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US4473597A
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US
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Method and structure for passivating a PN junction
Assignee: RCA Corp
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Filing: 1983-02-02
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Granted: 1984-09-25
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Expires: 2003-02-02
Abstract
Abstract A technique for passivating a PN junction adjacent a surface of a semiconductor substrate comprises coating the area of the surface adjacent the PN junction with a layer of hydrogenated amorphous silicon containing between about 5 and about 50 atomic percent of hydrogen.
Inventors
- 👤 Jacques I. Pankove
- 👤 Ming L. Tarng
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-28 08:58
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10W; H10W74/00; H10W74/40; H10W74/481; H10P; H10P14/00; H10P14/60; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S438/00; Y10S438/958
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
54 words
A method of passivating a PN junction which extends to a surface of a crystalline semiconductor substrate comprising coating said surface with a layer of hydrogenated amorphous silicon which contains between about 5 and about 50 atomic percent of hydrogen with said layer extending over and directly contacting said surface at said PN junction.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
54 words
A method of passivating a PN junction which extends to a surface of a crystalline semiconductor substrate comprising coating said surface with a layer of hydrogenated amorphous silicon which contains between about 5 and about 50 atomic percent of hydrogen with said layer extending over and directly contacting said surface at said PN junction.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
19 words
A method as recited in claim 1 wherein said coating step is performed by decomposing silane (SiH 4 ).
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
26 words
A method as recited in claim 2 wherein said decomposing step is performed by utilizing a glow discharge in silane induced by a capacitively-coupled rf system.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
32 words
A method as recited in claim 3 wherein said decomposing step is performed at a temperature below about 450° C. and at a pressure between about 0.1 Torr and about 5 Torr.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
25 words
A method as recited in claim 1 wherein said layer of hydrogenated amorphous silicon has a thickness between about 0.01 μm and about 1 μm.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
44 words
A method as recited in claim 1 wherein said semiconductor substrate is silicon and wherein said layer of hydrogenated amorphous silicon comprises one or more of the silicon hydride phases selected from the group consisting of Si:H, Si:H 2 , and Si:H 3 .
Claim 8
Independent Claim
101 words
A method of passivating a PN junction which is within a body of crystalline semiconductor material and which extends to a surface of said body comprising the steps of diposing said body in a reaction chamber, generating a glow discharge within said chamber while maintaining said chamber under a vacuum, conducting a flow of a gaseous silicon-hydrogen compound into said chamber to effect decomposition of the compound by the glow discharge, and depositing directly on said surface of the body at the PN junction a layer of hydrogenated amorphous silicon containing between about 5 and about 50 atomic percent of hydrogen.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
101 words
A method of passivating a PN junction which is within a body of crystalline semiconductor material and which extends to a surface of said body comprising the steps of diposing said body in a reaction chamber, generating a glow discharge within said chamber while maintaining said chamber under a vacuum, conducting a flow of a gaseous silicon-hydrogen compound into said chamber to effect decomposition of the compound by the glow discharge, and depositing directly on said surface of the body at the PN junction a layer of hydrogenated amorphous silicon containing between about 5 and about 50 atomic percent of hydrogen.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
18 words
A method in accordance with claim 7 in which the gaseous silicon-hydrogen compound is silane (SiH 4 ).
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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) | 1987-09-25 | 1988-03-26 | 1988-09-25 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1991-09-25 | 1992-03-26 | 1992-09-25 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1995-09-25 | 1996-03-26 | 1996-09-25 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |