Patent EP0033414A2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0033414A2
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EP
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High repetition rate, uniform volume transverse electric discharger laser with pulse triggered multi-arc channel switching, and a method of producing solar voltaic cells using a pulsed laser beam
Assignee: Individual
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Filing: 1980-12-03
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2000-12-03
Abstract
Abstract A high power excimer laser (10) embits a pulsed output at a high repetition rate in the ultraviolet wavelength region and a uniform power output across the laser beam (130). By subjecting doped silicon wafers (122) to the pulsed laser output, epitaxial regrowth of silicon crystals can be induced to repair damage to the silicon crystral structure which normally occurs during implantation of the dopant materials.
Inventors
- 👤 Jeffrey I. Levatter
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 04:13
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10P; H10P34/00; H10P34/40; H10P34/42; H01; H01S; H01S3/00; H01S3/02; H01S3/03; H01S3/036; H01S3/038; H10F; H10F71/00; H10F71/121; H10F71/128; H10F71/137; H01S3/0384; H01S3/09; H01S3/097; H01S3/0971; H01S3/09713; Y; Y02; Y02E; Y02E10/00; Y02E10/50; Y02E10/547; Y02P; Y02P70/00; Y02P70/50; Y10; Y10S; Y10S117/00; Y10S117/903; Y10S117/904; Y10S148/00; Y10S148/09; Y10S148/092; Y10S148/093
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 20
Claim 1
Independent Claim
82 words
A method of producing solar voltaic cells comprising implanting a dopant material into a photo sensitive semiconductor substrate to create a P-N junction, and annealing said substrate with a pulsed laser beam having a wavelength predominantly in the ultraviolet region, a beam energy of at least two joules per pulse, a pulse repetition rate of at least 100 pulses per second and a uniformity of beam pulse output that varies by no more than five percent across the area of beam output.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
82 words
A method of producing solar voltaic cells comprising implanting a dopant material into a photo sensitive semiconductor substrate to create a P-N junction, and annealing said substrate with a pulsed laser beam having a wavelength predominantly in the ultraviolet region, a beam energy of at least two joules per pulse, a pulse repetition rate of at least 100 pulses per second and a uniformity of beam pulse output that varies by no more than five percent across the area of beam output.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
24 words
A method according to Claim 1 further characterized in that said substrate is silicon in monocrystalline form prior to annealing with said laser beam.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
24 words
A method according to Claim 1 further characterized in that said substrate is silicon in polycrystalline form prior to annealing with said laser beam.
Claim 5
Independent Claim
23 words
A method according to Claim l.further characterized in that said substrate is silicon in amorphous form prior to annealing with said laser beam.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
25 words
A method according to Claim 1 further characterized in that said implantation and annealing of said substrate are carried out at atmospheric pressure in air.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
29 words
A method according to Claim 1 further characterized in that at least about two square centimeters of said doped substrate are subjected to each pulse of said laser beam.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
21 words
A method according to Claim 1 further characterized in that said laser energy per pulse is from two to five joules.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
20 words
A method according to Claim 1 further characterized in that said laser beam uniformity is from two to five percent.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
23 words
A method according to Claim 1 further characterized in that said repetition rate of laser beam pulses is at least about one kilohertz.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
26 words
A method according to Claim 1 further characterized in that the average power of said laser beam output is from two hundred to five hundred watts.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
140 words
An excimer gas laser including means defining an elongated laser beam generating chamber and a first transverse gas flow passageway, anode means, cathode means and preionizing electrode means located in said laser beam generating chamber and interconnected-to first-apply an-ionizing potential between. said preionizing electrode means and said cathode means, and to thereafter produce a spatially uniform laser discharge between said cathode means and said anode means, pulse triggered multichannel bar gap switch means connected to said preionizing electrode means and said anode means and located in a second gas flow passageway, and pulsed voltage means coupled to said pulse triggered multichannel bar gap switch means to repetitively apply brief, fast rising pulses thereto to create multichannel sparks therein only after the voltage applied has exceeded the ionizing breakdown voltage of a gaseous medium flowing in said second gas flow passageway.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
140 words
An excimer gas laser including means defining an elongated laser beam generating chamber and a first transverse gas flow passageway, anode means, cathode means and preionizing electrode means located in said laser beam generating chamber and interconnected-to first-apply an-ionizing potential between. said preionizing electrode means and said cathode means, and to thereafter produce a spatially uniform laser discharge between said cathode means and said anode means, pulse triggered multichannel bar gap switch means connected to said preionizing electrode means and said anode means and located in a second gas flow passageway, and pulsed voltage means coupled to said pulse triggered multichannel bar gap switch means to repetitively apply brief, fast rising pulses thereto to create multichannel sparks therein only after the voltage applied has exceeded the ionizing breakdown voltage of a gaseous medium flowing in said second gas flow passageway.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
52 words
An excimer laser according to Claim 11 further characterized in that said anode means is located upstream of said cathode means relative, to said first gas flow passageway, and both of said anode and cathode means are of gas permeable construction, and said preionizing electrode means is located downstream from said cathode.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
32 words
An excimer laser according to Claim 12 further characterized in that said anode means, said cathode means and said preionizing electrode means are driven by a folded liquid Blumlein pulse forming network.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
53 words
An excimer laser according to Claim 13 further characterized in that said preionizing electrode means and said anode means are coupled together by an inductor, and said preionizing electrode means and said cathode means are coupled together by a resistor and said cathode means and said anode means are coupled together by.a capacitor.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
46 words
An excimer laser according to Claim 11 further characterized in that said pulse triggered multichannel bar gap switch means is comprised of a Blumlein pulse forming network coupled to said preionizing electrode means and said anode means together with trigger electrode means and a trigger line.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
92 words
An excimer laser according to Claim 15 further characterized in that said trigger electrode means is comprised of a plurality of pin electrodes embedded in the back of a first of two rail electrodes in said multichannel bar gap switch means, and said first rail electrode is configured with a plurality of spaced concavities in the back thereof to receive said trigger pin electrbdes and is apertured therethrough at each of said concavities, and a second rail electrode is a planar structure oriented in a plane passing through said first rail electrode.
Claim 19
Independent Claim
384 words
A device for producing a pulsed excimer laser beam primarily in the ultraviolet region comprising means defining an elongated beam generating chamber having a beam transparent window at at least one end, and defining a first transverse ionizing gas flow passageway intersecting said beam generating chamber, means defining a liquid dielectric chamber proximate to said beam generating cavity, means defining an elongated spark generating chamber having a second transverse ionizing gas flow passa q eway proximate to said liquid dielectric chamber wnerein said liquid dielectric chamber is interposed between said beam generating cavity and said second transverse ionizing gas flow passageway, a folded Blumlein pulse forming network including an intermediate electrode plate and first and second parallel electrode plates located one on either side of said intermediate electrode plate and in spaced relation therefrom in said liquid dielectric chamber, rail gap electrodes located in said spark generating chamber and including a planar electrode electrically coupled to said intermediate electrode plate and oriented parallel to said gas flow passageway, and a bar electrode parallel to said planar electrode and connected to said first of said electrode plates, and configured to define spaced apertures in one side thereof facing said planar electrode, said apertures meeting spaced, enlarged concavities defined in the reverse side thereof opposite said planar electrode, a trigger electrode plate located in said dielectric chamber in spaced relation from said first electrode plate, and a plurality of trigger electrode pins electrically coupled to said trigger electrode plate, one each embedded in each of said concavities of said configured bar electrode and spaced therefrom directly behind said apertures therein, a plurality of preionizing pin electrodes electrically coupled to said first electrode plate downstream in said beam generating cavity relative to said first ionizing gas flow passageway, a gas permeable anode at the upstream side of said beam generating cavity and electrically coupled to said second electrode plate, a gas permeable cathode located between said anode and said preionizing pin electrodes, and electrically coupled .to said anode through capacitor means and to said preionizing pin electrodes through resistor means, and inductor means connecting said preionizing electrodes and said anode, and voltage supply means connected to said intermediate electrode plate and said trigger electrode plate for acting thereon in sequential, timed relationship to provide voltage pulses thereto.
Claim 20
Independent Claim
384 words
A device for producing a pulsed excimer laser beam primarily in the ultraviolet region comprising means defining an elongated beam generating chamber having a beam transparent window at at least one end, and defining a first transverse ionizing gas flow passageway intersecting said beam generating chamber, means defining a liquid dielectric chamber proximate to said beam generating cavity, means defining an elongated spark generating chamber having a second transverse ionizing gas flow passa q eway proximate to said liquid dielectric chamber wnerein said liquid dielectric chamber is interposed between said beam generating cavity and said second transverse ionizing gas flow passageway, a folded Blumlein pulse forming network including an intermediate electrode plate and first and second parallel electrode plates located one on either side of said intermediate electrode plate and in spaced relation therefrom in said liquid dielectric chamber, rail gap electrodes located in said spark generating chamber and including a planar electrode electrically coupled to said intermediate electrode plate and oriented parallel to said gas flow passageway, and a bar electrode parallel to said planar electrode and connected to said first of said electrode plates, and configured to define spaced apertures in one side thereof facing said planar electrode, said apertures meeting spaced, enlarged concavities defined in the reverse side thereof opposite said planar electrode, a trigger electrode plate located in said dielectric chamber in spaced relation from said first electrode plate, and a plurality of trigger electrode pins electrically coupled to said trigger electrode plate, one each embedded in each of said concavities of said configured bar electrode and spaced therefrom directly behind said apertures therein, a plurality of preionizing pin electrodes electrically coupled to said first electrode plate downstream in said beam generating cavity relative to said first ionizing gas flow passageway, a gas permeable anode at the upstream side of said beam generating cavity and electrically coupled to said second electrode plate, a gas permeable cathode located between said anode and said preionizing pin electrodes, and electrically coupled .to said anode through capacitor means and to said preionizing pin electrodes through resistor means, and inductor means connecting said preionizing electrodes and said anode, and voltage supply means connected to said intermediate electrode plate and said trigger electrode plate for acting thereon in sequential, timed relationship to provide voltage pulses thereto.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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