METHOD AND STRUCTURE FOR FABRICATING SOLAR CELLS USING A LAYER TRANSFER PROCESS
First Claim
1. A method for fabricating a photovoltaic cell, the method comprising:
- providing a semiconductor substrate, the semiconductor substrate having a surface region, a cleave region and a first thickness of material to be removed between the surface region and the cleave region;
coupling the surface region of the semiconductor substrate to a first surface region of an optically transparent substrate, the optically transparent substrate comprising the first surface region and a second surface region;
cleaving the semiconductor substrate to remove the first thickness of material from the semiconductor substrate, while the surface region remains coupled to the first surface region, to cause formation of a cleaved surface region; and
forming a second thickness of semiconductor material overlying the cleaved surface region to form a resulting thickness of semiconductor material.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A photovoltaic cell device, e.g., solar cell, solar panel, and method of manufacture. The device has an optically transparent substrate comprises a first surface and a second surface. A first thickness of material (e.g., semiconductor material, single crystal material) having a first surface region and a second surface region is included. In a preferred embodiment, the surface region is overlying the first surface of the optically transparent substrate. The device has an optical coupling material provided between the first surface region of the thickness of material and the first surface of the optically transparent material. A second thickness of semiconductor material is overlying the second surface region to form a resulting thickness of semiconductor material.
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Citations
41 Claims
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1. A method for fabricating a photovoltaic cell, the method comprising:
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providing a semiconductor substrate, the semiconductor substrate having a surface region, a cleave region and a first thickness of material to be removed between the surface region and the cleave region;
coupling the surface region of the semiconductor substrate to a first surface region of an optically transparent substrate, the optically transparent substrate comprising the first surface region and a second surface region;
cleaving the semiconductor substrate to remove the first thickness of material from the semiconductor substrate, while the surface region remains coupled to the first surface region, to cause formation of a cleaved surface region; and
forming a second thickness of semiconductor material overlying the cleaved surface region to form a resulting thickness of semiconductor material. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A photovoltaic cell device comprising:
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an optically transparent substrate comprises a first surface and a second surface;
a first thickness of material having a first surface region and a second surface region, the surface region overlying the first surface of the optically transparent substrate;
an optical coupling material provided between the first surface region of the thickness of material and the first surface of the optically transparent material; and
a second thickness of semiconductor material overlying the second surface region to form a resulting thickness of semiconductor material. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method of fabricating substrates for photovoltaic materials, the method comprising:
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providing a donor substrate, the donor substrate including a cleave region, a surface region, and a first thickness of silicon material defined between the cleave region and the surface region;
transferring the first thickness of silicon material to a handle substrate surface region of a handle substrate to detach a portion of the donor substrate within a vicinity of the cleave region and to couple the surface region to the handle substrate surface region of the handle substrate to cause formation of a cleaved surface region overlying the first thickness of silicon material;
supplying a gas including a silane species into a reaction chamber;
using the silane species to cause a silicon deposition condition on the handle substrate surface region of the handle substrate within the reaction chamber using a process selected from one or more including a glow discharge, a plasma, photo-enhanced, or a thermal CVD process; and
forming a second thickness of material, using the silane species overlying the first thickness of silicon material. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method of fabricating substrates for photovoltaic materials, the method comprising:
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providing a donor substrate, the donor substrate including a cleave region, a surface region, and a first thickness of silicon or germanium material defined between the cleave region and the surface region;
transferring the first thickness of silicon or germanium material to a handle substrate surface region of a handle substrate to detach a portion of the donor substrate within a vicinity of the cleave region and to couple the surface region to the handle substrate surface region of the handle substrate to cause formation of a cleaved surface region overlying the first thickness of silicon or germanium material;
supplying a gas including a silane and/or germane species into a reaction chamber; and
depositing material, using a process selected from at least glow discharge, plasma, photo-enhanced or thermal CVD and the silane and/or germane species, overlying the cleaved surface to thicken the first thickness of silicon or germanium material at a deposition rate equal to or greater than or less than a solid phase epitaxial re-growth rate of the material to crystallize the material overlying the first thickness of silicon or germanium material. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A photovoltaic device comprising:
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a handle substrate comprising a handle substrate surface region;
an interface material overlying the handle substrate surface region;
a layer transferred film overlying the interface material; and
a deposited thickness of single crystal silicon or single crystal germanium material having one or more defects therein. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27)
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28. A method for fabricating a solar cell for use with one or more solar modules, the method comprising:
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providing a support member having a surface region, a bottom portion, and a determined thickness between the surface region and the bottom portion;
forming a releasable material overlying the surface region of the support member;
transferring a first thickness of semiconductor material from a first donor substrate overlying the releasable material to form the first thickness of transferred material overlying the releasable material, the releasable material overlying the support member;
forming a second thickness of semiconductor material overlying the first thickness of transferred material to form a total thickness of material overlying the releasable material;
separating the total thickness of material from the releasable material to detach the total thickness of material from the releasable material; and
forming one or more photovoltaic devices onto one or more portions of the total thickness of material. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
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41. A system for fabricating a solar cell, the system comprising:
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a support member having a surface region, a bottom portion, and a determined thickness between the surface region and the bottom portion;
one or more openings provided in a spatial configuration on the surface region of the support member;
a fluidic source coupled to the one or more openings, the fluidic source being adapted to provide a fluid through the one or more openings on the surface region of the support member;
a releasable material overlying a surface region of the support member; and
a first thickness of semiconductor material overlying the releasable material to form the first thickness of transferred material overlying the releasable material, the releasable material overlying the support member.
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Specification