Method for producing a metal backside contact of a semiconductor component, in particular, a solar cell

• US 7,763,535 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2008
• Issued: 07/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Liu, Jian, Trassl, Roland, Henrich, Jürgen, Wieder, Stephan, Rist, Gerhard
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith; Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): FAN, SU JYA
• Application Number:
  US12/202,123
• Publication Number:
  US 20090061627A1
• Time in Patent Office: 697 Days
• Field of Search: 438/647, 438/597, 438/584, 438/662, 438/678, 438/679, 438/680, 438/612, 257/E21.575
• US Class Current: 438/612
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/022425 for solar cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 Photovoltaic [PV] energy

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a backside contact of a semiconductor component, in particular, of a solar cell, comprising a metallic layer on the backside of a substrate in a vacuum treatment chamber, and the use of a vacuum treatment system for performing said method. Through this method and its use, in particular silicon based solar cells, can be provided with a back contact in a simple manner in a continuous process sequence, wherein the process sequence can be provided particularly efficient and economical, since no handling systems for rotating the substrate are required, and in particular silk screening steps can be dispensed with.

Claims

1. A method for producing a backside contact of a semiconductor element, comprising:

depositing a metallic layer on the backside of a substrate through sputtering or vapor deposition in an inline vacuum deposition system having deposition tools; and

depositing at least one additional layer on at least one of a frontside or backside of the substrate in the inline vacuum deposition system, wherein the metallic layer and the additional layer are deposited without interrupting vacuum, wherein the at least one additional layer is a solderable layer comprising one or several layers of material chosen from the group consisting of Ag, Ni, NiV, NiCr, or Cr and is deposited on the backside after depositing the metallic layer.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the deposition tools for depositing the layers on the backside of the substrate are disposed with reference to a product flow path of the vacuum deposition system, opposite to the deposition tools for depositing the layers on the frontside of the substrate, wherein the substrate rests in particular on punctiform supports of a carrier in order to substantially avoid a shadowing of the substrate through the carrier.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is substantially moved in a horizontal path along the deposition tools, so that the deposition direction is vertical.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the metallic layer comprises a material chosen from the group consisting of aluminum, silver, molybdenum, nickel, or combinations thereof, wherein the metallic layer is deposited with a thickness of 0.1 μ

m to 10 μ

m.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein a passivation layer comprising a material chosen from the group SiN:

H, SiC;

H, SiO₂;

H, or a-Si;

H is deposited before depositing the metallic layer.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein after depositing the metallic layer, the metallic layer is partially melted through an intense laser beam, so that a laser fired contact (LFC) is formed.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein a barrier layer is deposited on the backside after depositing the metallic layer.

8. The method according to claims 7, wherein the solderable layer is deposited after depositing the barrier layer.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein the barrier layer comprises WTi.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein a layer is deposited on the frontside of the substrate during the deposition of a layer on the backside of the substrate.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein several substrates are disposed in a common carrier and simultaneously provided with at least one layer.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one deposition tool is provided in a vacuum treatment chamber in an insertable element shaped as a drawer.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least two coating tools are provided in a vacuum treatment chamber in an insertable element shaped as a drawer, wherein a first deposition tool points to the frontside and a second deposition tool points to the backside of the substrate.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the layers are vapor deposited, wherein the respective materials are provided as a wire through a vacuum pass-through into an evaporator.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the layers'"'"' materials is evaporated in a first and a second evaporator within two subsequent vacuum treatment chambers, where the materials are evaporated in the first evaporator until the material in the first evaporator is consumed and the materials are then evaporated in the second evaporator without interruption of the vapor deposition in the other vacuum treatment chambers of the inline vacuum deposition system.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the layers is sputtered on by at least one rotatable cathode.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the number of cathodes is selected depending on the sputter yield of the cathodes, the thickness of the layer to be achieved, and the throughput of the vacuum treatment system to be achieved.