Semiconductor material and method of production

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9306111-B2
Application number	US-201113988302-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 18, 2011
Priority date	Nov 18, 2010
Publication date	Apr 5, 2016
Grant date	Apr 5, 2016

Abstract

A method of manufacturing (Ag x Cu 1-x ) 2 ZnSn(S y Se 1-y ) 4 thin films, the method comprising: providing a thin film comprising Ag and/or Cu, the thin film further comprising Zn and annealing the thin film in an atmosphere comprising S and/or Se, and further comprising Sn.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of manufacturing (Ag x Cu 1-x ) 2 ZnSn(S y Se 1-y ) 4 thin films, where x and y are independently between 0 and 1, the method comprising:
providing a thin film comprising Ag and/or Cu, the thin film further comprising Zn; and
annealing the thin film in an atmosphere comprising S and/or Se, and further comprising Sn, wherein the annealing comprises providing an Sn source in the presence of reactive S and/or Se external to the thin film, and heating the Sn source in a non-vacuum atmosphere to an elevated temperature and pressure in the presence of the thin film;
wherein a vapor pressure of Sn or Sn compounds in the atmosphere essentially in contact with a surface of the thin film is higher than any partial pressure of Sn present in the thin film whereby Sn from the Sn source is provided to the thin film.

2. The method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the thin film provided prior to annealing further comprises Sn.

3. The method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the thin film provided prior to annealing further comprises S and/or Se.

4. The method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the Sn source is an Sn-containing composition further comprising S or Se.

5. The method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the step of annealing the thin film further comprises enclosing the thin film and the atmosphere in an inert enclosure.

6. The method in accordance with claim 5 , wherein at least one opening is provided in the enclosure.

7. The method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the thin film is provided on a substrate.

8. The method in accordance with claim 7 , wherein the substrate is molybdenum.

9. The method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the thin film comprises at least one layer comprising Zn.

10. The method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the thin film comprises at least one layer comprising Ag and/or Cu.

11. The method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the thin film comprises at least one layer comprising S and/or Se.

12. The method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the thin film comprises at least one layer comprising Sn.

13. The method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the Sn source external to the thin film further comprises a gas flow comprising Sn and reactive S/Se.

Assignees

• Berg Dominik
• Redinger Alex
• Dale Phillip
• Siebentritt Susanne
• Univ Luxembourg
• Tdk Corp

Inventors

• Berg Dominik
• Redinger Alex
• Dale Phillip
• Siebentritt Susanne

Classifications

• H10F77/128

  comprising only Group I-II-IV-VI kesterite materials, e.g. Cu2ZnSnSe4 or Cu2ZnSnS4 · CPC title

• H10F71/128

  Annealing · CPC title

• C25D5/10

  Electroplating with more than one layer of the same or of different metals (for bearings C25D7/10) · CPC title

• C23C14/0623 Primary

  Sulfides, selenides or tellurides · CPC title

• H01L31/0326

  Electricity · mapped topic