Patent application number | Description | Published |
20100273329 | METHOD FOR PREPARING A DONOR SURFACE FOR REUSE - A donor wafer, for example of silicon, has an irregular surface following cleaving of a lamina from the surface, for example by exfoliation following implant of hydrogen and/or helium ions to define a cleave plane. Pinholes in the lamina leave column asperities at the exfoliated surface of the donor wafer, and the beveled edge may leave an edge asperity which fails to exfoliate. To prepare the surface of the donor wafer for reuse, mechanical grinding removes the column and edge asperities, and minimal additional thickness. Following cleaning, growth and removal of an oxide layer at the surface rounds remaining peaks. The smoothed surface is well adapted to bonding to a receiver element and exfoliation of a new lamina. A variety of devices may be fabricated from the lamina, for example a photovoltaic cell. | 10-28-2010 |
20110143480 | MICROWAVE ANNEAL OF A THIN LAMINA FOR USE IN A PHOTOVOLTAIC CELL - A cleave plane is defined in a semiconductor donor body by implanting ions into the wafer. A lamina is cleaved from the donor body, and a photovoltaic cell is formed which comprises the lamina. The implant may cause some damage to the crystal structure of the lamina. This damage can be repaired by annealing the lamina using microwave energy. If the lamina is bonded to a receiver element, the receiver element may be either transparent to microwaves, or may reflect microwaves, while the semiconductor material absorbs the microwaves. In this way the lamina can be annealed at high temperature while the receiver element remains cooler. | 06-16-2011 |
20120168091 | Method and Apparatus for Forming a Thin Lamina - A method for producing a lamina from a donor body includes implanting the donor body with an ion dosage and separably contacting the donor body with a susceptor assembly, where the donor body and the susceptor assembly are in direct contact. A lamina is exfoliated from the donor body, and a deforming force is applied to the lamina or to the donor body to separate the lamina from the donor body. | 07-05-2012 |
20120171809 | Method and Apparatus for Forming a Thin Lamina - A method for producing a lamina from a donor body includes implanting the donor body with an ion dosage and heating the donor body to an implant temperature during implanting. The donor body is separably contacted with a susceptor assembly, where the donor body and the susceptor assembly are in direct contact. A lamina is exfoliated from the donor body by applying a thermal profile to the donor body. Implantation and exfoliation conditions may be adjusted in order to maximize the defect-free area of the lamina. | 07-05-2012 |
20120192935 | BACK-CONTACT PHOTOVOLTAIC CELL COMPRISING A THIN LAMINA HAVING A SUPERSTRATE RECEIVER ELEMENT - A method to fabricate a photovoltaic device includes forming first and second contact regions at the first surface of a semiconductor donor body. A cleave plane may be formed by implanting ions into the donor body, and a lamina that includes the contact regions is cleaved from the donor body at the cleave plane. The first surface of the lamina may be contacted with a temporary support and fabricated into a photovoltaic device, wherein the lamina comprises the base of the photovoltaic device. | 08-02-2012 |
20130199611 | Method for Forming Flexible Solar Cells - The invention provides for a semiconductor wafer with a metal support element suitable for the formation of a flexible or sag tolerant photovoltaic cell. A method for forming a photovoltaic cell may comprise providing a semiconductor wafer have a thickness greater than 150 μm, the wafer having a first surface and a second surface opposite the first and etching the semiconductor wafer a first time so that the first etching reduces the thickness of the semiconductor wafer to less than 150 μm. After the wafer has been etched a first time, a metal support element may be constructed on or over the first surface; and a photovoltaic cell may be fabricated, wherein the semiconductor wafer comprises the base of the photovoltaic cell. | 08-08-2013 |
20130200496 | MULTI-LAYER METAL SUPPORT - The invention provides a method of forming an electronic device from a lamina that has a coefficient of thermal expansion that is matched or nearly matched to a constructed metal support. In some embodiments the method comprises implanting the top surface of a donor body with an ion dosage to form a cleave plane followed by exfoliating a lamina from the donor body. After exfoliating the lamina, a flexible metal support that has a coefficient of thermal expansion with a value that is within 10% of the value of the coefficient of thermal expansion of the lamina is constructed on the lamina. In some embodiments the coefficients of thermal expansion of the metal support and the lamina are within 10% or within 5% of each other between the temperatures of 100 and 600 ° C. | 08-08-2013 |
20130200497 | MULTI-LAYER METAL SUPPORT - The invention provides a method of forming an electronic device from a lamina that has a coefficient of thermal expansion that is matched or nearly matched to a constructed metal support. In some embodiments the method comprises implanting the top surface of a donor body with an ion dosage to form a cleave plane followed by exfoliating a lamina from the donor body. After exfoliating the lamina, a flexible metal support that has a coefficient of thermal expansion with a value that is within 10% of the value of the coefficient of thermal expansion of the lamina is constructed on the lamina. In some embodiments the coefficients of thermal expansion of the metal support and the lamina are within 10% or within 5% of each other between the temperatures of 500 and 1050° C. | 08-08-2013 |
20130203205 | Method for Fabricating Backside-Illuminated Sensors - A method for fabricating a backside-illuminated sensor includes providing a thin film semiconductor lamina having a first conductivity, and forming a doped region having a second conductivity within the lamina and at a front surface of the lamina. The lamina may be provided as a free-standing lamina, or may be provided as a semiconductor donor body from which the lamina is cleaved. An electrical connection is formed to the doped region. A temporary carrier is contacted to the back surface of the semiconductor and later removed. A backside-illuminated sensor is fabricated from the semiconductor lamina, in which the thickness of the semiconductor lamina remains substantially unchanged during the fabrication process. | 08-08-2013 |
20130203251 | Method for Three-Dimensional Packaging of Electronic Devices - An interposer is fabricated from a lamina. A donor body is provided, ions are implanted into a first surface of the donor body to define a cleave plane, a temporary carrier is separably contacted to the donor body, and the lamina is cleaved from the donor body. The lamina has front surface and a back surface, with a thickness from the front surface to the back surface. A via hole is formed in the lamina, where the via hole extends through the thickness of the lamina. The temporary carrier is removed from the lamina, and the lamina may be fabricated into an interposer for three-dimensional integrated circuit packages. | 08-08-2013 |
20140261654 | FREE-STANDING METALLIC ARTICLE FOR SEMICONDUCTORS - A free-standing metallic article, and method of making, is disclosed in which the metallic article is electroformed on an electrically conductive mandrel. The mandrel has an outer surface with a preformed pattern, wherein at least a portion of the metallic article is formed in the preformed pattern. The metallic article is separated from the electrically conductive mandrel, which forms a free-standing metallic article that may be coupled with the surface of a semiconductor material for a photovoltaic cell. | 09-18-2014 |
20140261659 | Free-Standing Metallic Article for Semiconductors - A free-standing metallic article, and method of making, is disclosed in which the metallic article is electroformed on an electrically conductive mandrel. The mandrel has an outer surface with a preformed pattern, wherein at least a portion of the metallic article is formed in the preformed pattern. The metallic article is separated from the electrically conductive mandrel, which forms a free-standing metallic article that may be coupled with the surface of a semiconductor material for a photovoltaic cell. | 09-18-2014 |
20140261661 | FREE-STANDING METALLIC ARTICLE WITH OVERPLATING - A free-standing metallic article, and method of making, is disclosed in which the metallic article is electroformed on an electrically conductive mandrel. The mandrel has an outer surface layer having a preformed pattern. The outer surface layer has a dielectric region and an exposed metal region. The metallic article has a plurality of electroformed elements that are formed on the exposed metal region of the outer surface layer of the electrically conductive mandrel. A first electroformed element has an overplated portion formed above the outer surface layer of the mandrel. The metallic article is configured to serve as an electrical conduit for a photovoltaic cell, and forms a unitary, free-standing piece when separated from the electrically conductive mandrel. | 09-18-2014 |
20140262793 | ADAPTABLE FREE-STANDING METALLIC ARTICLE FOR SEMICONDUCTORS - A free-standing metallic article, and method of making, is disclosed in which the metallic article is electroformed on an electrically conductive mandrel. The metallic article has a plurality of electroformed elements that are configured to serve as an electrical conduit for a photovoltaic cell. A first electroformed element has at least one of: a) a non-uniform width along a first length of the first element, b) a change in conduit direction along the first length of the first element, c) an expansion segment along the first length of the first element, d) a first width that is different from a second width of a second element in the plurality of electroformed elements, e) a first height that is different from a second height of the second element in the plurality of electroformed elements, and f) a top surface that is textured. | 09-18-2014 |
20150037537 | METHOD OF REDUCING THE THICKNESS OF A SAPPHIRE LAYER - A method of removing material from a sapphire article is described. In particular, the method comprises the step of providing an initial sapphire layer and reducing the thickness of the layer while not significantly increasing the surface roughness of the layer. Cover plates for electronic device and methods of preparing them are also disclosed, along with a method of analyzing a sapphire article produced by the present method. | 02-05-2015 |
20150037897 | METHOD OF ANALYZING A SAPPHIRE ARTICLE - A method of removing material from a sapphire article is described. In particular, the method comprises the step of providing an initial sapphire layer and reducing the thickness of the layer while not significantly increasing the surface roughness of the layer, Cover plates for electronic device and methods of preparing them are also disclosed, along with a method of analyzing a sapphire article produced by the present method. | 02-05-2015 |