| US 7,464,663 B2 | ||
| Roll-vortex plasma chemical vapor deposition system | ||
| Marvin S Keshner, Mt View, Calif. (US); Warren B. Jackson, San Francisco, Calif. (US); and Krzysztof Nauka, Redwood City, Calif. (US) | ||
| Assigned to OptiSolar, Inc., Hayward, Calif. (US) | ||
| Filed on May 25, 2006, as Appl. No. 11/420,429. | ||
| Application 11/420429 is a division of application No. 10/618478, filed on Jul. 11, 2003, granted, now 7,264,849. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2006/0236933 A1, Oct. 26, 2006 | ||
| Int. Cl. C23C 16/00 (2006.01); B05C 11/00 (2006.01); C23F 1/00 (2006.01); H01L 21/306 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 118—723E [118/723 R; 118/663; 118/719; 118/723 ER; 118/602; 156/345.43; 156/345.44; 156/345.45; 156/345.46; 156/345.47; 156/345.26; 156/345.24] | 17 Claims |

| 1. A thin-film silicon chemical vapor deposition (CVD) system, comprising:
a deposition chamber having a pair of RF electrodes, wherein the deposition chamber is configured to have a workpiece substrate
positioned therein, wherein a first of the pair of RF electrodes is positioned above the workpiece substrate and a second
of the pair of RF electrodes positioned below the workpiece substrate;
a silane input positioned between the pair of electrodes and running a length of the deposition chamber adapted to inject
a silane gas into a hydrogen plasma cloud proximate said workpiece substrate and to roll said hydrogen plasma cloud into a
coaxial vortex along a length of the workpiece substrate;
wherein said silane input comprises
a first series of gas injector jets positioned in said deposition chamber; and
a second series of gas injector jets positioned in said deposition chamber;
wherein the first series of gas injectors and the second series of gas injectors are positioned to roll said hydrogen plasma
cloud into a coaxial vortex along a length of the workpiece substrate;
a dopant input device adapted to inject p-type impurities, n-type impurities, or no impurities into said deposition chamber
during operation and to provide for alternative depositions of p-type, n-type, and intrinsic silicon layers, respectively,
on said workpiece substrate; and
an exhaust system positioned between the pair of electrodes and running the length of the deposition chamber adapted to remove
a deposition gas mixture from the deposition chamber to draw off excess hydrogen to aid in rolling said hydrogen plasma cloud
into a coaxial vortex along the length of the workpiece substrate;
wherein, such provide for a controlled pressure and a consistent concentration of said silane gas in said hydrogen plasma
cloud during operation and recirculates said deposition gas mixture to create a consistent concentration of said silane gas
for rolling said hydrogen plasma cloud into the coaxial vortex along the length of the workpiece substrate during operation.
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