Patents by Inventor Maria Recaman Payo

Maria Recaman Payo has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9496430
    Abstract: The disclosed technology generally relates to forming patterns of doped semiconductor regions, and more particularly to methods of forming such patterns in fabricating photovoltaic devices. In one aspect, a method of forming a pattern of different doped regions at the same side of a semiconductor substrate comprises providing a patterned doped layer on a surface of the semiconductor substrate at predetermined locations where at least one first doped region is to be formed. The method additionally includes selectively growing at least one second doped region epitaxially at the same side of the semiconductor substrate using the patterned doped layer as an epitaxial growth mask. Furthermore, selectively growing comprises driving dopants from the patterned doped layer into the semiconductor substrate to form the first doped region at the predetermined locations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2016
    Assignee: IMEC
    Inventors: Maria Recaman Payo, Niels Posthuma
  • Patent number: 9484487
    Abstract: A method for fabricating thin crystalline photovoltaic cells is disclosed. In one aspect, the method includes: forming a weakening layer in a surface portion of a semiconductor substrate; epitaxially growing a stack of semiconductor layers on the substrate for forming an active layer of the photovoltaic cell, the stack having a first thermal coefficient of expansion; providing on the stack patterned contact layer for forming electrical contacts of the photovoltaic cell, the patterned contact layer having a second thermal coefficient of expansion different from the first thermal coefficient of expansion. The process of providing a patterned contact layer simultaneously induces a tensile stress in the weakening layer, resulting in a lift-off from the substrate of a structure including the stack of semiconductor layers and the patterned contact layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignees: IMEC, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
    Inventors: Alex Masolin, Maria Recaman Payo
  • Publication number: 20160072001
    Abstract: A method for fabricating a crystalline semiconductor photovoltaic cell is disclosed. In one aspect, the method includes depositing a dielectric layer at first predetermined locations on a surface of a semiconductor substrate. The method further includes growing a doped epitaxial layer at second predetermined locations on a surface of the semiconductor substrate, the second predetermined locations being different from and non-overlapping with the first predetermined locations. The method further includes maintaining the dielectric layer as a surface passivation layer in the photovoltaic cell. The method also includes forming an emitter region, a back surface field region or a front surface field region of the photovoltaic cell from the doped epitaxial layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 28, 2015
    Publication date: March 10, 2016
    Inventors: MARIA RECAMAN PAYO, Filip Duerinckx, Monica Aleman
  • Publication number: 20140179054
    Abstract: The disclosed technology generally relates to forming patterns of doped semiconductor regions, and more particularly to methods of forming such patterns in fabricating photovoltaic devices. In one aspect, a method of forming a pattern of different doped regions at the same side of a semiconductor substrate comprises providing a patterned doped layer on a surface of the semiconductor substrate at predetermined locations where at least one first doped region is to be formed. The method additionally includes selectively growing at least one second doped region epitaxially at the same side of the semiconductor substrate using the patterned doped layer as an epitaxial growth mask. Furthermore, selectively growing comprises driving dopants from the patterned doped layer into the semiconductor substrate to form the first doped region at the predetermined locations.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 4, 2014
    Publication date: June 26, 2014
    Applicant: IMEC
    Inventors: Maria Recaman Payo, Niels Posthuma
  • Publication number: 20130240030
    Abstract: A method for fabricating thin crystalline photovoltaic cells is disclosed. In one aspect, the method includes: forming a weakening layer in a surface portion of a semiconductor substrate; epitaxially growing a stack of semiconductor layers on the substrate for forming an active layer of the photovoltaic cell, the stack having a first thermal coefficient of expansion; providing on the stack patterned contact layer for forming electrical contacts of the photovoltaic cell, the patterned contact layer having a second thermal coefficient of expansion different from the first thermal coefficient of expansion. The process of providing a patterned contact layer simultaneously induces a tensile stress in the weakening layer, resulting in a lift-off from the substrate of a structure including the stack of semiconductor layers and the patterned contact layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2013
    Publication date: September 19, 2013
    Applicants: Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, IMEC
    Inventors: Alex Masolin, Maria Recaman Payo