US4332838A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Particulate thin film fabrication process
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1980-09-24
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Granted: 1982-06-01
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Expires: 2000-09-24
Abstract
Abstract A method for the fabrication of large surface area thin films of vaporizable solids upon substrate materials is provided. The method is particularly applicable to the fabrication of thin films having semiconducting properties useful as solar cells, in the production of microelectronic devices, and other similar purposes. A solid material is vaporized in a temperature-zoned furnace in association with a flowing carrier gas. The vaporized solid is allowed to condense to form an aerosol of disperse sized particles; the smaller of these particles are again vaporized leaving a lesser number of seed aerosol nuclei which are then grown to a larger size and diverted through an orifice to impact upon a substrate moving beneath the orifice thereby forming a particulate film on the substrate.
Inventors
- 👤 James E. Wegrzyn
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-24 16:37
CPC Classifications
C; C23; C23C; C23C14/00; C23C14/22; C23C14/228; C23C14/24; C30; C30B; C30B23/00; C30B23/02; C30B29/00; C30B29/02; C30B29/06; C30B29/60; C30B29/605; H; H10; H10F; H10F71/00; H10F71/10; H10F71/103; H10F71/121; H10F71/1221; Y; Y02; Y02E; Y02E10/00; Y02E10/50; Y02E10/546; Y02P; Y02P70/00; Y02P70/50; Y10; Y10S; Y10S438/00; Y10S438/935
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 18
Claim 1
Independent Claim
168 words
A process for depositing a particulate thin film of a vaporizable solid upon a substrate comprising: vaporizing said solid in a first heating zone; continuously conveying vapor from said first heating zone in a flowing carrier gas stream to a first condensation zone maintained at a temperature below that of said first heating zone to form an aerosol of disperse size particles; passing said aerosol and said carrier gas through a second heating zone maintained at a temperature above said first condensation zone to vaporize a substantial portion, but not all, of said aerosol particles; passing said carrier gas, now containing a depleted number of aerosol particles and vapor of said solid, from the second heating zone to a second condensation zone; maintaining the temperature of said second condensation zone at a temperature below that of said second heating zone, said second condensation zone temperature being selected to cause growth of said aerosol particles by condensation of vapor thereon; and impacting said grown aerosol particles upon a substrate.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
168 words
A process for depositing a particulate thin film of a vaporizable solid upon a substrate comprising: vaporizing said solid in a first heating zone; continuously conveying vapor from said first heating zone in a flowing carrier gas stream to a first condensation zone maintained at a temperature below that of said first heating zone to form an aerosol of disperse size particles; passing said aerosol and said carrier gas through a second heating zone maintained at a temperature above said first condensation zone to vaporize a substantial portion, but not all, of said aerosol particles; passing said carrier gas, now containing a depleted number of aerosol particles and vapor of said solid, from the second heating zone to a second condensation zone; maintaining the temperature of said second condensation zone at a temperature below that of said second heating zone, said second condensation zone temperature being selected to cause growth of said aerosol particles by condensation of vapor thereon; and impacting said grown aerosol particles upon a substrate.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
15 words
The process of claim 1 wherein said carrier gas is nonreactive toward said vaporizable solid.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
28 words
The process of claim 1 wherein said grown aerosol particles in said carrier gas are passed through an orifice to impact perpendicularly upon the surface of said substrate.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
24 words
The process of claim 3 wherein said orifice comprises a generally rectangular slit and wherein said substrate is translated across said slit during deposition.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
38 words
The process of claim 4 wherein the orifice width and the velocity of carrier gas through said orifice are selected so as to preclude impaction upon the substrate of particles having a diameter less than about 1 micron.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
15 words
The process of claim 5 wherein said vaporizable material displays semiconducting properties in film form.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
11 words
The process of claim 6 wherein said vaporizable material is silicon.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
12 words
The process of claim 5 wherein said vaporizable material is a metal.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
12 words
The process of claim 5 wherein said vaporizable material is a compound.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
15 words
The process of claim 5 wherein said film is subjected to a further treatment step.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
11 words
The process of claim 10 wherein said treatment step comprises annealing.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
11 words
The process of claim 10 wherein said treatment step comprises passivation.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
11 words
The process of claim 10 wherein said treatment step comprises doping.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
11 words
The process of claim 10 wherein said treatment step comprises recrystallization.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
11 words
The process of claim 14 wherein said recrystallization comprises zone redefining.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
11 words
The process of claim 5 wherein said deposited particles are amorphous.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
11 words
The process of claim 5 wherein said deposited particles are crystalline.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1985-05-31 | 1985-11-30 | 1986-06-01 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1989-05-31 | 1989-11-30 | 1990-06-01 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1993-05-31 | 1993-11-30 | 1994-06-01 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |