Patent application number | Description | Published |
20130032084 | SILICON WAFERS BY EPITAXIAL DEPOSITION - A system for depositing thin single crystal silicon wafers by epitaxial deposition in a silicon precursor depletion mode with cross-flow deposition may include: a substrate carrier with low total heat capacity, high emissivity and small volume; a lamp module with rapid heat-up, efficient heat production, and spatial control over heating; and a manifold designed for cross-flow processing. Furthermore, the substrate carrier may include heat reflectors to control heat loss from the edges of the carrier and/or heat chokes to thermally isolate the carrier from the manifolds, allowing independent temperature control of the manifolds. The carrier and substrates may be configured for deposition on both sides of the substrates—the substrates having release layers on both sides and the carriers being configured to have equal process gas flow over both surfaces of the substrate. High volume may be addressed by a deposition system comprising multiple mini-batch reactors. | 02-07-2013 |
20130056044 | PHOTOVOLTAIC MODULE FABRICATION WITH THIN SINGLE CRYSTAL EPITAXIAL SILICON DEVICES - Photovoltaic modules including a plurality of solar cells bonded to a module back sheet are described herein, wherein each solar cell includes a superstrate bonded to a front side of a photovoltaic device to facilitate handling of very thin photovoltaic devices during fabrication of the module. Modules may also include module front sheets and the solar cells may include bottom sheets. The modules may be made of flexible materials, and may be foldable. Fabrication processes include tabbing photovoltaic devices prior to attaching the individual superstrates. | 03-07-2013 |
20130059430 | High Throughput Multi-Wafer Epitaxial Reactor - An epitaxial reactor enabling simultaneous deposition of thin films on a multiplicity of wafers is disclosed. During deposition, a number of wafers are contained within a wafer sleeve comprising a number of wafer carrier plates spaced closely apart to minimize the process volume. Process gases flow preferentially into the interior volume of the wafer sleeve, which is heated by one or more lamp modules. Purge gases flow outside the wafer sleeve within a reactor chamber to minimize wall deposition. In addition, sequencing of the illumination of the individual lamps in the lamp module may further improve the linearity of variation in deposition rates within the wafer sleeve. To improve uniformity, the direction of process gas flow may be varied in a cross-flow configuration. Combining lamp sequencing with cross-flow processing in a multiple reactor system enables high throughput deposition with good film uniformities and efficient use of process gases. | 03-07-2013 |
20140014172 | Thin Film Solar Cell with Ceramic Handling Layer - A solar cell may comprise a stack of thin continuous epitaxial single crystal solar cell layers on a single crystal wafer, and a handling layer on the stack, the handling layer having a waffle-shaped structure with an array of either square or circular apertures, wherein the handling layer includes electrical contacts to the stack. The solar cell may comprise a boundary layer between the stack and the handling layer, the boundary layer being attached to both the stack and the handling layer, and the boundary layer being greater than 10 nanometers thick and parallel to the layers in the stack. The waffle-shaped structure may include perpendicular sets of first and second parallel ridges, wherein at least one of the sets is aligned at a small angle to a cleavage plane of the single crystal wafer. | 01-16-2014 |
20140295106 | HIGH THROUGHPUT MULTI-WAFER EPITAXIAL REACTOR - An epitaxial reactor enabling simultaneous deposition of thin films on a multiplicity of wafers is disclosed. During deposition, a number of wafers are contained within a wafer sleeve comprising a number of wafer carrier plates spaced closely apart to minimize the process volume. Process gases flow preferentially into the interior volume of the wafer sleeve, which is heated by one or more lamp modules. Purge gases flow outside the wafer sleeve within a reactor chamber to minimize wall deposition. In addition, sequencing of the illumination of the individual lamps in the lamp module may further improve the linearity of variation in deposition rates within the wafer sleeve. To improve uniformity, the direction of process gas flow may be varied in a cross-flow configuration. Combining lamp sequencing with cross-flow processing in a multiple reactor system enables high throughput deposition with good film uniformities and efficient use of process gases. | 10-02-2014 |
20140311403 | HIGH THROUGHPUT MULTI-WAFER EPITAXIAL REACTOR - An epitaxial reactor enabling simultaneous deposition of thin films on a multiplicity of wafers is disclosed. During deposition, a number of wafers are contained within a wafer sleeve comprising a number of wafer carrier plates spaced closely apart to minimize the process volume. Process gases flow preferentially into the interior volume of the wafer sleeve, which is heated by one or more lamp modules. Purge gases flow outside the wafer sleeve within a reactor chamber to minimize deposition on the chamber walls. Sequencing of the illumination of the individual lamps in the lamp module may further improve the linearity of variation in deposition rates within the wafer sleeve. To improve uniformity, the direction of process gas flow may be varied in a cross-flow configuration. Combining lamp sequencing with cross-flow processing in a multiple reactor system enables high throughput deposition with good film uniformities and efficient use of process gases. | 10-23-2014 |
20140338718 | LOW SHADING LOSS SOLAR MODULE - A solar cell comprises an optically transparent handle, wherein the handle includes grooves into which tabs are inserted, enabling the use of high aspect ratio tabs with minimal shading of the front side of the solar cell. Electrical connection of the tabs to busbars on the surface of the layers of the solar cell is through apertures at the bottom of each groove on the handle—the grooves being aligned to the busbars. The apertures may be filled with solder, metal pins, metal spheres, etc, and in embodiments the tabs may be metal wires. The solar cells with optically transparent handles may be formed into solar cell modules. Furthermore, in embodiments the handle with integral tabs simplifies and reduces the cost of solar cell and module fabrication since the top surface of the transparent handle including tabs may be completely flat. | 11-20-2014 |
20150040979 | Silicon Wafers with p-n Junctions by Epitaxial Deposition and Devices Fabricated Therefrom - High efficiency silicon solar cells, including IBC cells, may be formed from lightly doped p-n sandwich structures fabricated in-situ by epitaxial growth. For example, the solar cell may comprise: an n-type silicon layer greater than or equal to 20 microns thick, with a dopant concentration between 1E15/cm | 02-12-2015 |