Amorphous semiconductors equivalent to crystalline semiconductors produced by a glow discharge process
First Claim
1. The method of making a semiconductor film comprising a solid amorphous semiconductor host matrix including at least one element and having electronic configurations which have an energy gap and a density of localized states therein, said method comprising depositing on a substrate a solid amorphous semiconductor host matrix including at least one element by glow discharge decomposition of a compound containing said at least one element and at least one alterant element in a partial vacuum having an atmosphere separately containing at least one different alterant element and not derived from the compound, wherein said different at least one alterant elements of said compound and separately contained in said atmosphere comprise at least fluorine and are incorporated in said amorphous semiconductor host matrix during deposition thereof yelding an altered amorphous semiconductor material having altered electronic configurations with a reduced density of localized states in the energy gap.
8 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method of making an amorphous semiconductor film or the like having desirable photoconductive and/or other properties comprises depositing on a substrate a solid amorphous semiconductor film including at least one element, by glow discharge decomposition of a compound containing said at least one element and at least one alterant element in an atmosphere separately containing at least one different alterant element, wherein the plurality of different alterant elements comprise at least fluorine and are incorporated in said amorphous semiconductor film during the deposition thereof yielding an altered amorphous semiconductor material having reduced density of localized states in the energy gap thereof so that greatly increased diffusion lengths for solar cell application are obtained and modifiers or dopants can be effectively added to produce p-type or n-type amorphous semiconductor films so that the films function like similar crystalline semiconductors.
-
Citations
57 Claims
- 1. The method of making a semiconductor film comprising a solid amorphous semiconductor host matrix including at least one element and having electronic configurations which have an energy gap and a density of localized states therein, said method comprising depositing on a substrate a solid amorphous semiconductor host matrix including at least one element by glow discharge decomposition of a compound containing said at least one element and at least one alterant element in a partial vacuum having an atmosphere separately containing at least one different alterant element and not derived from the compound, wherein said different at least one alterant elements of said compound and separately contained in said atmosphere comprise at least fluorine and are incorporated in said amorphous semiconductor host matrix during deposition thereof yelding an altered amorphous semiconductor material having altered electronic configurations with a reduced density of localized states in the energy gap.
- 23. The method of making a semiconductor film comprising a solid amorphous semiconductor host matrix including at least one element and having electronic configurations which have an energy gap and a density of localized states therein, said method comprising depositing on a substrate a solid amorphous semiconductor host matrix including at least one element by glow discharge decomposition of a plurality of compounds, each containing said at least one element and at least one different alterant element, wherein said different at least one alterant elements of said compounds comprise at least fluorine and are incorporated in said amorphous semiconductor host matrix during deposition thereof yeilding an altered amorphous semiconductor material having altered electronic configurations with a reduced density of localized states in the energy gap.
- 29. The method of making a semiconductor film comprising a solid amorphous semiconductor host matrix including at least one element and having electronic configurations which have an energy gap and a density of localized states therein, said method comprising depositing on a substrate a solid amorphous semiconductor host matrix including at least one element by glow discharge decomposition of a plurality of compounds, each containing said at least one element and at least one alterant element, in a partial vacuum having an atmosphere separately containing at least one different alterant element and not derived from the compounds, wherein said different at least one alterant elements of said compounds and separately contained in said atmosphere comprise at least fluorine and are incorporated in said amorphous semiconductor host matrix during deposition thereof yielding an altered amorphous semiconductor material having altered electronic configurations with a reduced density of localized states in the energy gap.
- 35. The method of making a semiconductor film comprising a solid amorphous alloy semiconductor host matrix including a plurality of elements and having electronic configurations which have an energy gap and a density of localized states therein, said method comprising depositing on a substrate a solid amorphous alloy semiconductor host matrix including a plurality of elements by glow discharge decomposition of a plurality of compounds, each containing at least one of said elements and at least one alterant element, in a partial vacuum having an atmosphere separately containing at least one different alterant element and not derived from the compounds, wherein said different at least one alterant elements of said compounds and separately contained in said atmosphere comprise at least fluorine and are incorporated in said amorphous alloy semiconductor host matrix during deposition thereof yielding an altered amorphous alloy semiconductor material having altered electronic configurations with a reduced density of localized states in the energy gap.
- 42. The method of producing an amorphous semiconductor film comprising a solid amorphous semiconductor host matrix with electronic configurations which have an energy gap and a low density of localized states therein, said method comprising depositing on a substrate a solid amorphous semiconductor host matrix by glow discharge decomposition of at least one compound and incorporating in said amorphous semiconductor host matrix during deposition thereof a plurality of different complementary alterant elements, including at least fluorine, yielding an altered amorphous semiconductor material having altered electronic configurations with a reduced density of localized states in the energy gap.
- 49. The method of making a semiconductor film comprising a solid amorphous semiconductor host matrix including at least one element and having electronic configurations which have an energy gap and a density of localized states therein, said method comprising depositing on a substrate a solid amorphous semiconductor host matrix including at least one element by glow discharge decomposition of a compound containing said at least one element and at least one alterant element comprising fluorine in a partial vacuum having an atmosphere separately containing at least one alterant element different from said at least one alterant element of the compound, wherein said at least one different alterant element separately contained in the atmosphere facilitates the glow discharge decomposition of said compound and deposition of said amorphous semiconductor host matrix, and wherein said at least one alterant element of said compound is incorporated in said amorphous semiconductor host matrix during deposition thereof yielding an altered amorphous semiconductor material having altered electronic configurations with a reduced density of localized states in the energy gap.
-
54. The method of making a semiconductor film comprising a solid amorphous semiconductor host matrix including silicon and having electronic configurations which have an energy gap and a density of localized states therein, said method comprising depositing on a substrate a solid amorphous semiconductor host matrix including silicon by glow discharge decomposition of a compound containing silicon and an alterant element including fluorine, wherein said alterant element of said compound is incorporated in said amorphous semiconductor host matrix during deposition thereof yielding an altered amorphous semiconductor material having altered electronic configurations with a reduced density of localized states in the energy gap.
Specification