Solar cell
US-9917219-B2 · Mar 13, 2018 · US
Wafer with regions of low oxygen concentration
US12359343B2 · US · B2
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Publication number | US-12359343-B2 |
| Application number | US-202017634044-A |
| Country | US |
| Kind code | B2 |
| Filing date | Aug 9, 2020 |
| Priority date | Aug 9, 2019 |
| Publication date | Jul 15, 2025 |
| Grant date | Jul 15, 2025 |
How to read this patent
A practical reading order for non-experts. Skip the full description unless you need deep technical detail.
- Title
What the patent document calls the invention.
- Abstract
A short plain-language summary of the technical disclosure.
- Assignees and inventors
Who owns or filed the patent and who is credited as inventor.
- Key dates
Filing, priority, publication, and grant dates set the timeline.
- First independent claim
The legal scope of protection — read this for what is actually claimed.
- CPC / IPC classifications
Technology tags used to group this patent with similar filings.
- Citations and related patents
Prior art links and similar publications in this corpus.
Abstract
Official abstract text for this publication.
A single crystal silicon wafer has a thickness between a first surface and an opposite second surface from 50 μm to 300 μm. The wafer includes a first region extending a first depth from the first surface. The first region has a reduced oxygen concentration relative to an adjacent region of the wafer. The wafer has a bulk minority carrier lifetime greater than 100 μs.
First claim
Opening claim text (preview).
What is claimed is: 1. A semiconductor material comprising: a single crystal silicon ribbon floating on molten silicon, wherein the single crystal silicon ribbon has a thickness between a first surface and a second surface from 50 μm to 300 μm, the first surface and the second surface are opposite each other, the single crystal silicon ribbon includes a first region extending a first depth from the first surface toward the second surface, the first region has a reduced oxygen concentration relative to a bulk region of the single crystal silicon ribbon, and the single crystal silicon ribbon has a bulk minority carrier lifetime greater than 100 μs. 2. The semiconductor material of claim 1 , wherein the first surface and the second surface are flat. 3. The semiconductor material of claim 1 , wherein the first region has an oxygen concentration from 0.1 to 8.0 ppma. 4. The semiconductor material of claim 1 , wherein the bulk region of the single crystal silicon ribbon has an oxygen concentration from 8 to 25 ppma. 5. The semiconductor material of claim 1 , wherein the first depth is at least 5 μm. 6. The semiconductor material of claim 1 , wherein the first depth is from 10% to 90% of the thickness. 7. The semiconductor material of claim 6 , wherein the first depth is approximately 30% of the thickness. 8. The semiconductor material of claim 1 , wherein the first region has a reduced concentration of bulk micro defects relative to the bulk region of the single crystal silicon ribbon. 9. The semiconductor material of claim 1 , further comprising a second region extending a second depth from the second surface toward the first surface, and wherein the second region has a reduced oxygen concentration relative to the bulk region of the single crystal silicon ribbon disposed between the first region and the second region. 10. The semiconductor material of claim 9 , wherein the second region has an oxygen concentration from 0.1 to 8.0 ppma. 11. The semiconductor material of claim 9 , wherein the second depth is at least 5 μm. 12. The semiconductor material of claim 9 , wherein the first depth and the second depth combined is from 10% to 90% of the thickness. 13. The semiconductor material of claim 9 , wherein the second depth is approximately 10% of the thickness. 14. The semiconductor material of claim 9 , wherein the first region and the second region have a reduced concentration of bulk micro defects relative to the bulk region of the single crystal silicon ribbon disposed between the first region and the second region. 15. The semiconductor material of claim 9 , wherein the first depth and the second depth are different distances. 16. The semiconductor material of claim 1 , wherein the single crystal silicon ribbon is rectangular. 17. The semiconductor material of claim 1 , wherein the single crystal silicon ribbon further includes a dopant. 18. The semiconductor material of claim 1 , wherein the single crystal silicon ribbon has an average oxygen precipitate count from 0 to 1e11/cm3 in the first region.
Assignees
Inventors
Classifications
- H10F77/122Primary
comprising only Group IV materials · CPC title
Non-vertical pulling · CPC title
- C30B29/06Primary
Silicon · CPC title
characterised by the dopants · CPC title
Patent family
Related publications grouped by family.
External sources
Frequently asked questions
Answers are generated from the same data shown on this page.
- What does patent US12359343B2 cover?
- A single crystal silicon wafer has a thickness between a first surface and an opposite second surface from 50 μm to 300 μm. The wafer includes a first region extending a first depth from the first surface. The first region has a reduced oxygen concentration relative to an adjacent region of the wafer. The wafer has a bulk minority carrier lifetime greater than 100 μs.
- Who is the assignee on this patent?
- Blue Origin Mfg Llc
- What technology area does this patent fall under?
- Primary CPC classification H10F77/122. Mapped technology areas include Electricity.
- When was this patent published?
- Publication date Tue Jul 15 2025 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) (B2). Legal status and post-grant events are not shown on this page.
- What related patents are in patentsdb?
- We list 12 related publications on this page (citations in our corpus or others sharing the same primary CPC).