Ecole Polytechnique

Dow Corning Corporation

Dow Corning Europe Sa

Thibault Kervyn De Meerendre

Pere Roca I Cabarrocas

Patrick Leempoel

Pierre Descamps

Pavel Bulkin

Dmitri Daineka

Thien Hai Dao

An apparatus is described for depositing a film on a substrate from a plasma. The apparatus comprises an enclosure, a plurality of plasma generator elements disposed within the enclosure, and means, also within the enclosure, for supporting the substrate. Each plasma generator element comprises a microwave antenna having an end from which microwaves are emitted, a magnet disposed in the region of the said antenna end and defining therewith an electron cyclotron resonance region in which a plasma can be generated, and a gas entry element having an outlet for a film precursor gas or a plasma gas. The outlet is arranged to direct gas towards a film deposition area situated beyond the magnet, as considered from the microwave antenna, the outlet being located in, or above, the hot electron confinement envelope.

Method and apparatus for forming a film by deposition from a plasma

A plasma excitation device is described for use in depositing a film on a substrate from a plasma formed by distributed electron cyclotron resonance. The device comprises a microwave antenna having an end from which microwaves are emitted, a magnet disposed in the region of the said antenna end and defining therewith an electron cyclotron resonance region in which a plasma can be generated, and a gas entry element having an outlet for a film precursor gas or a plasma gas. The outlet is arranged to direct gas towards a film deposition area situated beyond the magnet, as considered from the microwave antenna.

Device for forming a film by deposition from a plasma

A method is described of depositing film of an amorphous or microcrystalline material, for example silicon, from a plasma on to a substrate. Microwave energy is introduced into a chamber as a sequence of discrete microwave pulses, a film precursors gas is introduced into the chamber as a sequence of discrete gas pulses, and gas for generating atomic hydrogen is supplied to the chamber at least during each microwave pulse. Each microwave pulse is followed in non-overlapping fashion with a precursor gas pulse, and each precursor gas pulse is followed by a period during which there is neither a microwave pulse nor a precursor gas pulse.

Method of forming a film by deposition from a plasma

A method is described for forming a film of amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) on a substrate by deposition from a plasma. The substrate is placed in an enclosure, a film precursor gas is introduced into the enclosure, and unreacted and dissociated gas is extracted from the enclosure so as to provide a low pressure in the enclosure. Microwave energy is introduced into the gas within the enclosure to produce a plasma therein by distributed electron cyclotron resonance (DECR) and cause material to be deposited from the plasma on the substrate. The substrate is held during deposition at a temperature in the range 200-600&#xb0; C., preferably 225-350&#xb0; C. and a bias voltage is applied to the substrate at a level to give rise to a sheath potential in the range &#x2212;30 to &#x2212;105V, preferably using a source of RF power in the range of 50-250 mW/cm2 of the area of the substrate holder.

Deposition of amorphous silicon films by electron cyclotron resonance

A method is described of forming a film of an amorphous material on a substrate () by deposition from a plasma. The substrate () is placed in an enclosure, a film precursor gas is introduced into the enclosure through pipes (), and unreacted and dissociated gas is extracted from the enclosure through pipes () so as to provide a low pressure therein. Microwave energy&#x2014;is introduced into the gas within the enclosure as a sequence of pulses at a given frequency and power level to produce a plasma therein by distributed electron cyclotron resonance (DECR) and cause material to be deposited from the plasma on the substrate. The frequency and/or power level of the pulses is altered during the course of deposition of material, so as to cause the bandgap to vary over the thickness of the deposited material.

Film deposition of amorphous films with a graded bandgap by electron cyclotron resonance

A method is described of forming a film of an amorphous material on a substrate by deposition from a plasma. The substrate is placed in an enclosure, a film precursor gas is introduced into the enclosure, and unreacted and dissociated gas is extracted from the enclosure so as to provide a low pressure therein. Microwave energy is introduced into the gas within the enclosure to produce a plasma therein by distributed electron cyclotron resonance (DECR) and cause material to be deposited from the plasma on the substrate. The said flow rate of the film precursor gas is altered during the course of deposition of material, so as to cause the bandgap to vary over the thickness of the deposited material.

Growing community of inventors

Brussels, Belgium

Thibault Kervyn De Meerendre