being configured to transfer at least one work piece and one or more accelerator-based ion implanters coupled to the racetrack structure via an end station. Each of the accelerator-based ion implanters is configured to introduce particles having an energy of greater than 1 MeV to implant into a surface of the work piece loaded in the end station to form a cleave region in the work piece. The system includes one or more cleave modules coupled to the racetrack structure configured to perform a cleave process to release a free-standing film from the work piece along the cleave region. Additionally, the system includes an output port coupled to each cleave module to output the free standing film detached from the work piece and one or more service modules each connected to the racetrack structure.

Race track configuration and method for wafering silicon solar substrates

Embodiments of the present invention relate to the use of a particle accelerator beam to form thin films of material from a bulk substrate. In particular embodiments, a bulk substrate having a top surface is exposed to a beam of accelerated particles. Then, a thin film of material is separated from the bulk substrate by performing a controlled cleaving process along a cleave region formed by particles implanted from the beam. To improve uniformity of depth of implantation, channeling effects are reduced by one or more techniques. In one technique, a miscut bulk substrate is subjected to the implantation, such that the lattice of the substrate is offset at an angle relative to the impinging particle beam. According to another technique, the substrate is tilted at an angle relative to the impinging particle beam. In still another technique, the substrate is subjected to a dithering motion during the implantation. These techniques may be employed alone or in combination.

Techniques for forming thin films by implantation with reduced channeling

An ion-cut machine and method for slicing silicon ingots into thin wafers for solar cell manufacturing is set forth, amongst other embodiments and applications. One embodiment comprises two carousels: first carousel () adapted for circulating workpieces () under ion beam () inside target vacuum chamber () while second carousel () is adapted for carrying implanted workpieces through a sequence of process stations that may include annealing (), cleaving (), slice output (), ingot replacement (), handle bonding, cleaning, etching and others. Workpieces are essentially swapped between carousels. In one embodiment, the swapping system comprises a high throughput load lock () disposed in the wall of the vacuum chamber (), a vacuum swapper () swapping workpieces between first carousel () and load lock (), and an atmospheric swapper () swapping workpieces between load lock () and second carousel ().

Ion beam processing apparatus

Processes and machines for producing large area sheets or films of crystalline, polycrystalline, or amorphous material are set forth; the production of such sheets being valuable for the manufacturing of solar photovoltaic cells, flat panel displays and the like. The surface of rotating cylindrical workpiece () is implanted with ion beam (), whereby a layer of weakened material is formed below the surface. Sheet () is detached and peeled off, producing arbitrarily large, monolithic sheets. The sheet may be supported on a temporary or permanent handle () such as a glass sheet or a polymer film. Pinch roller () may assist in the lamination of handle () to sheet () before or after the point of separation of sheet () from workpiece (). The implantation, annealing and separation processes are adapted to encourage the material to separate along the implanted layer rather than a particular crystal plane.

Crystal film fabrication

A batch processing platform used for ALD or CVD processing is configured for high throughput and minimal footprint. In one embodiment, the processing platform comprises an atmospheric transfer region, at least one batch processing chamber with a buffer chamber and staging platform, and a transfer robot disposed in the transfer region wherein the transfer robot has at least one substrate transfer arm that comprises multiple substrate handling blades. The platform may include two batch processing chambers configured with a service aisle disposed therebetween to provide necessary service access to the transfer robot and the deposition stations. In another embodiment, the processing platform comprises at least one batch processing chamber, a substrate transfer robot that is adapted to transfer substrates between a FOUP and a processing cassette, and a cassette transfer region containing a cassette handler robot. The cassette handler robot may be a linear actuator or a rotary table.

Batch processing platform for ALD and CVD

Embodiments of the invention generally provide a method for depositing films using photoexcitation. The photoexcitation may be utilized for at least one of treating the substrate prior to deposition, treating substrate and/or gases during deposition, treating a deposited film, or for enhancing chamber cleaning. In one embodiment, a method for depositing silicon and nitrogen-containing film on a substrate includes heating a substrate disposed in a processing chamber, generating a beam of energy of between about 1 to about 10 eV, transferring the energy to a surface of the substrate; flowing a nitrogen-containing chemical into the processing chamber, flowing a silicon-containing chemical with silicon-nitrogen bonds into the processing chamber, and depositing a silicon and nitrogen-containing film on the substrate.

Method for treating substrates and films with photoexcitation

The invention is a plasma-generating device useful in a wide variety of industrial processes. The plasma is formed in a chamber having a toroidal topology, and is heated inductively. As with all inductive plasmas, a primary coil carries an applied AC current, which, in turn, generates a corresponding applied AC magnetic flux inside the plasma. This flux induces current to flow through the plasma in closed paths that encircle the flux, thereby heating and maintaining the plasma. In this invention, the applied AC current flows through the primary coil around substantially the short poloidal direction on the torus. Accordingly, the applied magnetic flux is caused to circulate through the plasma along the larger toroidal direction. Finally, the current induced within the plasma will flow in the poloidal direction, anti-parallel to the applied primary current. The plasma chamber wall is preferably made of metal such as aluminum and includes one or more electrical breaks that extend fully around the chamber wall in the toroidal direction. This prevents poloidal currents from being induced in the chamber wall, ensuring effective power transfer to the plasma. Elastomeric seals made from electrically insulating material seal the breaks.

Induction plasma reactor

Growing community of inventors

San Jose, CA, United States of America

Adam Brailove