METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING A COMPOUND FILM

• US 20100247745A1
• Filed: 09/12/2007
• Published: 09/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Flisom AG
• Original Assignee: Flisom AG
• Inventors: Studer, Thomas, Budde, Felix, Rudmann, Dominik, Kaelin, Marc
• Granted Patent: US 8,927,051 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 427/9
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/0623 Sulfides, selenides or tellurides
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/545 using measurement on deposited material
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/548 Controlling the composition
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0322 comprising only AIBIIICVI chalcopyrite compounds, e.g. Cu In Se2, Cu Ga Se2, Cu In Ga Se2
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/18 Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment of these devices or of parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/1844 comprising ternary or quaternary compounds, e.g. Ga Al As, In Ga As P
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/541 CuInSe2 material PV cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/544 Solar cells from Group III-V materials
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

Abstract

A method for manufacturing a compound film comprising a substrate and at least one additional layer is disclosed. The method comprising the steps of depositing at least two chemical elements on the substrate and/or on the at least one additional layer using depositions sources, maintaining depositing of the at least two chemical elements while the substrate and the deposition sources are being moved relative to each other, measuring the compound film properties, particularly being compound film thickness, compound-film overall composition, and compound-film composition in one or several positions of the compound film, comparing the predefined values for the compound film properties to the measured compound film properties, and adjusting the deposition of the at least two chemical elements in case the measured compound film properties do not match the predefined compound film properties.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a compound film comprising a substrate and at least one additional layer the compound film satisfying predefined compound film properties, in particular being predefined values for compound-film thickness, compound-film overall composition and compositional profile, the latter being defined as a compound-film composition as a function of a position on or in the compound film, the method comprising the steps of:

depositing at least two chemical elements on the substrate and/or on the at least one additional layer using deposition sources,

maintaining depositing of the at least two chemical elements while the substrate and the deposition sources are being moved relative to each other,

measuring the compound film properties, particularly being compound film thickness, compound-film overall composition, and compound-film composition in one or several positions of the compound film,

comparing the predefined values for the compound film properties to the measured compound film properties, and

adjusting the deposition of the at least two chemical elements in case the measured compound film properties do not match the predefined compound film properties.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is a flexible foil, made at least in part of metal, polymer, or ceramic, and said foil can be rolled up.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is at least partially coated by one or several additional layers.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is a plate of a material that is at least partially made of glass, metal, or polymer, and wherein the plates are continuously fed, one after the other, in order to be coated.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is coated by one or several additional layers on a side of the substrate.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the step of measuring the compound film properties is performed by a measurement device that is moved in directions perpendicular and/or parallel to a traveling direction of the substrate, enabling measurements at different locations of the substrate, in particular across an entire width of the substrate.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of individually adjusting a deposition rate of the deposition sources.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the deposition sources are arranged in a plurality of deposition-source blocks.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein at least a part of a measurement device is arranged opposite to the deposition sources with regard to the substrate.

10. The method according to claim 8, including positioning a measurement device in-between deposition-source blocks.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of adjusting the deposition is performed by modifying temperature, power supply or gas supply for said depositing.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of measuring the compound film properties is performed by a measurement device and wherein the measurement device comprises an x-ray detector for detecting characteristic fluorescence radiation from appropriately excited atoms in the substrate and/or any of the at least one additional layer, where said x-ray detector is capable of distinguishing the energies or wavelengths of the radiation and of the respective radiation intensities.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of measuring the compound film properties is performed by a measurement device and wherein the measurement device comprises an excitation source, which excites atoms in fractions or all of the compound film.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the excitation source is an electron source, where the penetration depth of the electrons can be adjusted by changing the electron acceleration voltage.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein the excitation source is an x-ray source, where at least a part of the exciting x-rays are high enough in energy to induce K and L lines in the fluorescence spectrum of at least a part of the excited atom species.

16. The method according to claim 13, wherein the excitation source comprises an x-ray source in combination with an electron source, where the x-ray source is capable of exciting atoms in all of said at least one additional layer and in the substrate, while the electron source is capable of exciting only parts of said at least one additional layer and/or the substrate.

17. The method according to claim 1, wherein the compound film is a polycrystalline semiconductor compound of the form (Cu,Ag)(In,Ga,Al)(Se,S)₂, particularly the compounds Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ or Cu(In,Ga)(Se,S)₂.

18. The method according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is a polyimide foil, which is transparent for x-ray radiation, coated by an electrically conductive layer consisting of a single material.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the electrically conductive layer on the foil is made of Mo.

20. The method according to claim 18, wherein the electrically conductive layer on the foil is made of a metal nitride.