Abstract: An apparatus for forming a solar cell includes a housing defining a vacuum chamber, a rotatable substrate support, at least one inner heater and at least one outer heater. The substrate support is inside the vacuum chamber configured to hold a substrate. The at least one inner heater is between a center of the vacuum chamber and the substrate support, and is configured to heat a back surface of a substrate on the substrate support. The at least one outer heater is between an outer surface of the vacuum chamber and the substrate support, and is configured to heat a front surface of a substrate on the substrate support.

Abstract: Apparatus for forming a solar cell comprises a housing defining a chamber including a substrate support. A sputtering source is configured to deposit particles of a first type over at least a portion of a surface of a substrate on the substrate support. An evaporation source is configured to deposit a plurality of particles of a second type over the portion of the surface of the substrate. A cooling unit is provided between the sputtering source and the evaporation source. A control system is provided for controlling the evaporation source based on a rate of mass flux emitted by the evaporation source.

Abstract: An apparatus for forming a solar cell includes a housing defining a vacuum chamber, a rotatable substrate support, at least one inner heater and at least one outer heater. The substrate support is inside the vacuum chamber configured to hold a substrate. The at least one inner heater is between a center of the vacuum chamber and the substrate support, and is configured to heat a back surface of a substrate on the substrate support. The at least one outer heater is between an outer surface of the vacuum chamber and the substrate support, and is configured to heat a front surface of a substrate on the substrate support.

Abstract: An apparatus for forming a solar cell includes a housing defining a vacuum chamber, a rotatable substrate support, at least one inner heater and at least one outer heater. The substrate support is inside the vacuum chamber configured to hold a substrate. The at least one inner heater is between a center of the vacuum chamber and the substrate support, and is configured to heat a back surface of a substrate on the substrate support. The at least one outer heater is between an outer surface of the vacuum chamber and the substrate support, and is configured to heat a front surface of a substrate on the substrate support.

Abstract: A photovoltaic device includes a substrate, a back contact layer disposed above the substrate, an absorber layer comprising an absorber material disposed above the back contact layer, and a buffer layer disposed above the absorber layer. The buffer layer includes a first layer comprising the absorber material doped with zinc, and a second layer comprising a zinc-containing compound and a cadmium-containing compound.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for forming a solar cell. The apparatus includes a housing defining a vacuum chamber and a rotatable substrate apparatus configured to hold a plurality of substrates on a plurality of surfaces. A first sputtering source is configured to deposit a plurality of absorber layer atoms of a first type over at least a portion of a surface of each one of the plurality of substrates. An evaporation source is configured to deposit a plurality of absorber layer atoms of a second type over at least a portion of the surface of each one of the plurality of substrates.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for forming a solar cell. The apparatus includes a housing defining a vacuum chamber and a rotatable substrate apparatus configured to hold a plurality of substrates on a plurality of surfaces wherein each of the plurality of surfaces are disposed facing an interior surface of the vacuum chamber. A first sputtering source is configured to deposit a plurality of absorber layer atoms of a first type over at least a portion of a surface of each one of the plurality of substrates. An evaporation source is disposed in a first subchamber of the vacuum chamber and configured to deposit a plurality of absorber layer atoms of a second type over at least a portion of the surface of each one of the plurality of substrates. A first isolation source is configured to isolate the evaporation source from the first sputtering source.

Abstract: An apparatus for forming a solar cell includes a housing defining a vacuum chamber, a rotatable substrate support, at least one inner heater and at least one outer heater. The substrate support is inside the vacuum chamber configured to hold a substrate. The at least one inner heater is between a center of the vacuum chamber and the substrate support, and is configured to heat a back surface of a substrate on the substrate support. The at least one outer heater is between an outer surface of the vacuum chamber and the substrate support, and is configured to heat a front surface of a substrate on the substrate support.

Abstract: Apparatuses for forming material films on a solar cell substrate of substantially uniform thickness and processes for forming the same are disclosed. The process performed in the apparatuses is physical vapor deposition (PVD) in some embodiments. In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a specially configured flow aperture. In another embodiment, an apparatus includes moveable shutters which open and close in synchronization with a rotating drum on which substrates are mounted for processing. In other embodiments, the apparatus includes a variable power supply or drum speed control which automatically vary the power supply to the apparatus or drum speed respectively in synchronization with the rotating drum.

Abstract: Apparatus for forming a solar cell comprises a housing defining a chamber including a substrate support. A sputtering source is configured to deposit particles of a first type over at least a portion of a surface of a substrate on the substrate support. An evaporation source is configured to deposit a plurality of particles of a second type over the portion of the surface of the substrate. A cooling unit is provided between the sputtering source and the evaporation source. A control system is provided for controlling the evaporation source based on a rate of mass flux emitted by the evaporation source.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for forming a solar cell. The apparatus includes a housing defining a vacuum chamber and a rotatable substrate apparatus configured to hold a plurality of substrates on a plurality of surfaces wherein each of the plurality of surfaces are disposed facing an interior surface of the vacuum chamber. A first sputtering source is configured to deposit a plurality of absorber layer atoms of a first type over at least a portion of a surface of each one of the plurality of substrates. An evaporation source is disposed in a first subchamber of the vacuum chamber and configured to deposit a plurality of absorber layer atoms of a second type over at least a portion of the surface of each one of the plurality of substrates. A first isolation source is configured to isolate the evaporation source from the first sputtering source.

Abstract: A method and system for forming a chalcogenide or chalcopyrite-based semiconductor material provide for the simultaneous deposition of metal precursor materials from a target and Se radials from a Se radical generation system. The Se radical generation system includes an evaporator that produces an Se vapor and a plasma chamber that uses a plasma to generate a flux of Se radicals. Multiple such deposition operations may take place in sequence, each having the deposition temperature accurately controlled. The deposited material may include a compositional concentration gradient or may be a composite material, and may be used as an absorber layer in a solar cell.

Abstract: An accelerated thermal stress cycle test which can be conducted in a significantly reduced test time compared to the conventional test is provided. The test is carried out in a cluster of reaction chambers that includes a CVD chamber and a cool-down chamber such that a pre-processed wafer can be heated from room temperature to at least 350° C. in an inert gas in about 2 min., and then cooled down to not higher than 70° C. in a cool-down chamber in less than 30 sec. The heating and cooling steps can be repeated between 3 and 7 times to reveal any defect formation caused by the thermal stress cycle test. Typical defects are metal film peeling from insulating dielectric material layer or void formation.

Abstract: An accelerated thermal stress cycle test which can be conducted in a significantly reduced test time compared to the conventional test is provided. The test is carried out in a cluster of reaction chambers that includes a CVD chamber and a cool-down chamber such that a pre-processed wafer can be heated from room temperature to at least 350° C. in an inert gas in about 2 min., and then cooled down to not higher than 70° C. in a cool-down chamber in less than 30 sec. The heating and cooling steps can be repeated between 3 and 7 times to reveal any defect formation caused by the thermal stress cycle test. Typical defects are metal film peeling from insulating dielectric material layer or void formation.

Abstract: A test sample with a film and an underlying substrate representing part of a semiconductor wafer is prepared for a stud pull test by a process that includes maintaining the sample in boiling salt water for a few hours. When an epoxy stud is attached to the film of the sample and the clamped assembly is baked for a about an hour, the stud is firmly attached to the film and in an otherwise conventional pull test, the film breaks loose from the substrate (or the stud breaks from the epoxy) before the stud breaks from the film.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for monitoring condition of the plasma of a plasma process during processing is disclosed. A spectrum detector (12) detects the intensity of a predetermined wavelength of radiation produced by the plasma process. The output of the spectrum detector is sampled, filtered, and normalized. A parameter calculator (20) calculates a parameter such as velocity or acceleration of the intensity. The calculated parameter is compared to a predetermined threshold. If the parameter exceeds the predetermined threshold, an error condition is indicated.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a method for preventing electrostatic discharge damages to an article that is made of an insulating material and stored in a container also made of an insulating material by maintaining a minimum safe distance between the article and the top lid of the container such that a saturation electric field cannot be reached at such safety distance and thus electrostatic discharge does not occur. The present invention novel method can be utilized in carrying any insulating articles but is particularly suitable for carrying a quartz reticle in a polycarbonate pod.

Abstract: A photomask arrangement is disclosed to prevent the reticle patterns of a photomask from peeling caused by electrostatic discharge damage. The photomask includes: a substrate; a plurality of metal shielding layers formed on the surface of the substrate to provide the reticle patterns, wherein each two of the metal shielding layers are spaced apart by a clear scribe line; and a plurality of metal lines formed on the clear scribe line to connect the adjacent metal shielding layers, thereby increasing the effective surface area of the reticle patterns.

Abstract: A method is achieved for reducing the surface leakage current between adjacent bonding pads on integrated circuit substrates after forming a patterned polyimide passivation layer. When the polyimide layer is patterned to open contacts areas over the bonding pads, plasma ashing in oxygen is used to remove residual polyimide that otherwise causes high contact resistance, and poor chip yield. This plasma ashing also modifies the insulating layer between bonding pads resulting in an unwanted increase in surface leakage currents between bonding pads. The passivation process is improved by using a thermal treatment step in either a nitrogen or air ambient after the plasma ashing to essentially eliminate the increased surface leakage current and improve chip yield.

Abstract: A structure of a mask for use in a lithography process in a semiconductor fabrication procedure is disclosed. The structure comprising: a mask base being made of transparent material; a plurality of patterns formed on said mask base, said patterns being used for generating an image on a wafer and being made of a conductive opaque material; and a conductive layer formed on said mask base and said plurality of patterns.