Midwest Research Institute

Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC

Eugene Iwaniczko

Qi Wang

Matthew Robert Page

Alan C Gallagher

Tihu Wang

Archie Harvin Mahan

Yanfa Yan

Brent P Nelson

Edith C Molenbroek

Yueqin Xu

A system and a process for forming a semi-conductor device, and solar cells () formed thereby. The process includes preparing a substrate () for deposition of a junction layer (); forming the junction layer () on the substrate () using hot wire chemical vapor deposition; and, finishing the semi-conductor device.

Low temperature junction growth using hot-wire chemical vapor deposition

A thin-film solar cell is provided. The thin-film solar cell comprises an a-SiGe:H (1.6 eV) n-i-p solar cell having a deposition rate of at least ten (10) &#x212b;/second for the a-SiGe:H intrinsic layer by hot wire chemical vapor deposition. A method for fabricating a thin film solar cell is also provided. The method comprises depositing a n-i-p layer at a deposition rate of at least ten (10) &#x212b;/second for the a-SiGe:H intrinsic layer.

Method and apparatus for fabricating a thin-film solar cell utilizing a hot wire chemical vapor deposition technique

A method of fabricating device quality, thin-film a-Si:H for use as semiconductor material in photovoltaic and other devices, comprising in any order; positioning a substrate in a vacuum chamber adjacent a plurality of heatable filaments with a spacing distance L between the substrate and the filaments; heating the filaments to a temperature that is high enough to obtain complete decomposition of silicohydride molecules that impinge said filaments into Si and H atomic species; providing a flow of silicohydride gas, or a mixture of silicohydride gas containing Si and H, in said vacuum chamber while maintaining a pressure P of said gas in said chamber, which, in combination with said spacing distance L, provides a P&times;L product in a range of 10-300 mT-cm to ensure that most of the Si atomic species react with silicohydride molecules in the gas before reaching the substrate, to thereby grow a a-Si:H film at a rate of at least 50 &angst;/sec.; and maintaining the substrate at a temperature that balances out-diffusion of H from the growing a-Si:H film with time needed for radical species containing Si and H to migrate to preferred bonding sites.

Deposition of device quality, low hydrogen content, hydrogenated amorphous silicon at high deposition rates

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Lafayette, CO, United States of America

Eugene Iwaniczko