Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for depositing films on a substrate by chemical vapour deposition (CVD) or physical vapour deposition (PVD), said process employing at least one boron compound. This process is particularly useful for fabricating photovoltaic solar cells. The invention also relates to the use of boron compounds for conferring optical and/or electrical properties on materials in a CVD or PVD deposition process. This process is also particularly useful for fabricating a photovoltaic solar cell.

Abstract: A process for lift-off of at least one thin film layer situated on a substrate is disclosed, including the steps of: depositing a support layer such as polymer on the thin film layer, wherein the support layer maintains the structural integrity of the thin film layer; attaching a rigid carrier superstrate to the support layer; and removing at least a portion of the substrate, wherein the thin film layer remains attached to the carrier superstrate via the support layer. After removing the substrate, the thin film layer is attached to a host substrate, and the carrier superstrate is removed from the thin film layer to leave the thin film layer attached to the host substrate. Removing the carrier superstrate from the thin film layer can include mechanically detaching the carrier superstrate from the thin film layer, such that only selected segments of the thin film layer remain attached to the host substrate.

Abstract: A method of fabricating a film of active devices is provided. First damaged regions are formed, in a substrate, underneath first areas of the substrate where active devices are to be formed. Active devices are formed onto the first areas. Second damaged regions are formed, in the substrate, between the first damaged regions. The film is caused to detach from a rest of the substrate at a location where the first and second damaged regions are formed.

Abstract: A polysilicon diffusion doping method which employs a deposited dopant-rich oxide layer with a highly uniform distribution of dopant atoms and thickness. Polysilicon layers 1,500 angstroms thick have been doped, achieving average resistance values of 60 ohms and non-uniformity values of 5 percent. Resistance values were measured using the four-point probe method with probe spacings of 0.10 cm. After a polysilicon layer has been formed upon a surface of a silicon wafer, a dopant-rich oxide layer is deposited upon the polysilicon layer at reduced pressure. The dopant-rich oxide layer is deposited, and serves as a source of dopant atoms during the subsequent diffusion process. The dopant-rich oxide layer is a phosphosilicate glass (PSG) including phosphorus pentoxide (P.sub.2 O.sub.5) and phosphorus trioxide (P.sub.2 O.sub.3) and deposited using a PECVD technique.

Abstract: A fabrication method for a horizontal direction semiconductor PN junction array which can be achieved when an epitaxial layer is grown by a metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD method) by introducing (or doping) a small amount of CCl.sub.4 or CBr.sub.4 gas, includes forming a recess on an N type GaAs substrate by using a non-planar growth, performing a growth method of a P type epitaxial layer on the N type GaAs substrate by a metalorganic chemical vapor deposition method, and forming a horizontal direction PN junction array of P-GaAs/N-GaAs or P-AlGaAs/N-GaAs by introducing a gas comprising CCl.sub.4 or CBr.sub.4 .

Abstract: An optical semiconductor device includes a plurality of electrodes formed on a common side of a substrate. On the substrate, a first type conductivity layer, a first main layer such as an active layer, which has any one of an undoped type, a first type conductivity and a second type conductivity, and a second type conductivity layer are formed in this order. The layers down to at least the second type conductivity layer are removed to form a ridge and at least one contact groove, which reaches the first type conductivity layer, is formed, such that surfaces having different surface indices from a surface index of the substrate are exposed at the ridge and the contact groove. A regrowth is performed on the exposed surfaces using an amphi-conductivity impurity as a dopant, such that a first portion having a first type conductivity is grown on the contact groove and a second portion having a second type conductivity is grown on the ridge.