Method for treating a semiconductor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9373744-B2
Application number	US-201414253735-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 15, 2014
Priority date	Nov 21, 2012
Publication date	Jun 21, 2016
Grant date	Jun 21, 2016

Abstract

Methods for treating a semiconductor material, and for making devices containing a semiconducting material, are presented. One embodiment is a method for treating a semiconductor material that includes a chalcogenide. The method comprises contacting at least a portion of the semiconductor material with a chemical agent. The chemical agent comprises a solvent, and an iodophor dissolved in the solvent.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for treating a semiconductor material, comprising:
reacting a semiconductor material with an iodine containing chemical agent, wherein the iodine containing chemical agent comprises a complex between a solvent and elemental iodine.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the semiconductor material comprises a chalcogenide.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising a step of forming a chalcogen-rich region within the semiconductor material.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the chalcogen-rich region is a tellurium-rich region.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising contacting at least a portion of the semiconductor material with a contacting composition comprising a dopant to incorporate the dopant into the semiconductor material.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the step of contacting at least a portion of the semiconductor material with a contacting composition further comprises forming a chalcogenide species of the dopant.

7. A method for making a photovoltaic device, comprising
disposing a chalcogen containing semiconductor material on a support;
contacting at least a portion of the semiconductor material with a passivating agent;
introducing a first dopant to the semiconductor material and forming a first region in the semiconductor material;
reacting the semiconductor material with an iodine containing chemical agent to form a chalcogen rich region;
introducing a second dopant to the semiconductor material and forming a chalcogenide species of the second dopant.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the first dopant and second dopant are the same.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the first dopant and second dopant are different.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein the passivating agent is one of a solution of cadmium chloride and a cadmium chloride vapor.

11. The method of claim 7 , wherein the step of contacting at least a portion of the semiconductor material with a passivating agent further includes a heat treatment.

12. The method claim of 11 , wherein the heat treatment is performed at a temperature within a range from about 300° C. to about 500° C.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the heat treatment step is performed for a time duration within a range from about 1 minute to about 60 minutes.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the heat treatment is performed in an inert environment.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the heat treatment is performed in an oxidizing environment.

16. The method of claim 7 , further comprising the step of contacting at least a portion of the semiconductor material with a cleaning agent, after the step of contacting at least a portion of the semiconductor material with a passivating agent.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the cleaning agent is one of ethylene diamine, ammonium hydroxide, and a combination of ethylene diamine and ammonium hydroxide.

Assignees

• First Solar Inc

Inventors

• Foust Donald Franklin

Classifications

• H10P14/3446

  Transition metal elements; Rare earth elements · CPC title

• H10P14/3432

  Tellurides · CPC title

• H10P14/38

  characterised by treatments done after the formation of the materials · CPC title

• H10F77/1233

  characterised by the dopants · CPC title

• H10F77/211

  for photovoltaic cells · CPC title