International Business Machines Corporation

Globalfoundries Inc.

Jun Liu

Satyavolu S Papa Rao

George Gabriel Totir

Mahadevaiyer Krishnan

Qin Yuan

Qiang Huang

Young-Hee Kim

James Vichiconti

Kathryn C Fisher

Mark S Chace

Janine L Protzman

Victoria L Calero Diaz Del Castillo

A method of forming a passivation layer on an integrated circuit (IC) chip including a device layer on a substrate. The method may include forming a crosslinked precursor passivation layer on the IC chip, and curing the crosslinked precursor passivation layer at a first temperature to form a passivation layer. The method may further include maintaining the device layer at a second, lower temperature during the curing of the crosslinked precursor passivation layer. Maintaining the device layer at the second, lower temperature may mitigate and/or prevent damage to the device layer conventionally caused by exposure to the first temperature during the curing of the crosslinked precursor passivation layer. The method may include using a curing system including a chamber, an infrared source for controlling the first temperature for curing the crosslinked precursor passivation layer, and a temperature control device for controlling the second, lower temperature of the device layer.

Method of forming a passivation layer

A formulation comprising an esterified polyamide resin with a photosensitive linkage, a polymerizable crosslinker, and an organic species is provided. The organic species is selected such that (a) when exposed to UV radiation, it copolymerizes with the polymerizable crosslinker and the photosensitive linkage on the esterified polyamide resin forming the crosslinking network, (b) during thermal cure the copolymer thus formed drops from polyimide backbones, and (c) wherein the thermal degradation temperature of the copolymer thus formed is lower than the thermal degradation temperature of the homopolymer formed from the polymerizable crosslinker and the thermal degradation temperature of the copolymer formed from the polymerizable crosslinker and the photosensitive linkage on the esterified polyamide resin. The formulation is useful in forming a semiconductor passivation layer and facilitates more complete removal of crosslinker using less stringent conditions.

Additions of organic species to facilitate crosslinker removal during PSPI cure

A method of texturing a surface of a crystalline silicon substrate is provided. The method includes immersing a crystalline silicon substrate into an aqueous alkaline etchant solution to form a pyramid shaped textured surface, with (111) faces exposed, on the crystalline silicon substrate. The aqueous alkaline etchant solution employed in the method of the present disclosure includes an alkaline component and a nanoparticle slurry component. Specifically, the aqueous alkaline etchant solution of the present disclosure includes 0.5 weight percent to 5 weight percent of an alkaline component and from 0.1 weight percent to 5 weight percent of a nanoparticle slurry on a dry basis.

Silicon surface texturing method for reducing surface reflectance

A method of forming a photovoltaic device containing a buried emitter region and vertical metal contacts is provided. The method includes forming a plurality of metal nanoparticles on exposed portions of a single-crystalline silicon substrate that are not covered by patterned antireflective coatings (ARCs). A metal nanoparticle catalyzed etching process is then used to form trenches within the single-crystalline silicon substrate and thereafter the metal nanoparticles are removed from the trenches. An emitter region is then formed within exposed portions of the single-crystalline silicon substrate, and thereafter a metal contact is formed atop the emitter region.

Buried selective emitter formation for photovoltaic devices utilizing metal nanoparticle catalyzed etching

Alternative additives that can be used in place of isopropyl alcohol in aqueous alkaline etchant solutions for texturing a surface of a single-crystalline silicon substrate are provided. The alternative additives do not have volatile constituents, yet can be used in an aqueous alkaline etchant solution to provide a pyramidal shaped texture surface to the single-crystalline silicon substrate that is exposed to such an etchant solution. Also provided is a method of forming a textured silicon surface. The method includes immersing a single-crystalline silicon substrate into an etchant solution to form a pyramid shaped textured surface on the single-crystalline silicon substrate. The etchant solution includes an alkaline component, silicon (etched into the solution as a bath conditioner) and glycerol or ethylene glycol as an additive. The textured surface of the single-crystalline silicon substrate has (111) faces that are now exposed.

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Irvington, NY, United States of America

Jun Liu