Vapor transport deposition method and system for material co-deposition

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10749068-B2
Application number	US-201816185966-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 9, 2018
Priority date	Nov 18, 2011
Publication date	Aug 18, 2020
Grant date	Aug 18, 2020

Abstract

An improved feeder system and method for continuous vapor transport deposition that includes at least two vaporizers couple to a common distributor through an improved seal for separately vaporizing and collecting at least any two vaporizable materials for deposition as a material layer on a substrate. Multiple vaporizer provide redundancy and allow for continuous deposition during vaporizer maintenance and repair.

First claim

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A vapor distributing unit comprising:
a vaporizer unit for vaporizing a powder material;
a vapor housing for capturing material vapor from the vaporizer unit, wherein the vaporizer unit is within the vapor housing, and wherein the vapor housing further comprises a vapor housing outlet;
a vapor distribution unit comprising an inlet channel for collecting vapor from the vaporizer unit, a chamber for collecting the material vapor captured by the vapor housing, and a chamber outlet for outputting the material vapor collected in the chamber along a base of the vapor distribution unit;
a seal at the junction between an outer wall of the vapor housing and the vapor distribution unit, wherein the seal comprises:
a tubular section that extends from the outer wall of the vapor housing to flush with an inner wall of the vapor housing, the inner wall arranged opposite of the outer wall, the tubular section forming a continuous wall of the inlet channel and extending from the vapor housing to the chamber; and
a second section that extends away from the inlet channel into an annular space between the vapor housing and the vapor distribution unit.

2. The vapor distributing unit of claim 1 , wherein the vaporizer unit further comprises:
a permeable member having at least one material inlet port for receiving the powder material.

3. The vapor distributing unit of claim 1 , wherein the inlet channel in the vapor distribution unit is between the vapor housing and the chamber.

4. The vapor distributing unit of claim 1 , wherein the seal is an L-shaped seal.

5. The vapor distributing unit of claim 4 , wherein the seal comprises a thermal-conductive material.

6. The vapor distributing unit of claim 5 , wherein the seal comprises graphite.

7. The vapor distributing unit of claim 4 , wherein the vapor distribution unit comprises a thermal-conductive material.

8. The vapor distributing unit of claim 4 , wherein the vapor distribution unit comprises graphite.

9. The vapor distributing unit of claim 4 , wherein the vapor distribution unit comprises a thermal-conductive block.

10. The vapor distributing unit of claim 4 , wherein the vapor housing comprises a thermal-conductive material.

11. The vapor distributing unit of claim 4 , wherein the vapor housing comprises graphite.

12. The vapor distributing unit of claim 4 , further comprising a vibration powder feeder for feeding the powder material into an inlet port of the vaporizer unit.

13. The vapor distributing unit of claim 12 , further comprising a second vibration powder feeder for feeding a second powder material into a second inlet port of the vaporizer unit.

14. The vapor distributing unit of claim 13 , further comprising a first gas source for directing gas through a first mass flow controller into the first vibration powder feeder, and a second gas source for directing gas through a second mass flow controller into the second vibration powder feeder.

15. The vapor distributing unit of claim 14 , wherein the first and second powder materials are a semiconductor powder material.

16. The vapor distributing unit of claim 15 , wherein the semiconductor powder material is CdTe.

17. The vapor distributing unit of claim 14 , wherein the first powder material and the second powder material are a mixture of a semiconductor material and a dopant.

18. The vapor distributing unit of claim 17 , wherein the semiconductor powder material is CdTe and the dopant comprises Si.

19. The vapor distributing unit of claim 14 , wherein the gas is a carrier gas.

20. The vapor distributing unit of claim 14 , wherein the gas is a mixture of a carrier gas and a reactive gas.

Assignees

• First Solar Inc

Inventors

• Barden John
• Powell Rick C

Classifications

• H10P14/3432

  Tellurides · CPC title

• H10P14/3428

  Sulfides · CPC title

• H10F77/1233

  characterised by the dopants · CPC title

• H10F19/31

  having multiple laterally adjacent thin-film photovoltaic cells deposited on the same substrate · CPC title

• H10F71/125 Primary

  The active layers comprising only Group II-VI materials, e.g. CdS, ZnS or CdTe · CPC title