Method and device for treating and/or coating a surface of an object

• US 6,875,468 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2002
• Issued: 04/05/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Schott Solar GmbH
• Original Assignee: RWE Solar GmbH
• Inventors: Kunz, Thomas, Campe, Hilmar Von
• Primary Examiner(s): Meeks, Timothy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fuller, Eric B.
• Application Number:
  US10/113,831
• Publication Number:
  US 20020160627A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,099 Days
• Field of Search: 427/248.1, 427/255.23, 427/255.28, 427/255.26, 427/255.27, 216/58, 216/73, 216/74, 216/79, 118/715, 118/728
• US Class Current: 427/255.28
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/455 characterised by the method used for introducing gases into reaction chamber or for modifying gas flows in reaction chamber
• 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 31/1804 comprising only elements of Group IV of the Periodic Table
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/541 CuInSe2 material PV cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/547 Monocrystalline silicon PV cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

Abstract

Method for treating and/or coating a surface of an object, especially for coating a surface of a substrate such as a semiconductor component or solar cell, in which the surface is supplied with a gas that contains particles that will interact and/or react with the surface, forming a coating thereon. The surface of the object is oriented at an angle α from the vertical, and the gas is directed toward the surface such that it flows along the object by force of convection, starting from the base area of the surface of the object.

Claims

1. Method for treating and/or coating a surface of an object by contact with a gas, comprising the steps of:

directing the gas into a coating chamber comprising a first longitudinal boundary panel, a base panel, a second longitudinal boundary panel comprising the surface of the object which is substantially parallel to the first longitudinal boundary panel, and a top panel, the first and second longitudinal boundary panels being oriented at an angle α

from vertical,

causing the gas to flow in the chamber in the form of a convection current which flows along the first longitudinal boundary panel by gravity, and in a substantially laminar flow along the surface of the object,

heating the gas along the first longitudinal boundary panel and/or the base panel, and

withdrawing a portion of the gas which flows along the surface of the object from the chamber, and recycling a portion of the gas which flows along the surface of the object within the chamber.

2. Method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the surface of the object or the object itself is heated by infrared radiation, microwaves or inductively.

3. Method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the gas comprises SiHCl₃ and H₂, causing deposit of a silicon film on the surface of the object.

4. Method in accordance with claim 1, wherein a Cu—

In—

Ga film is deposited on the surface of the object which is a glass substrate, followed by directing a gas containing H₂Se the film to form a CuInGaSe₂ layer on the glass substrate.

5. Method in accordance with claim 1, wherein a Cu—

In—

Ga film is deposited on the surface of the object which is a glass substrate, followed by directing a gas containing H₂S along the film to form a CuInGaS₂ layer on the glass substrate.

6. Method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the gas comprises tin tetrachloride and H₂O, and is directed along a glass substrate to form a tin oxide layer.

7. Method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the gas comprises silicon tetrachloride and H₂O, and is directed along a glass substrate to form a silicon oxide film.

8. Method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the gas comprises POCl₃, and is directed along a silicon layer to form a phosphorous glass layer, which is tempered for inward diffusion of phosphorous.

9. Method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the surface of the object or a film deposited on the surface is removed by causing a gas containing HCl to flow along the surface of the film.

10. Method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the surface of the object or a film applied to this surface is removed by causing a gas containing HF to flow along the surface or the film.

12. Method in accordance with claim 1, wherein, a silicon oxide film is removed from the surface of the object by causing a gas containing H₂ at a temperature T≧

1000°

C. to flow along the surface.

13. Method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the object is treated to become a semiconductor component or solar cell.

14. Method in accordance with claim 1, wherein 0°

≦

α

<

90°

.

15. Method in accordance with claim 14, wherein 0°

≦

α

≦

60°

.

16. Method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the gas comprises CH₃SiCl₃ and H₂ and/or NH₃, or SiH₂Cl₂, SiHCl₃, SiCl₄ and H₂ and/or NH₃, causing deposit on the surface of the object of a film containing silicon carbide and/or silicon nitride.

17. Method in accordance with claim 16, wherein the gas additionally comprises a doping gas selected from the group consisting of diborane, boron trichloride, aluminum trichioride arid gallium chloride.

18. Method in accordance with claim 1 for producing a semiconductor system of layers, wherein the object comprises a substrate selected from the group consisting of silicon, ceramic or graphite, and wherein:

a first layer containing SiC and/or silicon nitride is deposited via CVD onto the surface of the object, at a substrate temperature of 900°

to 2000°

C.;

a silicon film (p⁺) that is doped with an element from Group III of the periodic table is applied to the first layer, followed by crystallization via melting; and

a photosensitive silicon film is applied epitaxially to crystallized areas within a range of between 0.1 mm and 10 mm.

19. Method in accordance with claim 18, additionally comprising forming a pn transition on the epitaxial silicon film.

20. Method in accordance with claim 18, additionally comprising forming a front contact layer and optionally an antireflective layer.

21. Method in accordance with claim 18, additionally comprising applying a 0.1 μ

m to 5 μ

m thick initial silicon oxide film prior to the melting on of the silicon film that is doped with an element from Group III of the periodic table, which initial silicon film is recrystallized by melting, and is doped and etched away via a gas containing HF and/or H₂, in order to form a nucleation layer having a multicrystalline structure, whose particles extend between 0.1-10 mm.

22. Method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the chamber is substantially cuboid.

23. Method in accordance with claim 22, wherein the gas is introduced into the chamber at a temperature T₁, which is lower than the temperature T₂ of the surface of the objet to be treated or coated.

24. Method in accordance with claim 22, wherein the portion of the gas that is drawn out of the chamber has a layer thickness that is less than three times the width of a diffusion zone in which the gas interacts with the surface of the object.

25. Method in accordance with claim 24, wherein the portion of the gas that is drawn out of the chamber has a layer thickness that is approximately the width of the diffusion zone.

26. Method in accordance with claim 22, wherein the first longitudinal boundary panel of the chamber is cooled.

27. Method in accordance with claim 22, wherein the gas is introduced in the top of the chamber at a temperature that causes the gas to flow along the longitudinal boundary panel by force of gravity.

11. Method in accordance with 1, wherein a silicon oxide film is removed from the surface of the object by causing a gas containing HF and/or H₂O to flow along the surface.