Springworks, LLC

Symmorphix, Inc.

Solopower, Inc.

Demaray, LLC

Mukundan Narasimhan

Richard Ernest Demaray

Ravi Mullapudi

Hongmei Zhang

Peter L Brooks

Vassiliki Milonopoulou

Hong Mei Zhang

Bulent Mehmet Basol

Todd Richards Johnson

Peter Brooks

A method of deposition of a transparent conductive film from a metallic target is presented. A method of forming a transparent conductive oxide film according to embodiments of the present invention include depositing the transparent conductive oxide film in a pulsed DC reactive ion process with substrate bias, and controlling at least one process parameter to affect at least one characteristic of the conductive oxide film. The resulting transparent oxide film, which in some embodiments can be an indium-tin oxide film, can exhibit a wide range of material properties depending on variations in process parameters. For example, varying the process parameters can result in a film with a wide range of resistive properties and surface smoothness of the film.

Transparent conductive oxides

A biased pulse DC reactor for sputtering of oxide films is presented. The biased pulse DC reactor couples pulsed DC at a particular frequency to the target through a filter which filters out the effects of a bias power applied to the substrate, protecting the pulsed DC power supply. Films deposited utilizing the reactor have controllable material properties such as the index of refraction. Optical components such as waveguide amplifiers and multiplexers can be fabricated using processes performed on a reactor according to the present invention.

Biased pulse DC reactive sputtering of oxide films

High density oxide films are deposited by a pulsed-DC, biased, reactive sputtering process from a titanium containing target to form high quality titanium containing oxide films. A method of forming a titanium based layer or film according to the present invention includes depositing a layer of titanium containing oxide by pulsed-DC, biased reactive sputtering process on a substrate. In some embodiments, the layer is TiO. In some embodiments, the layer is a sub-oxide of Titanium. In some embodiments, the layer is TiOwherein x is between about 1 and about 4 and y is between about 1 and about 7. In some embodiments, the layer can be doped with one or more rare-earth ions. Such layers are useful in energy and charge storage, and energy conversion technologies.

Energy conversion and storage films and devices by physical vapor deposition of titanium and titanium oxides and sub-oxides

A method of forming metallic connector patterns for solar cells, whereby an embosser having raised features shaped in the form of a metallic connector pattern is used to attach a portion of a metallic foil to a transparent conductive layer formed on a top transparent surface of a solar cell structure. The raised surfaces of the embosser press the metallic foil portion against the transparent conductive layer. Heat and pressure directed to the metallic foil portion attach the metallic foil portion to the underlying transparent conductive layer, and then the rest of the metallic foil, which is not attached to the transparent conductive layer, is removed.

Finger pattern formation for thin film solar cells

A biased pulse DC reactor for sputtering of oxide films is presented. The biased pulse DC reactor couples pulsed DC at a particular frequency to the target through a filter which filters out the effects of a bias power applied to the substrate, protecting the pulsed DC power supply. Films deposited utilizing the reactor have controllable material properties such as the index of refraction. Optical components such as waveguide amplifiers and multiplexers can be fabricated using processes performed on a reactor according to the present inention.

A biased pulse DC reactor for sputtering of oxide films is presented. The biased pulse DC reactor couples pulsed DC at a particular frequency to the target through a filter which filters out the effects of a bias power applied to the substrate, protecting the pulsed DC power supply. Films deposited utilizing the reactor have controllable material properties such as the index of refraction. Optical components such as waveguide amplifiers and multiplexers can be fabricated processes performed on a reactor according to the present inention.

In accordance with the present invention, a dielectric barrier layer is presented. A barrier layer according to the present invention includes a densified amorphous dielectric layer deposited on a substrate by pulsed-DC, substrate biased physical vapor deposition, wherein the densified amorphous dielectric layer is a barrier layer. A method of forming a barrier layer according to the present inventions includes providing a substrate and depositing a highly densified, amorphous, dielectric material over the substrate in a pulsed-dc, biased, wide target physical vapor deposition process. Further, the process can include performing a soft-metal breath treatment on the substrate. Such barrier layers can be utilized as electrical layers, optical layers, immunological layers, or tribological layers.

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Mukundan Narasimhan