Method of manufacturing thin film conductor which contains silicon and germanium as major components

Claim 1

A method of manufacturing a thin film conductor comprising the steps of: placing an insulating substrate on one of a pair of opposing electrodes arranged inside a vacuum chamber; supplying a gas mixture containing silane and germane as major components to said vacuum chamber at a predetermined flow rate ratio, while maintaining an interior of said vacuum chamber at a predetermined vacuum pressure and said insulating substrate at a predetermined temperature; adjusting the gas flow rate ratio of silane to germane within said gas mixture to control the ratio of silicon to germanium within the thin film conductor being manufactured; adding a hydrogen-diluted dopant to the gas mixture containing silane and germane for controlling the conductivity type of the said thin film conductor, and generating plasma discharge between said electrodes to decompose the components of the gas mixture, so that mainly the decomposed silicon and germane components are deposited on said insulating substrate to prepare said thin film conductor which has a composition containing silicon and germanium as major components, has a structure in which both amorphous and microcrystalline phase are present and has a dark current conductivity which is not less than 1 S.cm -1 ; and controlling the power density of said plasma discharge to control the ratio of amorphous structure to microcrystalline structure in said thin film conductor.

Claim 2

A method of manufacturing a thin film conductor comprising the steps of: placing an insulating substrate on one of a pair of opposing electrodes arranged inside a vacuum chamber; supplying a gas mixture containing silane and germane as major components to said vacuum chamber at a predetermined flow rate ratio, while maintaining an interior of said vacuum chamber at a predetermined vacuum pressure and said insulating substrate at a predetermined temperature; adjusting the gas flow rate ratio of silane to germane within said gas mixture to control the ratio of silicon to germanium within the thin film conductor being manufactured; adding a hydrogen-diluted dopant to the gas mixture containing silane and germane for controlling the conductivity type of the said thin film conductor, and generating plasma discharge between said electrodes to decompose the components of the gas mixture, so that mainly the decomposed silicon and germane components are deposited on said insulating substrate to prepare said thin film conductor which has a composition containing silicon and germanium as major components, has a structure in which both amorphous and microcrystalline phase are present and has a dark current conductivity which is not less than 1 S.cm -1 ; and controlling the power density of said plasma discharge to control the ratio of amorphous structure to microcrystalline structure in said thin film conductor.

Claim 8

A method of manufacturing a thin film conductor comprising the steps of: storing an insulating substrate in a vacuum chamber; supplying a gas mixture containing silane and germane as major components to said vacuum chamber at a predetermined flow rate ratio while maintaining an interior of said vacuum chamber at a predetermined vacuum pressure and said insulating substrate at a predetermined temperature; adjusting the gas flow rate ratio of silane to germane within said gas mixture to control the ratio of silicon to germanium within the thin film conductor being manufactured; adding a hydrogen-diluted dopant to the gas mixture containing silane and germane for controlling the conductivity type of the said thin film conductor, and radiating ultraviolet rays having energy high enough to decompose the components of the gas mixture, so that mainly the decomposed silicon and germane components are deposited on said insulating substrate to prepare said thin film conductor which has a composition containing silicon and germanium as major components, has a structure in which both amorphous and microcrystalline phases are present and has a dark current conductivity which is not less than 1 S.cm -1 .

Claim 9

A method of manufacturing a thin film conductor comprising the steps of: storing an insulating substrate in a vacuum chamber; supplying a gas mixture containing silane and germane as major components to said vacuum chamber at a predetermined flow rate ratio while maintaining an interior of said vacuum chamber at a predetermined vacuum pressure and said insulating substrate at a predetermined temperature; adjusting the gas flow rate ratio of silane to germane within said gas mixture to control the ratio of silicon to germanium within the thin film conductor being manufactured; adding a hydrogen-diluted dopant to the gas mixture containing silane and germane for controlling the conductivity type of the said thin film conductor, and radiating ultraviolet rays having energy high enough to decompose the components of the gas mixture, so that mainly the decomposed silicon and germane components are deposited on said insulating substrate to prepare said thin film conductor which has a composition containing silicon and germanium as major components, has a structure in which both amorphous and microcrystalline phases are present and has a dark current conductivity which is not less than 1 S.cm -1 .