Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080299775 | GAPFILL EXTENSION OF HDP-CVD INTEGRATED PROCESS MODULATION SIO2 PROCESS - Methods are disclosed for depositing a silicon oxide film on a substrate disposed in a substrate processing chamber. The substrate has a gap formed between adjacent raised surfaces. A silicon-containing gas, an oxygen-containing gas, and a fluent gas are flowed into the substrate processing chamber. A high-density plasma is formed from the silicon-containing gas, the oxygen-containing gas, and the fluent gas. A first portion of the silicon oxide film is deposited using the high-density plasma at a deposition rate between 900 and 6000 Å/min and with a deposition/sputter ratio greater than 30. The deposition/sputter ratio is defined as a ratio of a net deposition rate and a blanket sputtering rate to the blanket sputtering rate. Thereafter, a portion of the deposited first portion of the silicon oxide film is etched. A second portion of the silicon oxide film is deposited over the etched portion of the silicon oxide film. | 12-04-2008 |
20090068853 | IMPURITY CONTROL IN HDP-CVD DEP/ETCH/DEP PROCESSES - Methods are disclosed of depositing a silicon oxide film on a substrate disposed in a substrate processing chamber. The substrate has a gap formed between adjacent raised surfaces. A first portion of the silicon oxide film is deposited over the substrate and within the gap using a high-density plasma process. Thereafter, a portion of the deposited first portion of the silicon oxide film is etched back. This includes flowing a halogen precursor through a first conduit from a halogen-precursor source to the substrate processing chamber, forming a high-density plasma from the halogen precursor, and terminating flowing the halogen precursor after the portion has been etched back. Thereafter, a halogen scavenger is flowed to the substrate processing chamber to react with residual halogen in the substrate processing chamber. Thereafter, a second portion of the silicon oxide film is deposited over the first portion of the silicon oxide film and within the gap using a high-density plasma process. | 03-12-2009 |
20090075489 | REDUCTION OF ETCH-RATE DRIFT IN HDP PROCESSES - A processing chamber is seasoned by providing a flow of season precursors to the processing chamber. A high-density plasma is formed from the season precursors by applying at least 7500 W of source power distributed with greater than 70% of the source power at a top of the processing chamber. A season layer having a thickness of at least 5000 Å is deposited at one point using the high-density plasma. Each of multiple substrates is transferred sequentially into the processing chamber to perform a process that includes etching. The processing chamber is cleaned between sequential transfers of the substrates. | 03-19-2009 |
20090163041 | LOW WET ETCH RATE SILICON NITRIDE FILM - The present invention pertains to methods of depositing low wet etch rate silicon nitride films on substrates using high-density plasma chemical vapor deposition techniques at substrate temperatures below 600° C. The method additionally involves the maintenance of a relatively high ratio of nitrogen to silicon in the plasma and a low process pressure. | 06-25-2009 |
20090215281 | HDP-CVD SION FILMS FOR GAP-FILL - The present invention pertains to methods of depositing low stress/high index multi-layer films on a substrate using an HDP-CVD process. The multi-layer films include two lining layers and a bulk gap-fill layer and the HDP-CVD process employs a reduced substrate bias power during deposition of at least the second lining layer. Deposition of the three layers occurs at reduced deposition temperatures which further reduces the stress of the multi-layer film. The lower stress results in less defectivity which improves the films ability to maintain optical confinement of radiation. | 08-27-2009 |
20100311203 | Passivation process for solar cell fabrication - Embodiments of the invention contemplate the formation of a high efficiency solar cell using a novel plasma oxidation process to form a passivation film stack on a surface of a solar cell substrate. In one embodiment, the methods include providing a substrate having a first type of doping atom on a back surface of the substrate and a second type of doping atom on a front surface of the substrate, plasma oxidizing the back surface of the substrate to form an oxidation layer thereon, and forming a silicon nitride layer on the oxidation layer. | 12-09-2010 |
20110240114 | METHOD OF FORMING A NEGATIVELY CHARGED PASSIVATION LAYER OVER A DIFFUSED P-TYPE REGION - The present invention generally provides a method of forming a high quality passivation layer over a p-type doped region to form a high efficiency solar cell device. Embodiments of the present invention may be especially useful for preparing a surface of a boron doped region formed in a silicon substrate. In one embodiment, the methods include exposing a surface of the solar cell substrate to a plasma to clean and modify the physical, chemical and/or electrical characteristics of the surface and then deposit a charged dielectric layer and passivation layer thereon. | 10-06-2011 |
20110272008 | OXIDE NITRIDE STACK FOR BACKSIDE REFLECTOR OF SOLAR CELL - Embodiments of the invention generally provide methods for forming a multilayer rear surface passivation layer on a solar cell substrate. The method includes forming a silicon oxide sub-layer having a net charge density of less than or equal to 2.1×10 | 11-10-2011 |
20110272024 | MULTI-LAYER SiN FOR FUNCTIONAL AND OPTICAL GRADED ARC LAYERS ON CRYSTALLINE SOLAR CELLS - Embodiments of the invention include a solar cell and methods of forming a solar cell. Specifically, the methods may be used to form a passivation/anti-reflection layer having combined functional and optical gradient properties on a solar cell substrate. The methods may include flowing a first process gas mixture into a process volume within a processing chamber generating plasma in the processing chamber at a power density of greater than 0.65 W/cm | 11-10-2011 |
20130059092 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR GAS DISTRIBUTION AND PLASMA APPLICATION IN A LINEAR DEPOSITION CHAMBER - A method and apparatus for processing a substrate is described. One embodiment of the invention provides an apparatus for forming thin films. The apparatus comprises a chamber defining an internal volume, a plasma source disposed within the internal volume, and at least one gas injection source disposed adjacent the plasma source within the internal volume, wherein the at least one gas injection source comprises a first channel and a second channel for delivering gases to the internal volume, the first channel delivering a gas at a first pressure or a first density and the second channel delivering a gas at a second pressure or a second density, the first pressure or the first density being different than the second pressure or the second density. | 03-07-2013 |
20130109133 | REAR-POINT-CONTACT PROCESS OR PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS | 05-02-2013 |
20130171757 | ADVANCED PLATFORM FOR PASSIVATING CRYSTALLINE SILICON SOLAR CELLS - The present invention generally provides a high throughput substrate processing system that is used to form one or more regions of a solar cell device. In one configuration of a processing system, one or more solar cell passivating or dielectric layers are deposited and further processed within one or more processing chambers contained within the high throughput substrate processing system. The processing chambers may be, for example, plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) chambers, low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) chambers, atomic layer deposition (ALD) chambers, physical vapor deposition (PVD) or sputtering chambers, thermal processing chambers (e.g., RTA or RTO chambers), substrate reorientation chambers (e.g., flipping chambers) and/or other similar processing chambers. | 07-04-2013 |
20130247972 | PASSIVATION FILM STACK FOR SILICON-BASED SOLAR CELLS - Methods of forming a passivation film stack on a surface of a silicon-based substrate are provided. In one embodiment, the passivation film stack includes a silicon nitride layer and an aluminum oxide layer disposed between the silicon nitride layer and the silicon-based substrate. The aluminum oxide layer is deposited such that the aluminum oxide layer has a low hydrogen (H) content less than about 17 atomic % and a mass density greater than about 2.5 g/cm | 09-26-2013 |
20130273262 | STATIC DEPOSITION PROFILE MODULATION FOR LINEAR PLASMA SOURCE - Methods and apparatus for controlling film deposition using a linear plasma source are described herein. The apparatus include a showerhead having openings therein for flowing a gas therethrough, a conveyor to support one or more substrates thereon disposed adjacent to the showerhead, and a power source for ionizing the gas. The ionized gas can be a source gas used to deposit a material on the substrate. The deposition profile of the material on the substrate can be adjusted, for example, using a gas-shaping device included in the apparatus. Additionally or alternatively, the deposition profile may be adjusted by using an actuatable showerhead. The method includes exposing a substrate to an ionized gas to deposit a film on the substrate, wherein the ionized gas is influenced with a gas-shaping device to uniformly deposit the film on the substrate as the substrate is conveyed proximate to the showerhead. | 10-17-2013 |
20140000686 | FILM STACK AND PROCESS DESIGN FOR BACK PASSIVATED SOLAR CELLS AND LASER OPENING OF CONTACT | 01-02-2014 |
20140127404 | Apparatus For Spatial Atomic Layer Deposition With Recirculation And Methods Of Use - Provided are atomic layer deposition apparatus and methods including a plurality of elongate gas ports and pump ports in communication with multiple conduits to transport the gases from the processing chamber to be condensed, stored and/or recirculated. | 05-08-2014 |