Patent · US Expired

Reactor for depositing a layer on a moving substrate

US4920917A · kind A · utility

71Cited by
2References
31Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMar 11, 1988
Grant dateMay 1, 1990
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 11, 2008

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY02P70/50
  • WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A solar cell having a layered structure with improved characteristics can be manufactured in plasma assisted CVD at a high rate deposition. In one aspect, separators are arranged between discharge electrodes to control a distribution of the composition of a reaction gas in a reaction chamber, giving a desired composition profile of a layer in the direction of the layer thickness. In another aspect, a grid electrode is inserted between a substrate and one of discharge electrodes only near an entrance portion thereof so that a high power can be applied to discharge electrodes to increase a deposition rate without plasma damage to an interface between a layer to be deposited and an underlying substrate. In a further aspect, an electric-field-adjusting means such as a metal wire is provided with an opening of a mask arranged between a substrate and one of the discharge electrodes for controlling the quality and layer thickness of a layer to be deposited. This electric-field adjusting means makes the electric field distribution uniform in the mask opening, thereby preventing a nonuniformity of the characteristics of a deposited layer.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.