Methods of making carbon-containing semiconducting devices by pyrolyzing a polymer including asphalt or petroleum pitch

• US 8,030,127 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2010
• Issued: 10/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nitto Denko Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nitto Denko Corporation
• Inventors: Urairi, Masakatsu, Pan, Guang, Nakamura, Toshitaka, Mochizuki, Amane
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Ha Tran T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gupta; Raj R
• Application Number:
  US12/753,395
• Publication Number:
  US 20100221850A1
• Time in Patent Office: 550 Days
• Field of Search: 257/40, 438/99
• US Class Current: 438/99
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 10/00 Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/068 the potential barriers being only of the PN homojunction type, e.g. bulk silicon PN homojunction solar cells or thin film polycrystalline silicon PN homojunction solar cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0745 comprising a AIVBIV heterojunction, e.g. Si/Ge, SiGe/Si or Si/SiC solar cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/1804 comprising only elements of Group IV of the Periodic Table
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/20 such devices or parts thereof comprising amorphous semiconductor materials
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 2102/103 comprising indium oxides, e.g. ITO
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 30/10 comprising heterojunctions between organic semiconductors and inorganic semiconductors
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 30/20 comprising organic-organic junctions, e.g. donor-acceptor junctions
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 30/50 Photovoltaic [PV] devices
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/40 Thermal treatment, e.g. annealing in the presence of a solvent vapour
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 85/10 Organic polymers or oligomers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 85/221 Carbon nanotubes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/547 Monocrystalline silicon PV cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/549 Organic PV cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention relate to semiconducting carbon-containing devices and methods of making thereof. The semi-conducting carbon containing devices comprise an n-type semiconducting layer and a p-type semiconducting layer, both of which are positioned over a substrate. The n-type semiconducting layer can be formed by pyrolyzing a carbon- and nitrogen-containing polymer, and the p-type semiconducting layer can be formed by pyrolyzing an aromatic- and aliphatic-group-containing polymer. In some embodiments, the devices are solar cell devices.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing a semiconducting device, comprising:

forming a first polymer layer over a substrate, wherein the first polymer layer comprises nitrogen and carbon;

forming a second polymer layer over the substrate, wherein the second polymer layer comprises asphalt or petroleum pitch;

pyrolyzing the first polymer layer under substantially nonoxidizing conditions selected to transform the first polymer layer into an n-type semiconducting layer; and

pyrolyzing the second polymer layer under substantially nonoxidizing conditions selected to transform the second polymer layer into a p-type semiconducting layer.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first polymer layer is formed over the second polymer layer.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the n-type semiconducting layer is in contact with the p-type semiconducting layer.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the temperature during pyrolysis of the first polymer layer is from about 400°

C. to about 1000°

C.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the temperature during pyrolysis of the second polymer layer is from about 400°

C. to about 1000°

C.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the nonoxidizing conditions comprise a vacuum environment.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first polymer layer comprises at least one of polyimide, polyacrylonitrile, polyamide, and polyanidimide.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the first polymer layer comprises polyimide.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein forming the first polymer layer comprises a wet process.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the wet process comprises spin-coating and/or dip-coating.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein forming the second polymer layer comprises a wet process.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the wet process comprises spin-coating and/or dip-coating.

13. The method according to claim 1, further comprising forming a first electrode layer over the substrate and forming the first polymer layer over the first electrode layer.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the first electrode layer comprises molybdenum.

15. The method according to claim 1, further comprising forming a transparent conductive electrode layer over the p-type semiconducting layer.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the transparent conductive electrode layer comprises indium tin oxide.

17. A method of manufacturing a semiconducting device, comprising:

forming a first polymer layer over a substrate, wherein the first polymer layer comprises (i) nitrogen and carbon or (ii) aromatic and aliphatic functional groups;

forming a second polymer layer over the substrate, wherein the second polymer layer comprises asphalt or petroleum pitch;

pyrolyzing one of the first or second polymer layers under substantially nonoxidizing conditions sufficient to transform the first or second polymer layer into a p-type semiconducting layer; and

pyrolyzing the other polymer layer under substantially nonoxidizing conditions sufficient to transform the other polymer layer into an n-type semiconducting layer.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the first polymer layer comprises nitrogen and carbon.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein pyrolysis to form a p-type semiconductor layer is conducted at a temperature about 400°

C. to about 700°

C.

20. The method according to claim 17, wherein pyrolysis to form an n-type semiconductor layer is conducted at a temperature about 700°

C. to about 1000°

C.

21. A method of manufacturing a semiconducting device, comprising:

forming a first polymer layer over a substrate, wherein the first polymer layer comprises (i) nitrogen and carbon or (ii) aromatic and aliphatic functional groups;

forming a second polymer layer over the substrate, wherein the second polymer layer comprises asphalt or petroleum pitch;

pyrolyzing the first polymer layer under substantially nonoxidizing conditions;

measuring to confirm that the first polymer layer is either is an n-type or p-type carrier;

pyrolyzing the second polymer layer under substantially nonoxidizing conditions; and

measuring to confirm that the second polymer layer is a carrier type that is different than the carrier type of the first polymer layer.