| Patent application number | Description | Published |
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| 20080223440 | MULTI-JUNCTION SOLAR CELLS AND METHODS AND APPARATUSES FOR FORMING THE SAME - Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to solar cells and methods and apparatuses for forming the same. More particularly, embodiments of the present invention relate to thin film multi-junction solar cells and methods and apparatuses for forming the same. | 09-18-2008 |
| 20080245414 | METHODS FOR FORMING A PHOTOVOLTAIC DEVICE WITH LOW CONTACT RESISTANCE - An improved PV solar cell structure and methods for manufacturing the same are provided. In one embodiment, a photovoltaic device includes a first photoelectric conversion unit, a first transparent conductive oxide layer and a first microcrystalline silicon layer disposed between and in contact with the photoelectric conversion unit and the transparent conductive oxide layer. In another embodiment, a method of forming a photovoltaic solar cell includes providing a substrate having a first transparent conductive oxide layer disposed thereon, depositing a first microcrystalline silicon layer on the transparent conductive oxide layer, and forming a first photoelectric conversion unit on the microcrystalline silicon layer. | 10-09-2008 |
| 20080254203 | SILICON NITRIDE PASSIVATION FOR A SOLAR CELL - A silicon nitride layer may be formed with a suitable refractive index, mass density, and hydrogen concentration so that the layer may serve as an ARC/passivation layer on a solar cell substrate. The silicon nitride layer may be formed on a solar cell substrate by adding a hydrogen gas diluent to a conventional precursor gas mixture during the deposition process. Alternatively, the silicon nitride layer may be formed on a solar cell substrate by using a precursor gas mixture consisting essentially of silane and nitrogen. To improve deposition chamber throughput, the silicon nitride layer may be a dual stack film that includes a low-hydrogen interface layer and a thicker bulk silicon nitride layer. Placing a plurality of solar cell substrates on a substrate carrier and transferring the substrate carrier into the deposition chamber may further enhance deposition chamber throughput. | 10-16-2008 |
| 20080264480 | MULTI-JUNCTION SOLAR CELLS AND METHODS AND APPARATUSES FOR FORMING THE SAME - Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to solar cells and methods and apparatuses for forming the same. More particularly, embodiments of the present invention relate to thin film multi-junction solar cells and methods and apparatuses for forming the same. | 10-30-2008 |
| 20080268175 | Method of controlling film uniformity of a cvd-deposited silicon nitride film during deposition over a large substrate surface - We have discovered that adding H | 10-30-2008 |
| 20080268176 | Method of improving the uniformity of PECVD-deposited thin films - We have discovered that controlling a combination of PECVD deposition process parameters during deposition of silicon-containing thin film provides improved control over surface standing wave effects. By minimizing surface standing wave effects, the uniformity of film properties (particularly film thickness) across a substrate surface onto which the films have been deposited is improved. | 10-30-2008 |
| 20080271675 | Method of forming thin film solar cells - A single chamber CVD manufacturing process enables thin film p-i-n solar cells exhibiting collection efficiencies in the range of 9% to 12%, and higher. These collection efficiencies are achieved by: Changing the overall chemical and structural composition of the p-doped layer; Using techniques to remove residual reactants after deposition of the p-doped layer; optionally, applying a buffer layer of a hydrogen-rich amorphous silicon between the p-doped layer and a subsequently deposited intrinsic layer; and, changing the silicon crystalline composition during deposition of an i-doped layer or an n-doped layer. The single chamber process provides a cost of manufacture/solar cell output in $/Watt that is competitive. | 11-06-2008 |
| 20080274297 | Asymmetric Grounding of Rectangular Susceptor - An asymmetrically grounded susceptor used in a plasma processing chamber for chemical vapor deposition onto large rectangular panels supported on and grounded by the susceptor. A plurality of grounding straps are connected between the periphery of the susceptor to the grounded vacuum chamber to shorten the grounding paths for RF electrons. Flexible straps allow the susceptor to vertically move. The straps provide a conductance to ground which is asymmetric around the periphery. The straps may be evenly spaced but have different thicknesses or different shapes or be removed from available grounding point and hence provide different RF conductances. The asymmetry is selected to improve the deposition uniformity and other qualities of the PECVD deposited film. | 11-06-2008 |
| 20080282982 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR DEPOSITION OVER LARGE AREA SUBSTRATES - The present invention generally relates to an inductively coupled plasma apparatus. When depositing utilizing a plasma generated from a showerhead, the plasma may not be evenly distributed to the edge of the substrate. By inductively coupling plasma to the chamber in an area corresponding to the chamber walls, the plasma distribution within the chamber may be evenly distributed and deposition upon the substrate may be substantially even. By vaporizing the processing gas prior to entry into the processing chamber, the plasma may also be even and thus contribute to an even deposition on the substrate. | 11-20-2008 |
| 20080289686 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DEPOSITING A SILICON LAYER ON A TRANSMITTING CONDUCTIVE OXIDE LAYER SUITABLE FOR USE IN SOLAR CELL APPLICATIONS - Methods and apparatus for reducing defects on transmitting conducting oxide (TCO) layer are provided. In one embodiment, a method for depositing a silicon layer on a transmitting conducting oxide (TCO) layer may include providing a substrate having a TCO layer disposed thereon, wherein the TCO layer has a peripheral region and a cell integrated region, the cell integrated region having laser scribing patterns disposed thereon, positioning the substrate on a substrate support assembly disposed in a processing chamber, wherein the substrate support assembly has a roughened surface in contact with the substrate, contacting a shadow frame to the peripheral region of the TCO layer and to the substrate support assembly thereby creating an electrical ground path between the TCO layer and substrate support through the shadow frame, and depositing a silicon containing layer on the TCO layer through an aperture of the shadow frame. | 11-27-2008 |
| 20080289687 | METHODS FOR DEPOSITING A SILICON LAYER ON A LASER SCRIBED TRANSMITTING CONDUCTIVE OXIDE LAYER SUITABLE FOR USE IN SOLAR CELL APPLICATIONS - Methods and apparatus for reducing defects on transmitting conducting oxide (TCO) layer are provided. The method includes a method of laser scribing a TCO layer for solar cell applications. In one embodiment, a method for depositing a silicon layer on a transmitting conducting oxide (TCO) layer may include laser scribing a cell-integrated region of a TCO layer disposed on a substrate for solar applications, the TCO layer having a laser scribing free periphery region outward of the cell-integrated region, the periphery region having a width between about 10 mm and about 30 mm measured from an edge of the substrate, transferring the scribed substrate into a deposition chamber, and depositing a silicon containing layer on the TCO layer in the deposition chamber. | 11-27-2008 |
| 20080292811 | CHAMBER IDLE PROCESS FOR IMPROVED REPEATABILITY OF FILMS - Methods and apparatus for improving the substrate-to-substrate uniformity of silicon-containing films deposited by vapor deposition of precursors vaporized from a liquid source on substrates in a chamber are provided. The methods include exposing a chamber to a processing step at a predetermined time that is after one substrate is processed in the chamber and is before the next substrate is processed in the chamber. In one aspect, the processing step includes introducing a flow of a silicon-containing precursor into the chamber for a period of time. In another aspect, the processing step includes exposing the chamber to a gas in the presence or absence of a plasma for a period of time. | 11-27-2008 |
| 20080302303 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR DEPOSITING A UNIFORM SILICON FILM WITH FLOW GRADIENT DESIGNS - Methods and apparatus having a flow gradient created from a gas distribution plate are provided. In one embodiment, the method and apparatus are particularly useful for, but not limited to, depositing a silicon film for solar cell applications. The apparatus for depositing a uniform film for solar cell applications includes a processing chamber, and a quadrilateral gas distribution plate disposed in the processing chamber and having at least four corners separated by four sides. The gas distribution plate further includes a first plurality of chokes formed through the gas distribution plate, the first plurality of chokes located in the corners, and a second plurality of chokes formed through the gas distribution plate, the second plurality of chokes located along the sides of the gas distribution plate between the corner regions, wherein the first plurality of chokes have a greater flow resistance than that of the second plurality of chokes. | 12-11-2008 |
| 20080305246 | APPARATUS FOR DEPOSITING A UNIFORM SILICON FILM AND METHODS FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME - Methods and apparatus having a gradient spacing created between a substrate support assembly and a gas distribution plate for depositing a silicon film for solar cell applications are provided. In one embodiment, an apparatus for depositing films for solar cell applications may include a processing chamber, a substrate support disposed in the processing chamber and configured to support a quadrilateral substrate thereon, and a gas distribution plate disposed in the processing chamber above the substrate support, wherein a bottom surface of the gas distribution plate has a perimeter that includes edges and corners, and wherein the corners of the gas distribution plate are closer to the substrate support than the edges of the gas distribution plate. | 12-11-2008 |
| 20090000551 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR DEPOSITING A UNIFORM SILICON FILM WITH FLOW GRADIENT DESIGNS - Methods and apparatus having a flow gradient created from a gas distribution plate are provided. In one embodiment, the method and apparatus are particularly useful for, but not limited to, depositing a silicon film for solar cell applications. The apparatus for depositing a uniform film for solar cell applications includes a processing chamber, and a quadrilateral gas distribution plate disposed in the processing chamber and having at least four corners separated by four sides. The gas distribution plate further includes a first plurality of chokes formed through the gas distribution plate, the first plurality of chokes located in the corners, and a second plurality of chokes formed through the gas distribution plate, the second plurality of chokes located along the sides of the gas distribution plate between the corner regions, wherein the first plurality of chokes have a greater flow resistance than that of the second plurality of chokes. | 01-01-2009 |
| 20090007846 | DIFFUSER GRAVITY SUPPORT - An apparatus and method for supporting a substantial center portion of a gas distribution plate is disclosed. At least one support member is capable of engaging and disengaging the diffuser with a mating connection without prohibiting flow of a gas or gases through the diffuser and is designed to provide vertical suspension to a diffuser that is supported at its perimeter, or capable of supporting the diffuser without a perimeter support. In one aspect, the at least one support member is a portion of a gas delivery conduit and in another embodiment is a plurality of support members separated from the gas delivery conduit. The at least one support member is capable of translating vertical lift, or vertical compression to a center area of the diffuser. A method and apparatus for controlling gas flow from the gas delivery conduit to the gas distribution plate is also disclosed. | 01-08-2009 |
| 20090020154 | MULTI-JUNCTION SOLAR CELLS AND METHODS AND APPARATUSES FOR FORMING THE SAME - Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to solar cells and methods and apparatuses for forming the same. More particularly, embodiments of the present invention relate to thin film multi-junction solar cells and methods and apparatuses for forming the same. Embodiments of the present invention also include an improved thin film silicon solar cell, and methods and apparatus for forming the same, where one or more of the layers in the solar cell comprises at least one amorphous silicon layer that has improved electrical characteristics and mechanical properties, and is capable of being deposited at rates many times faster than conventional amorphous silicon deposition processes. | 01-22-2009 |
| 20090022908 | PLASMA ENHANCED CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION TECHNOLOGY FOR LARGE-SIZE PROCESSING - Methods for forming a film stack suitable for transistor fabrication using a low temperature plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) process are provided. In one embodiment, the method includes providing a substrate in a PECVD chamber, depositing a dual layer SiNx film on the substrate, depositing a dual layer amorphous silicon film on the SiNx film, and depositing a n-doped silicon film on the dual layer amorphous silicon film. The aforementioned films are deposited at a temperature less than about 300 degrees Celsius in the same PECVD chamber | 01-22-2009 |
| 20090023241 | CLEAN RATE IMPROVEMENT BY PRESSURE CONTROLLED REMOTE PLASMA SOURCE - The present invention generally comprises a method for cleaning a large area substrate processing chamber. As chamber volume increases, it has surprisingly been found that simply scaling up the cleaning conditions may not effectively clean silicon from the exposed chamber surfaces. Undesired silicon deposits on exposed chamber surfaces may lead to contamination in solar panel formation. Increasing the pressure of the chamber to about 10 Torr or greater while maintaining the chamber at a temperature between about 150 degrees Celsius and 250 degrees Celsius increases plasma cleaning effectiveness such that silicon deposits are removed from the chamber. The combination of high pressure and low temperature may reduce substrate contamination without sacrificing substrate throughput in solar panel fabrication. | 01-22-2009 |
| 20090029502 | APPARATUSES AND METHODS OF SUBSTRATE TEMPERATURE CONTROL DURING THIN FILM SOLAR MANUFACTURING - Embodiments of the invention generally provide apparatuses and methods of substrate temperature control during thin film solar manufacturing. In one embodiment a method for forming a thin film solar cell over a substrate is provided. The method comprises performing a temperature stabilization process on a substrate to pre-heat the substrate for a substrate stabilization time period in a first chamber, calculating a wait time period for a second chamber, wherein the wait time period is bases on the availability of the second chamber, the availability of a vacuum transfer robot adapted to transfer the substrate from the first chamber to the second chamber, or a combination of both the availability of the second chamber and the availability of the vacuum transfer robot, and adjusting the temperature stabilization time period to compensate for the loss of heat from the substrate during the wait time period. | 01-29-2009 |
| 20090053847 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR DEPOSITING A MICROCRYSTALLINE SILICON FILM FOR PHOTOVOLTAIC DEVICE - Methods for depositing a microcrystalline silicon film layer with improved deposition rate and film quality are provided in the present invention. Also, a photovoltaic (PV) cell having a microcrystalline silicon film is provided. In one embodiment, the method produces a microcrystalline silicon film on a substrate at a deposition rate greater than about 20 nm per minute, wherein the microcrystalline silicon film has a crystallized volume between about 20 percent to about 80 percent. | 02-26-2009 |
| 20090056743 | METHOD OF CLEANING PLASMA ENHANCED CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION CHAMBER - A method and apparatus for cleaning a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition chamber is described. In one embodiment, the method includes providing a first cleaning gas to a processing region within the chamber; and then providing a second cleaning gas to the processing region. In another embodiment, the method includes providing a substantially pure fluorine gas to a processing chamber. | 03-05-2009 |
| 20090064934 | SOURCE GAS FLOW PATH CONTROL IN PECVD SYSTEM TO CONTROL A BY-PRODUCT FILM DEPOSITION ON INSIDE CHAMBER - The present invention generally comprises a method and an apparatus for guiding the flow of processing gases away from chamber walls and slit valve opening. By controlling the flow path of the process gases within a processing chamber, undesirable deposition upon chamber walls and within slit valve openings may be reduced. By reducing deposition in slit valve openings, flaking may be reduced. By reducing deposition on chamber walls, the time between chamber cleaning may be increased. Thus, guiding the flow of processing gases within the processing chamber may increase substrate throughput. | 03-12-2009 |
| 20090071403 | PECVD PROCESS CHAMBER WITH COOLED BACKING PLATE - The invention generally relates to a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition chamber for depositing amorphous or microcrystalline silicon on a glass substrate to fabricate solar voltaic cells. The chamber includes a backing plate having at least one fluid receiving conduit to receive cooling fluid to remove heat generated within the chamber by the plasma, thereby stabilizing and cooling the backing plate to assure the uniformity of deposition of materials on the surface of the substrate. | 03-19-2009 |
| 20090071406 | COOLED BACKING PLATE - A plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition chamber (PECVD) which includes a backing plate that provides support to a diffuser. The backing plate includes a plurality of fluid conduits adapted for circulation of a cooling fluid therethrough to remove excess heat generated in the chamber by the plasma to thereby maintain the backing plate in a stable condition thereby maintaining the diffuser in a stable position during the deposition of material from the plasma. | 03-19-2009 |
| 20090077804 | PRODUCTION LINE MODULE FOR FORMING MULTIPLE SIZED PHOTOVOLTAIC DEVICES - The present invention generally relates to a sectioning module positioned within an automated solar cell device fabrication system. The solar cell device fabrication system is adapted to receive a single large substrate and form multiple silicon thin film solar cell devices from the single large substrate. | 03-26-2009 |
| 20090077805 | PHOTOVOLTAIC PRODUCTION LINE - The present invention generally relates to a system that can be used to form a photovoltaic device, or solar cell, using processing modules that are adapted to perform one or more steps in the solar cell formation process. The automated solar cell fab is generally an arrangement of automated processing modules and automation equipment that is used to form solar cell devices. The automated solar fab will thus generally comprise a substrate receiving module that is adapted to receive a substrate, one or more absorbing layer deposition cluster tools having at least one processing chamber that is adapted to deposit a silicon-containing layer on a surface of the substrate, one or more back contact deposition chambers, one or more material removal chambers, a solar cell encapsulation device, an autoclave module, an automated junction box attaching module, and one or more quality assurance modules that are adapted to test and qualify the completely formed solar cell device. | 03-26-2009 |
| 20090093080 | SOLAR CELLS AND METHODS AND APPARATUSES FOR FORMING THE SAME INCLUDING I-LAYER AND N-LAYER CHAMBER CLEANING - Embodiments of the present invention generally provide an apparatus and method for forming an improved thin film single or multi-junction solar cell in a substrate processing device. One embodiment provides a system that contains at least one processing chamber that is adapted to deposit one or more layers that form a portion of a solar cell device. In one embodiment, a method is employed to reduce the contamination of a substrate processed in the processing chamber by performing a cleaning process on the inner surfaces of the processing chamber prior to depositing the one or more layers on a substrate. The cleaning process may include depositing a layer, such as a seasoning layer or passivation layer, that tends to trap contaminants found in the processing chamber. Other embodiments of the invention may provide scheduling and/or positioning the cleaning processing steps at desirable times within a substrate processing sequence to improve the overall system substrate throughput. | 04-09-2009 |
| 20090101201 | NIP-NIP THIN-FILM PHOTOVOLTAIC STRUCTURE - A thin film multi-junction photovoltaic structure is presented as well as methods and apparatus for forming the same. The photovoltaic structure comprises first and second NIP junctions formed over a translucent substrate. | 04-23-2009 |
| 20090104376 | GAS DIFFUSION SHOWER HEAD DESIGN FOR LARGE AREA PLASMA ENHANCED CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION - Embodiments of a gas distribution plate for distributing gas in a processing chamber are provided. In one embodiment, a gas distribution plate includes a diffuser plate having an upstream side and a downstream side, and a plurality of gas passages passing between the upstream and downstream sides of the diffuser plate. At least one of the gas passages has a right cylindrical shape for a portion of its length extending from the upstream side and a coaxial conical shape for the remainder length of the diffuser plate, the upstream end of the conical portion having substantially the same diameter as the right cylindrical portion and the downstream end of the conical portion having a larger diameter. The gas distribution plate is relatively easy to manufacture and provides good chamber cleaning rate, good thin film deposition uniformity and good thin film deposition rate. The gas distribution plate also has the advantage of reduced chamber cleaning residues on the diffuser surface and reduced incorporation of the cleaning residues in the thin film being deposited. | 04-23-2009 |
| 20090104733 | MICROCRYSTALLINE SILICON DEPOSITION FOR THIN FILM SOLAR APPLICATIONS - Embodiments of the invention as recited in the claims relate to thin film multi-junction solar cells and methods and apparatuses for forming the same. In one embodiment a method of forming a thin film multi-junction solar cell over a substrate is provided. The method comprises positioning a substrate in a reaction zone, providing a gas mixture to the reaction zone, wherein the gas mixture comprises a silicon containing compound and hydrogen gas, forming a first region of an intrinsic type microcrystalline silicon layer on the substrate at a first deposition rate, forming a second region of the intrinsic type microcrystalline silicon layer on the substrate at a second deposition rate higher than the first deposition rate, and forming a third region of the intrinsic type microcrystalline silicon layer on the substrate at a third deposition rate lower than the second deposition rate. | 04-23-2009 |
| 20090105873 | METHOD OF DYNAMIC TEMPERATURE CONTROL DURING MICROCRYSTALLINE SI GROWTH - The present invention generally comprises a method for dynamically controlling the temperature of a solar cell substrate during microcrystalline silicon deposition. In amorphous silicon/microcrystalline tandem solar cells, microcrystalline silicon may be deposited using a higher power density and to a greater thickness than amorphous silicon. The higher the power density applied, the faster the deposition may occur, but the temperature of the deposition may also increase. At high temperatures, the likelihood of dopant diffusing into the intrinsic layer of the solar cell and damaging the cell is greater. By dynamically controlling the temperature of the susceptor, the substrate and hence, the dopant can be maintained at a substantially constant temperature below the value at which the dopant may diffuse into the intrinsic layer. The dynamic temperature control permits the microcrystalline silicon to be deposited at a high power density without damaging the solar cell. | 04-23-2009 |
| 20090107955 | OFFSET LINER FOR CHAMBER EVACUATION - The present invention generally includes a chamber liner spaced from a chamber wall to permit processing gases to be pulled between the chamber liner and the chamber wall when withdrawing gases from the processing chamber. When the vacuum pump is below the susceptor, processing gases will be drawn below the susceptor and may lead to undesired deposition onto process chamber components. Additionally, the processing gases will be pulled past the slit valve opening and potentially deposit within the slit valve opening. When material deposits in the slit valve opening, flaking may occur and contaminate the substrates. By drawing the processing gases along the sidewalls other than the one having the slit valve opening therethrough, undesired deposition on the slit valve opening may be reduced. | 04-30-2009 |
| 20090130827 | INTRINSIC AMORPHOUS SILICON LAYER - Embodiments of the present invention may include an improved thin film solar cell device that is formed by sequentially depositing an intrinsic amorphous silicon layer and an intrinsic microcrystalline silicon layer during the p-i-n or n-i-p junction formation process. Embodiments of the invention also generally provide a method and apparatus for forming the same. The present invention may be used to advantage to form other single junction, tandem junction, or multi-junction thin film solar cell devices. | 05-21-2009 |
| 20090142878 | PLASMA TREATMENT BETWEEN DEPOSITION PROCESSES - Embodiments of the present invention include an improved method of forming a thin film solar cell device using a plasma processing treatment between two or more deposition steps. Embodiments of the invention also generally provide a method and apparatus for forming the same. The present invention may be used to advantage to form other single junction, tandem junction, or multi-junction solar cell devices. | 06-04-2009 |
| 20090146264 | THIN FILM TRANSISTOR ON SODA LIME GLASS WITH BARRIER LAYER - The present invention generally comprises a low cost TFT and a method of manufacturing a TFT. For TFTs, soda lime glass would be an attractive alternative to non-alkali glass, but a soda lime glass substrate will permit sodium to diffuse into the active layer and degrade the performance of the TFT. Substrates comprising a polyimide, because they are flexible, would also be attractive to utilize instead of non-alkali glass substrates, but the plastic substrates permit carbon to diffuse into the active layer. By depositing a silicon rich barrier layer over the soda lime glass substrate or substrate comprising a polyimide, both sodium and carbon diffusion may be reduced. Thus, a lower cost TFT may be produced with a soda lime glass substrate or a substrate comprising a polyimide as compared to a non-alkali glass substrate. | 06-11-2009 |
| 20090159423 | Asymmetrical RF Drive for Electrode of Plasma Chamber - RF power is coupled to one or more RF drive points ( | 06-25-2009 |
| 20090197015 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING PLASMA UNIFORMITY - Systems, methods, and apparatus involve a plasma processing chamber for depositing a film on a substrate. The plasma processing chamber includes a lid assembly having a ground plate, a backing plate, and a non-uniformity existing between the ground plate and the backing plate. The non-uniformity may interfere with RF wave uniformity and cause an impedance imbalance between portions of the ground plate and backing plate. The non-uniformity may include a structure or a reduced spacing of non-uniform surfaces. A reduced spacing of non-uniform surfaces may exist where a first distance between the ground plate and the backing plate at a first end is different from a second distance between the ground plate and the backing plate at a second end. The structure may be from 2 cm to 10 cm thick, cover from 20% to 50% of the backing plate, and be located away from a discontinuity existing inside the chamber. | 08-06-2009 |
| 20090200552 | MICROCRYSTALLINE SILICON THIN FILM TRANSISTOR - Methods for forming a microcrystalline silicon layer in a thin film transistor structure are provided. In one embodiment, a method for forming a microcrystalline silicon layer includes providing a substrate in a processing chamber, supplying a gas mixture having a hydrogen-based gas, a silicon-based gas and an argon gas into the processing chamber, the gas mixture having a volumetric flow ratio of the hydrogen-based gas to the silicon-based gas greater than about 100:1, wherein a volumetric flow ratio of the argon gas to the total combined flow of hydrogen-based gas and the silicon-based gas is between about 5 percent and about 40 percent, and maintaining a process pressure of the gas mixture within the processing chamber at greater than about 3 Torr while depositing a microcrystalline silicon layer on the substrate. | 08-13-2009 |
| 20090200553 | HIGH TEMPERATURE THIN FILM TRANSISTOR ON SODA LIME GLASS - The present invention generally comprises a low cost TFT and a method of manufacturing a TFT. For TFTs, soda lime glass would be an attractive alternative to non-alkali glass, but a soda lime glass substrate will permit sodium to diffuse into the active layer and degrade the performance of the TFT. Substrates comprising a polyimide, because they are flexible, would also be attractive to utilize instead of non-alkali glass substrates, but the plastic substrates permit carbon to diffuse into the active layer. By depositing a silicon oxynitride adhesion layer over the soda lime glass substrate and a silicon rich barrier layer over the adhesion layer, diffusion may be reduced and deposition may occur at high temperatures. Thus, a lower cost TFT may be produced with a soda lime glass substrate or a substrate comprising a polyimide as compared to a non-alkali glass substrate. | 08-13-2009 |
| 20090208668 | FORMATION OF CLEAN INTERFACIAL THIN FILM SOLAR CELLS - A “three” chamber design multi-chamber cluster processing system which is used in the fabrication of a solar cell-comprising substrate. The processing system includes at least one PECVD processing chamber configured to deposit a p-doped layer, at least three PECVD processing chambers configured to deposit an i-layer, and at least one PECVD processing chamber configured to deposit an n-doped layer. The processing system also includes at least one central substrate transferring chamber which is typically located substantially equidistant from each of the PECVD processing chambers, and a transfer robot present in the central transferring chamber which is capable of paired transfer of substrates. An apparatus which provides a source of fluorine-comprising reactive species is in communication with each of said PECVD processing chambers. | 08-20-2009 |
| 20090238734 | SUSCEPTOR WITH ROLL-FORMED SURFACE AND METHOD FOR MAKING SAME - The present invention generally provides apparatus for supporting a large area substrate in a plasma reactor. One embodiment, a substrate support for using in a plasma reactor includes an electrically conductive body has a top surface with a plurality of roll-formed indents. | 09-24-2009 |
| 20090255798 | METHOD TO PREVENT PARASITIC PLASMA GENERATION IN GAS FEEDTHRU OF LARGE SIZE PECVD CHAMBER - The present invention generally includes a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) processing chamber having an RF power source coupled to the backing plate at a location separate from the gas source. By feeding the gas into the processing chamber at a location separate from the RF power, parasitic plasma formation in the gas tubes leading to the processing chamber may be reduced. The gas may be fed to the chamber at a plurality of locations. At each location, the gas may be fed to the processing chamber from the gas source by passing through a remote plasma source as well as an RF choke or RF resistor. | 10-15-2009 |
| 20090258162 | PLASMA PROCESSING APPARATUS AND METHOD - The present invention generally includes a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) processing chamber having an RF power source coupled to the backing plate at a location separate from the gas source. By feeding the gas into the processing chamber at a location separate from the RF power, parasitic plasma formation in the gas tubes leading to the processing chamber may be reduced. The gas may be fed to the chamber at a plurality of locations. At each location, the gas may be fed to the processing chamber from the gas source by passing through a remote plasma source as well as an RF choke or RF resistor. | 10-15-2009 |
| 20090261331 | LOW TEMPERATURE THIN FILM TRANSISTOR PROCESS, DEVICE PROPERTY, AND DEVICE STABILITY IMPROVEMENT - A method and apparatus for forming a thin film transistor is provided. A gate dielectric layer is formed, which may be a bilayer, the first layer deposited at a low rate and the second deposited at a high rate. In some embodiments, the first dielectric layer is a silicon rich silicon nitride layer. An active layer is formed, which may also be a bilayer, the first active layer deposited at a low rate and the second at a high rate. The thin film transistors described herein have superior mobility and stability under stress. | 10-22-2009 |
| 20090263930 | MICROCRYSTALLINE SILICON DEPOSITION FOR THIN FILM SOLAR APPLICATIONS - Embodiments of the invention as recited in the claims relate to thin film multi-junction solar cells and methods and apparatuses for forming the same. In one embodiment a method of forming a thin film multi-junction solar cell over a substrate is provided. The method comprises positioning a substrate in a reaction zone, providing a gas mixture to the reaction zone, wherein the gas mixture comprises a silicon containing compound and hydrogen gas, forming a first region of an intrinsic type microcrystalline silicon layer on the substrate at a first deposition rate, forming a second region of the intrinsic type microcrystalline silicon layer on the substrate at a second deposition rate higher than the first deposition rate, and forming a third region of the intrinsic type microcrystalline silicon layer on the substrate at a third deposition rate lower than the second deposition rate. | 10-22-2009 |
| 20090283039 | ROBUST OUTLET PLUMBING FOR HIGH POWER FLOW REMOTE PLASMA SOURCE - The present invention generally includes a coupling between components. When igniting a plasma remote from a processing chamber, the reactive gas ions may travel to the processing chamber through numerous components. The reactive gas ions may be quite hot and cause the various components to become very hot and thus, the seals between apparatus components may fail. Therefore, it may be beneficial to cool any metallic components through which the reactive gas ions may travel. However, at the interface between the cooled metallic component and a ceramic component, the ceramic component may experience a temperature gradient sufficient to crack the ceramic material due to the heat of the reactive gas ions and the coolness of the metallic component. Therefore, extending a flange of the metallic component into the ceramic component may lessen the temperature gradient at the interface and reduce cracking of the ceramic component. | 11-19-2009 |
| 20090315030 | METHODS FOR FORMING AN AMORPHOUS SILICON FILM IN DISPLAY DEVICES - Embodiments of the present invention relate to methods for depositing an amorphous film that may be suitable for using in a NIP photodiode in display applications. In one embodiment, the method includes providing a substrate into a deposition chamber, supplying a gas mixture having a hydrogen gas to silane gas ratio by volume greater than 4 into the deposition chamber, maintaining a pressure of the gas mixture at greater than about 1 Torr in the deposition chamber, and forming an amorphous silicon film on the substrate in the presence of the gas mixture, wherein the amorphous silicon film is configured to be an intrinsic-type layer in a photodiode sensor. | 12-24-2009 |
| 20090324847 | Method of avoiding a parasitic plasma in a plasma source gas supply conduit - It has been discovered that a parasitic plasma problem which has existed with respect to incoming plasma source gases present in a source gas feed line to a plasma processing chamber can be avoided. The stability of a parasitic plasma is avoided by installing an RF resistor conduit in the source gas feed line and increasing the pressure in the RF resistor conduit through which the plasma source gases flow. Use of a variable surface restrictor in the RF resistor conduit or between the RF resistor conduit and the plasma processing chamber enables not only avoidance of the formation of a parasitic plasma in incoming plasma source gases, but also easier cleaning of the processing chamber plasma generation system when a remotely generated plasma is used for such cleaning. | 12-31-2009 |
| 20100003780 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR DEPOSITING A MICROCRYSTALLINE SILICON FILM FOR PHOTOVOLTAIC DEVICE - Methods for depositing a microcrystalline silicon film layer with improved deposition rate and film quality are provided in the present invention. Also, a photovoltaic (PV) cell having a microcrystalline silicon film is provided. In one embodiment, the method produces a microcrystalline silicon film on a substrate at a deposition rate greater than about 20 nm per minute, wherein the microcrystalline silicon film has a crystallized volume between about 20 percent to about 80 percent. | 01-07-2010 |
| 20100089319 | RF RETURN PATH FOR LARGE PLASMA PROCESSING CHAMBER - A method and apparatus having a RF return path with low impedance coupling a substrate support to a chamber wall in a plasma processing system is provided. In one embodiment, a processing chamber includes a chamber body having a chamber sidewall, a bottom and a lid assembly supported by the chamber sidewall defining a processing region, a substrate support disposed in the processing region of the chamber body, a shadow frame disposed on an edge of the substrate support assembly, and a RF return path having a first end coupled to the shadow frame and a second end coupled to the chamber sidewall. | 04-15-2010 |
| 20100151688 | METHOD TO PREVENT THIN SPOT IN LARGE SIZE SYSTEM - Embodiments disclosed herein generally include methods of ensuring uniform deposition on a substrate. The smallest gap between a portion of the substrate and the substrate support upon which the substrate rests may lead to uneven deposition of material or ‘thin spots’ on the substrate. Large area substrates, due to their size, are susceptible to numerous gaps at random locations. By inducing an electrostatic charge on the substrate prior to placing the substrate onto the substrate support, the substrate may be placed generally flush against the substrate support. The electrostatic charge on the substrate creates an attraction between the substrate and substrate support to pull substantially the entire surface of the substrate into contact with the substrate support. Material may then be substantially uniformly deposited on the substrate while reducing ‘thin spots’. | 06-17-2010 |
| 20100173448 | HIGH FREQUENCY PLASMA ENHANCED CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION - The present invention generally comprises a method for forming a thin film transistor device in a capacitively coupled PECVD processing chamber. The method comprises forming an active layer on a substrate by a method comprising depositing a silicon nitride layer adjacent to the substrate with a first frequency power source, and depositing a semiconductor layer adjacent to the silicon nitride layer with a second frequency power source, and forming a passivation layer adjacent to the active layer by a method comprising depositing a silicon nitride layer adjacent to the semiconductor layer with the first frequency power source. | 07-08-2010 |
| 20100196626 | GROUND RETURN FOR PLASMA PROCESSES - A method and apparatus for providing an electrically symmetrical ground or return path for electrical current between two electrodes is described. The apparatus includes at least on radio frequency (RF) device coupled to one of the electrodes and between a sidewall and/or a bottom of a processing chamber. The method includes moving one electrode relative to another and realizing a ground return path based on the position of the displaced electrode using one or both of a RF device coupled to a sidewall and the electrode, a RF device coupled to a bottom of the chamber and the electrode, or a combination thereof. | 08-05-2010 |
| 20100197145 | SILICON NITRIDE PASSIVATION FOR A SOLAR CELL - A silicon nitride layer may be formed with a suitable refractive index, mass density, and hydrogen concentration so that the layer may serve as an ARC/passivation layer on a solar cell substrate. The silicon nitride layer may be formed on a solar cell substrate by adding a hydrogen gas diluent to a conventional precursor gas mixture during the deposition process. Alternatively, the silicon nitride layer may be formed on a solar cell substrate by using a precursor gas mixture consisting essentially of silane and nitrogen. To improve deposition chamber throughput, the silicon nitride layer may be a dual stack film that includes a low-hydrogen interface layer and a thicker bulk silicon nitride layer. Placing a plurality of solar cell substrates on a substrate carrier and transferring the substrate carrier into the deposition chamber may further enhance deposition chamber throughput. | 08-05-2010 |
| 20100245084 | Detecting plasma chamber malfunction - Malfunction of a component within an RF-powered plasma chamber is detected by observing an operating condition of the plasma chamber and detecting when the operating condition deviates from a previously observed range bounded by lower and upper limits. The lower and upper limits are determined by observing the minimum and maximum values of that operating condition during the processing of workpieces throughout one or more plasma chamber cleaning cycles immediately preceding the most recent cleaning of the plasma chamber. | 09-30-2010 |
| 20100288197 | ANODIZED SHOWERHEAD - Embodiments disclosed herein generally relate to an apparatus having an anodized gas distribution showerhead. In large area, parallel plate RF processing chambers, mastering the RF return path can be challenging. Arcing is a frequent problem encountered in RF processing chambers. To reduce arcing in RF processing chambers, straps may be coupled to the susceptor to shorten the RF return path, a ceramic or insulating or anodized shadow frame may be coupled to the susceptor during processing, and an anodized coating may be deposited onto the edge of the showerhead that is nearest the chamber walls. The anodized coating may reduce arcing between the showerhead and the chamber walls and therefore enhance film properties and increase deposition rate. | 11-18-2010 |
| 20100311249 | MULTI-GAS FLOW DIFFUSER - Embodiments of the disclosure generally provide a method and apparatus for processing a substrate in a vacuum process chamber. In one embodiment a vacuum process chamber is provided that includes a chamber body and lid disposed on the chamber body. A blocker plate is coupled to the lid and bounds a staging plenum therewith. A gas distribution plate is coupled to the lid. The gas distribution plate separates a main plenum defined between the gas distribution plate and the blocker plate from a process volume defined within the chamber body. The gas distribution plate and the blocker plate define a spacing gradient therebetween which influences mixing of gases within the main plenum. | 12-09-2010 |
| 20110146577 | SHOWERHEAD WITH INSULATED CORNER REGIONS - Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to a gas distribution showerhead having insulated corner regions to reduce arcing and improve deposition uniformity control. In one embodiment, the gas distribution showerhead is formed of a conductive material with material from the corner regions removed. Corner members formed substantially in the shape of the removed portion of corner regions are attached to the conductive showerhead. The corner members may be made of a material having electrical insulating properties, such as a ceramic or insulating polymer. | 06-23-2011 |
| 20110236599 | Plasma processing including asymmetrically grounding a susceptor - An asymmetrically grounded susceptor used in a plasma processing chamber for chemical vapor deposition onto large rectangular panels supported on and grounded by the susceptor. A plurality of grounding straps are connected between the periphery of the susceptor to the grounded vacuum chamber to shorten the grounding paths for RF electrons. Flexible straps allow the susceptor to vertically move. The straps provide a conductance to ground which is asymmetric around the periphery. The straps may be evenly spaced but have different thicknesses or different shapes or be removed from available grounding point and hence provide different RF conductances. The asymmetry is selected to improve the deposition uniformity and other qualities of the PECVD deposited film. | 09-29-2011 |
| 20110241892 | Frequency Monitoring to Detect Plasma Process Abnormality - Abnormal conditions within an RF-powered plasma process chamber are detected by detecting whether the frequency of a variable-frequency RF power supply moves outside established lower and upper limits. In a first aspect, a first pair of lower and upper limits are established as a function of the frequency of the power supply sampled after a new process step begins or after a sample control signal changes state. In a second aspect, a second pair of lower and upper limits are not adapted to the frequency of the power supply. Both aspects preferably are used together to detect different occurrences of abnormal conditions. | 10-06-2011 |
| 20110269274 | THIN FILM TRANSISTORS HAVING MULTIPLE DOPED SILICON LAYERS - Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to a TFT and a method for its fabrication. The TFT disclosed herein is a silicon based TFT in which the active channel comprises amorphous silicon. Over the amorphous silicon, multiple layers of doped silicon are deposited in which the resistivity of the doped silicon layers is higher at the interface with the amorphous silicon layer as compared to the interface with the source and drain electrodes. Alternatively, a single doped silicon layer is deposited over the amorphous silicon in which the properties of the single doped layer change throughout the thickness. It is better to have a lower resistivity at the interface with the source and drain electrodes, but lower resistivity usually means less substrate throughput. By utilizing multiple or graded layers, low resistivity can be achieved. The embodiments disclosed herein include low resistivity without sacrificing substrate throughput. | 11-03-2011 |
| 20110290183 | Plasma Uniformity Control By Gas Diffuser Hole Design - Embodiments of a gas diffuser plate for distributing gas in a processing chamber are provided. The gas distribution plate includes a diffuser plate having an upstream side and a downstream side, and a plurality of gas passages passing between the upstream and downstream sides of the diffuser plate. The gas passages include hollow cathode cavities at the downstream side to enhance plasma ionization. The depths, the diameters, the surface area and density of hollow cathode cavities of the gas passages that extend to the downstream end can be gradually increased from the center to the edge of the diffuser plate to improve the film thickness and property uniformity across the substrate. The increasing diameters, depths and surface areas from the center to the edge of the diffuser plate can be created by bending the diffuser plate toward downstream side, followed by machining out the convex downstream side. Bending the diffuser plate can be accomplished by a thermal process or a vacuum process. The increasing diameters, depths and surface areas from the center to the edge of the diffuser plate can also be created computer numerically controlled machining. Diffuser plates with gradually increasing diameters, depths and surface areas of the hollow cathode cavities from the center to the edge of the diffuser plate have been shown to produce improved uniformities of film thickness and film properties. | 12-01-2011 |
| 20120009347 | PRECISE TEMPERATURE CONTROL FOR TEOS APPLICATION BY HEAT TRANSFER FLUID - Embodiments of the invention generally provide a mixing block for mixing precursors and/or cleaning agent which has the advantage of maintaining the temperature and improving the mixing effect of the precursors, cleaning agent or the mixture thereof to eliminate the substrate-to-substrate variation, thereby providing improved process uniformity. | 01-12-2012 |
| 20120009356 | CONTAMINATION REDUCING LINER FOR INDUCTIVELY COUPLED CHAMBER - A method and apparatus for depositing a film through a plasma enhance chemical vapor deposition process is provided. In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a processing chamber having a coil disposed in the chamber and routed proximate the chamber wall. A liner is disposed over the coil and is protected by a coating of a material, wherein the coating of material has a film property similar to the liner. In one embodiment, the liner is a silicon containing material and is protected by the coating of the material. Thus, in the event that some of the protective coating of material is inadvertently sputtered, the sputter material is not a source of contamination if deposited on the substrate along with the deposited deposition film on the substrate. | 01-12-2012 |
| 20120027918 | SHOWERHEAD SUPPORT STRUCTURE FOR IMPROVED GAS FLOW - Embodiments of the present invention generally provide apparatus and methods for supporting a gas distribution showerhead in a processing chamber. In one embodiment, a gas distribution showerhead for a vacuum chamber is provided. The gas distribution showerhead comprises a body having a first side and a second side opposite the first side, and a plurality of gas passages formed through the body, the gas passages comprising a first bore formed in the first side that is fluidly coupled to a second bore formed in the second side by a restricting orifice, and a suspension feature formed in the first bore of at least one of the gas passages. | 02-02-2012 |
| 20120040536 | A-SI SEASONING EFFECT TO IMPROVE SIN RUN-TO-RUN UNIFORMITY - Embodiments of the present invention provide methods for depositing a nitrogen-containing material on large-sized substrates disposed in a processing chamber. In one embodiment, a method includes processing a batch of substrates within a processing chamber to deposit a nitrogen-containing material on a substrate from the batch of substrates, and performing a seasoning process at predetermined intervals during processing the batch of substrates to deposit a conductive seasoning layer over a surface of a chamber component disposed in the processing chamber. The chamber component may include a gas distribution plate fabricated from a bare aluminum without anodizing. In one example, the conductive seasoning layer may include amorphous silicon, doped amorphous silicon, doped silicon, doped polysilicon, doped silicon carbide, or the like. | 02-16-2012 |
| 20120045904 | METHODS FOR FORMING A HYDROGEN FREE SILICON CONTAINING DIELECTRIC FILM - Embodiments of the disclosure generally provide methods of forming a hydrogen free silicon containing layer in TFT devices. The hydrogen free silicon containing layer may be used as a passivation layer, a gate dielectric layer, an etch stop layer, or other suitable layers in TFT devices, photodiodes, semiconductor diode, light-emitting diode (LED), or organic light-emitting diode (OLED), or other suitable display applications. In one embodiment, a method for forming a hydrogen free silicon containing layer in a thin film transistor includes supplying a gas mixture comprising a hydrogen free silicon containing gas and a reacting gas into a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition chamber, wherein the hydrogen free silicon containing gas is selected from a group consisting of SiF | 02-23-2012 |
| 20120082802 | POWER LOADING SUBSTRATES TO REDUCE PARTICLE CONTAMINATION - A method for preventing particle contamination within a processing chamber is disclosed. Preheating the substrate within the processing chamber may cause a thermophoresis effect so that particles within the chamber that are not adhered to a surface may not come to rest on the substrate. One method to increase the substrate temperature is to plasma load the substrate. Plasma loading comprises providing an inert gas plasma to the substrate to heat the substrate. Another method to increase the substrate temperature is high pressure loading the substrate. High pressure loading comprises heating the substrate while increasing the chamber pressure to between about 1 Torr and about 10 Torr. By rapidly increasing the substrate temperature within the processing chamber prior to substrate processing, particle contamination is less likely to occur. | 04-05-2012 |
| 20120103264 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR DEPOSITING A UNIFORM SILICON FILM WITH FLOW GRADIENT DESIGNS - Methods and apparatus having a flow gradient created from a gas distribution plate are provided. In one embodiment, the method and apparatus are particularly useful for, but not limited to, depositing a silicon film for solar cell applications. The apparatus for depositing a uniform film for solar cell applications includes a processing chamber, and a quadrilateral gas distribution plate disposed in the processing chamber and having at least four corners separated by four sides. The gas distribution plate further includes a first plurality of chokes formed through the gas distribution plate, the first plurality of chokes located in the corners, and a second plurality of chokes formed through the gas distribution plate, the second plurality of chokes located along the sides of the gas distribution plate between the corner regions, wherein the first plurality of chokes have a greater flow resistance than that of the second plurality of chokes. | 05-03-2012 |
| 20120149194 | Substrate Support with Gas Introduction Openings - Embodiments disclosed herein generally relate to an apparatus and a method for placing a substrate substantially flush against a substrate support in a processing chamber. When a large area substrate is placed onto a substrate support, the substrate may not be perfectly flush against the substrate support due to gas pockets that may be present between the substrate and the substrate support. The gas pockets can lead to uneven deposition on the substrate. Therefore, pulling the gas from between the substrate and the support may pull the substrate substantially flush against the support. During deposition, an electrostatic charge can build up and cause the substrate to stick to the substrate support. By introducing a gas between the substrate and the substrate support, the electrostatic forces may be overcome so that the substrate can be separated from the susceptor with less or no plasma support which takes extra time and gas. | 06-14-2012 |
| 20120171391 | THIN FILM DEPOSITION USING MICROWAVE PLASMA - Embodiments of the present invention generally provide deposition processes for a silicon-containing dielectric layer using an improved microwave-assisted CVD chamber. In one embodiment, a method of processing a substrate in a processing chamber is provided. The method generally includes applying a microwave power to an antenna coupled to a microwave source disposed within the processing chamber, wherein the microwave source is disposed relatively above a gas feeding source configured to provide a gas distribution coverage covering substantially an entire surface of the substrate, and exposing the substrate to a microwave plasma generated from a processing gas provided by the gas feeding source to deposit a silicon-containing layer on the substrate at a temperature lower than about 200 degrees Celsius, the microwave plasma using a microwave power of about 500 milliWatts/cm | 07-05-2012 |
| 20120199872 | METHOD FOR HYBRID ENCAPSULATION OF AN ORGANIC LIGHT EMITTING DIODE - Methods and apparatus for encapsulating organic light emitting diode (OLED) structures disposed on a substrate using a hybrid layer of material are provided. The processing parameters used during deposition of the hybrid layer of material allow control of the characteristics of the deposited hybrid layer. The hybrid layer may be deposited such that the layer has characteristics of an inorganic material in some sublayers of the hybrid layer and characteristics of an organic material in other sublayers of the hybrid layer. Use of the hybrid material allows OLED encapsulation using a single hard mask for the complete encapsulating process with low cost and without alignment issues present in conventional processes. | 08-09-2012 |
| 20120208306 | METHOD FOR ENCAPSULATING AN ORGANIC LIGHT EMITTING DIODE - Methods for encapsulating OLED structures disposed on a substrate using a soft/polymer mask technique are provided. The soft/polymer mask technique can efficiently provide a simple and low cost OLED encapsulation method, as compared to convention hard mask patterning techniques. The soft/polymer mask technique can utilize a single polymer mask to complete the entire encapsulation process with low cost and without alignment issues present when using conventional metal masks. Rather than utilizing a soft/polymer mask, the encapsulation layers may be blanked deposited and then laser ablated such that no masks are utilized during the encapsulation process. | 08-16-2012 |
| 20120279943 | PROCESSING CHAMBER WITH COOLED GAS DELIVERY LINE - A method and apparatus for processing a substrate is provided. In one embodiment, the apparatus is in the form of a processing chamber that includes a chamber body having a processing volume defined therein. A substrate support, a gas delivery tube assembly and a plasma line source are disposed in the processing volume. The gas delivery tube assembly includes an inner tube is disposed in an outer tube. The inner tube has a passage for flowing a cooling fluid therein. The outer tube has a plurality of gas distribution apertures for providing processing gas into the processing volume. | 11-08-2012 |
| 20130005081 | METHOD OF IGZO AND ZNO TFT FABRICATION WITH PECVD SiO2 PASSIVATION - The present invention generally relates to a method of manufacturing a TFT. The TFT has an active channel that comprises IGZO or zinc oxide. After the source and drain electrodes are formed, but before the passivation layers or etch stop layers are deposited thereover, the active channel is exposed to an N | 01-03-2013 |
| 20130068161 | GAS DELIVERY AND DISTRIBUTION FOR UNIFORM PROCESS IN LINEAR-TYPE LARGE-AREA PLASMA REACTOR - An apparatus for introducing gas into a processing chamber comprising one or more gas distribution tubes having gas-injection holes which may be larger in size, greater in number, and/or spaced closer together at sections of the gas introduction tubes where greater gas conductance through the gas-injection holes is desired. An outside tube having larger gas-injection holes may surround each gas distribution tube. The gas distribution tubes may be fluidically connected to a vacuum foreline to facilitate removal of gas from the gas distribution tube at the end of a process cycle. | 03-21-2013 |
| 20130087783 | METHODS FOR DEPOSITING A SILICON CONTAINING LAYER WITH ARGON GAS DILUTION - Embodiments of the disclosure generally provide methods of forming a silicon containing layers in TFT devices. The silicon can be used to form the active channel in a LTPS TFT or be utilized as an element in a gate dielectric layer, a passivation layer or even an etch stop layer. The silicon containing layer is deposited by a vapor deposition process whereby an inert gas, such as argon, is introduced along with the silicon precursor. The inert gas functions to drive out weak, dangling silicon-hydrogen bonds or silicon-silicon bonds so that strong silicon-silicon or silicon-oxygen bonds remain to form a substantially hydrogen free silicon containing layer. | 04-11-2013 |
| 20130140009 | ROBUST OUTLET PLUMBING FOR HIGH POWER FLOW REMOTE PLASMA SOURCE - The present invention generally includes a coupling between components. When igniting a plasma remote from a processing chamber, the reactive gas ions may travel to the processing chamber through numerous components. The reactive gas ions may be quite hot and cause the various components to become very hot and thus, the seals between apparatus components may fail. Therefore, it may be beneficial to cool any metallic components through which the reactive gas ions may travel. However, at the interface between the cooled metallic component and a ceramic component, the ceramic component may experience a temperature gradient sufficient to crack the ceramic material due to the heat of the reactive gas ions and the coolness of the metallic component. Therefore, extending a flange of the metallic component into the ceramic component may lessen the temperature gradient at the interface and reduce cracking of the ceramic component. | 06-06-2013 |
| 20130186859 | Asymmetrical RF Drive for Electrode of Plasma Chamber - RF power is coupled to one or more RF drive points ( | 07-25-2013 |
| 20130210199 | METHOD FOR DEPOSITING AN ENCAPSULATING FILM - A method and apparatus for depositing a material layer, such as encapsulating film, onto a substrate is described. In one embodiment, an encapsulating film formation method includes delivering a gas mixture into a processing chamber, the gas mixture comprising a silicone-containing gas, a first nitrogen-containing gas, a second nitrogen-containing gas and hydrogen gas; energizing the gas mixture within the processing chamber by applying between about 0.350 watts/cm | 08-15-2013 |
| 20130228124 | SUBSTRATE SUPPORT WITH CERAMIC INSULATION - Embodiments of the present invention generally relates to substrate supports for use in a plasma processing chamber. The substrate supports, which are metallic, have ceramic inserts to prevent arcing between the substrate support and the shadow frame used to protect the edges of the substrate support during processing. In large area substrate processing chambers, the shadow frame may comprise multiple pieces. The individual pieces may be coupled together, but spaced slightly apart by a gap to permit thermal expansion. Ceramic inserts are positioned on the substrate support so that when a shadow frame is positioned adjacent thereto, the ceramic inserts are located adjacent the gaps in the shadow frame. The ceramic inserts adjacent the gap prevent and/or reduce the arcing because the gaps are located over electrically insulating material rather than electrically conductive material. | 09-05-2013 |
| 20130263782 | FLIP EDGE SHADOW FRAME - Device for processing a substrate are described herein. An apparatus for controlling deposition on a substrate can include a chamber comprising a shadow frame support, a substrate support comprising a substrate supporting surface, a shadow frame with a shadow frame body including a first support surface, a second support surface opposite the first surface, and a detachable lip connected with the shadow frame body. The detachable lip can include a support connection, a first lip surface facing the substrate, a second lip surface opposite the first lip surface, a first edge positioned over the first support surface, and a second edge opposite the first edge to contact the substrate. | 10-10-2013 |
| 20130302999 | SIOX PROCESS CHEMISTRY DEVELOPMENT USING MICROWAVE PLASMA CVD - Methods for processing a substrate are described herein. Methods can include positioning a substrate in a processing chamber, maintaining the processing chamber at a temperature below 400° C., flowing a reactant gas comprising either a silicon hydride or a silicon halide and an oxidizing precursor into the process chamber, applying a microwave power to create a microwave plasma from the reactant gas, and depositing a silicon oxide layer on at least a portion of the exposed surface of a substrate. | 11-14-2013 |
| 20140024180 | INTERFACE ADHESION IMPROVEMENT METHOD - Embodiments of the invention provide methods of an interface adhesion improvement methods used on a transparent substrate for OLED or thin film transistor applications. In one embodiment, a method of forming a buffer layer on a surface of a substrate includes providing a substrate having an planarization material disposed thereon in a processing chamber, supplying a buffer layer gas mixture including a silicon containing gas into the processing chamber, controlling a substrate temperature less than about 100 degrees Celsius, forming a buffer layer on the planarization material, supplying an encapsulating barrier layer deposition gas mixture including a silicon containing gas and a nitrogen containing gas into the processing chamber, and forming an encapsulating barrier layer on the buffer layer. | 01-23-2014 |
| 20140027289 | ROUGHENED SUBSTRATE SUPPORT - The present invention generally relates to a substrate support for use in a substrate processing chamber. A roughened substrate support reduces arcing within the chamber and also contributes to uniform deposition on the substrate. The roughening can occur in two steps. In a first step, the substrate support is bead blasted to initially roughen the surfaces. Then, the roughened surface is bead blasted with a finer grit to produce a substrate support with a surface roughness of between about 707 micro-inches and about 837 micro-inches. Following the surface roughening, the substrate support is anodized. | 01-30-2014 |
| 20140065739 | METHOD FOR HYBRID ENCAPSULATION OF AN ORGANIC LIGHT EMITTING DIODE - Methods and apparatus for encapsulating organic light emitting diode (OLED) structures disposed on a substrate using a hybrid layer of material are provided. The encapsulation methods may be performed as single or multiple chamber processes. The processing parameters used during deposition of the hybrid layer of material allow control of the characteristics of the deposited hybrid layer. The hybrid layer may be deposited such that the layer has characteristics of an inorganic material in some sublayers of the hybrid layer and characteristics of an organic material in other sublayers of the hybrid layer. Use of the hybrid material allows OLED encapsulation using a single hard mask for the complete encapsulating process with low cost and without alignment issues present in conventional processes. | 03-06-2014 |
| 20140174361 | HEATED BACKING PLATE - The present invention generally relates to a heated backing plate coupled to a gas distribution showerhead in a PECVD chamber. The backing plate is heated by circulating a heating fluid either through channels formed within the backing plate or a tube coupled to the backing plate. A heated backing plate heats up the gas distribution showerhead, which improves the cleaning rate of the PECVD chamber that performs low temperature processes. | 06-26-2014 |
| 20140230730 | GAS DIFFUSION SHOWER HEAD DESIGN FOR LARGE AREA PLASMA ENHANCED CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION - Embodiments of a gas distribution plate for distributing gas in a processing chamber are provided. In one embodiment, a gas distribution plate includes a diffuser plate having an upstream side and a downstream side, and a plurality of gas passages passing between the upstream and downstream sides of the diffuser plate. At least one of the gas passages has a cylindrical shape for a portion of its length extending from the upstream side and a coaxial conical shape for the remainder length of the diffuser plate, the upstream end of the conical portion having substantially the same diameter as the cylindrical portion and the downstream end of the conical portion having a larger diameter. | 08-21-2014 |
| 20140246521 | SHOWERHEAD SUPPORT STRUCTURE FOR IMPROVED GAS FLOW - Embodiments of the present invention generally provide apparatus and methods for supporting a gas distribution showerhead in a processing chamber. In one embodiment, a gas distribution showerhead for a vacuum chamber is provided. The gas distribution showerhead comprises a body having a first side and a second side opposite the first side, and a plurality of gas passages formed through the body, the gas passages comprising a first bore formed in the first side that is fluidly coupled to a second bore formed in the second side by a restricting orifice, and a suspension feature formed in the first bore of at least one of the gas passages. | 09-04-2014 |
| 20140251216 | FLIP EDGE SHADOW FRAME - Device for processing a substrate are described herein. An apparatus for controlling deposition on a substrate can include a chamber comprising a shadow frame support, a substrate support comprising a substrate supporting surface, a shadow frame with a shadow frame body including a first support surface, a second support surface opposite the first surface, and a detachable lip connected with the shadow frame body. The detachable lip can include a support connection, a first lip surface facing the substrate, a second lip surface opposite the first lip surface, a first edge positioned over the first support surface, and a second edge opposite the first edge to contact the substrate. | 09-11-2014 |
| 20140256070 | PLASMA CURING OF PECVD HMDSO FILM FOR OLED APPLICATIONS - Methods for forming an OLED device are described. An encapsulation layer having a buffer layer sandwiched between barrier layers is deposited over an OLED structure. The buffer layer is deposited on the first barrier layer and is cured with a fluorine-containing plasma at a temperature less than 100 degrees Celsius. The second barrier layer is then deposited on the buffer layer. | 09-11-2014 |
| 20140264296 | BARRIER FILM PERFORMANCE WITH N2O DILUTION PROCESS FOR THIN FILM ENCAPSULATION - A method and apparatus for depositing an inorganic layer onto a substrate is described. The inorganic layer may be part of an encapsulating film utilized in various display applications. The encapsulating film includes one or more inorganic layers as barrier layers to improve water-barrier performance. An oxygen containing gas, such as nitrous oxide, is introduced during the deposition of the inorganic layer. As a result, the inorganic layer is lower in stress and may obtain a water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) of less than 100 mg/m | 09-18-2014 |
| 20140272187 | ADHESION IMPROVEMENT BETWEEN CVD DIELECTRIC FILM AND CU SUBSTRATE - Methods of forming dielectric layers on a copper substrate are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a method of depositing a dielectric layer can include positioning a copper substrate in a process chamber, forming and delivering the cleaning plasma to the substrate to form a cleaned surface on the substrate, forming and delivering the adhesion plasma to the surface of the substrate to form a copper compound thereon and depositing a dielectric layer over the copper compound. In another embodiment, a method of depositing a dielectric layer can include positioning a copper substrate in a process chamber, delivering an adhesion plasma to the copper substrate to form a copper compound and flowing a deposition gas into the process chamber to deposit a dielectric layer over the copper compound, wherein the flow between the adhesion plasma and the deposition gas is continuous. | 09-18-2014 |
| 20140273342 | VTH CONTROL METHOD OF MULTIPLE ACTIVE LAYER METAL OXIDE SEMICONDUCTOR TFT - The present invention generally relates to TFTs and methods for fabricating TFTs. When multiple layers are used for the semiconductor material in a TFT, a negative Vth shift may result. By exposing the semiconductor layer to an oxygen containing plasma and/or forming an etch stop layer thereover, the negative Vth shift may be negated. | 09-18-2014 |
| 20140299859 | METHOD FOR HYBRID ENCAPSULATION OF AN ORGANIC LIGHT EMITTING DIODE - Methods and apparatus for encapsulating organic light emitting diode (OLED) structures disposed on a substrate using a hybrid layer of material are provided. The processing parameters used during deposition of the hybrid layer of material allow control of the characteristics of the deposited hybrid layer. The hybrid layer may be deposited such that the layer has characteristics of an inorganic material in some sublayers of the hybrid layer and characteristics of an organic material in other sublayers of the hybrid layer. Use of the hybrid material allows OLED encapsulation using a single hard mask for the complete encapsulating process with low cost and without alignment issues present in conventional processes. | 10-09-2014 |
| 20140335680 | MULTI-LAYER AMORPHOUS SILICON STRUCTURE WITH IMPROVED POLY-SILICON QUALITY AFTER EXCIMER LASER ANNEAL - The embodiments described herein generally relate to methods for forming a multi-layer amorphous silicon structure that may be used in thin film transistor devices. In one embodiment, a method includes positioning a substrate comprising a buffer layer in a process chamber, the process chamber comprising a processing region, forming a plurality of amorphous silicon layers and annealing the amorphous silicon layers to form a polycrystalline silicon layer. Forming the plurality of layers includes delivering a silicon-containing precursor and a first activation gas to the processing region to deposit a first amorphous silicon layer over the buffer layer, the silicon-containing precursor and the first activation gas being activated by a plasma and maintaining a continuous flow of the silicon-containing precursor while delivering a second activation gas, without the first activation gas, to the processing region to deposit a second silicon layer on the first silicon layer. | 11-13-2014 |
| 20140349422 | METHOD FOR HYBRID ENCAPSULATION OF AN ORGANIC LIGHT EMITTING DIODE - Methods and apparatus for encapsulating organic light emitting diode (OLED) structures disposed on a substrate using a hybrid layer of material are provided. The processing parameters used during deposition of the hybrid layer of material allow control of the characteristics of the deposited hybrid layer. The hybrid layer may be deposited such that the layer has characteristics of an inorganic material in some sublayers of the hybrid layer and characteristics of an organic material in other sublayers of the hybrid layer. Use of the hybrid material allows OLED encapsulation using a single hard mask for the complete encapsulating process with low cost and without alignment issues present in conventional processes. | 11-27-2014 |
| 20140357065 | AMORPHOUS SILICON THICKNESS UNIFORMITY IMPROVED BY PROCESS DILUTED WITH HYDROGEN AND ARGON GAS MIXTURE - The embodiments described herein generally relate to methods for forming an amorphous silicon structure that may be used in thin film transistor devices. In embodiments disclosed herein, the amorphous silicon layer is deposited using a silicon-based gas with an activation gas comprising a high concentration of inert gas and a low concentration of hydrogen-based gas. The activation gas combination allows for a good deposition profile of the amorphous silicon layer from the edge of the shadow frame which is translated to the polycrystalline silicon layer post-annealing. | 12-04-2014 |
