Selective etch for damage at exfoliated surface

Details Selective etch for damage at exfoliated surface Selective etch for damage at exfoliated surface

2011-08-09

2011-08-09

Arora, Ajay K (Department: 2892)

Semiconductor device manufacturing: process

Chemical etching

Altering etchability of substrate region by compositional or...

C438S753000, C438S766000, C438S411000

Reexamination Certificate

active

07994064

ABSTRACT:
Ions are implanted into a silicon donor body, defining a cleave plane. A first surface of the donor body is affixed to a receiver element, and a lamina is exfoliated at the cleave plane, creating a second surface of the lamina. There is damaged silicon at the second surface, which will compromise the efficiency of a photovoltaic cell formed from the lamina. A selective etchant, having an etch rate which is positively correlated with the concentration of structural defects in silicon, is used to remove the damaged silicon at the second surface, while removing very little of the relatively undamaged lamina.

REFERENCES:
patent: 6146979 (2000-11-01), Henley et al.
patent: 2007/0277874 (2007-12-01), Dawson-Elli et al.
patent: 2008/0070340 (2008-03-01), Borrelli et al.
patent: 2008/0124938 (2008-05-01), Abbadie
patent: WO 9852216 (1998-11-01), None
Nishimoto et al., “Investigation of Acidic Texturization for Multicrystalline Silicon Solar Cells”, Journal of Electrochemical Society, 146 (2) 457-461 (1999).
John et al., “Spray Etching of Silicon in the HNO/3/HF/H2O System”, J. Electrochem. Soc., vol. 140, No. 9, Sep. 1993.
Sylvia D. Hossain and Michael F. Pas, “Heated SC1 Solution for Selective Etching and Resist Particulate Removal”, J. Electochem. Soc., vol. 140, No. 12, pp. 3604-3606, Dec. 1993.
Cai, et al., “Single Crystal Si Layers on Glass Formed by Ion Cutting”, Journal of Applied Physics, vol. 92, No. 6, pp. 3388-3392, Sep. 2002.
Margaret W. Jenkins, “A New Preferential Etch for Defects in Silicon Crystals”, J. Electrochem. Soc., vol. 124, No. 5, pp. 757-762, May 1977.
U.S. Appl. No. 12/026,530, filed Feb. 5, 2008, entitled “Method to Form a Photovoltaic Cell Comprising a Thin Lamina”.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

Rating

Selective etch for damage at exfoliated surface does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

If you have personal experience with Selective etch for damage at exfoliated surface, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Selective etch for damage at exfoliated surface will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2715394