Method of forming semiconductor compound film for fabrication of electronic device and film produced by same
View Patent ↗A process of forming a compound film includes formulating a nano-powder material with a controlled overall composition and including particles of one solid solution. The nano-powder material is deposited on a substrate to form a layer on the substrate, and the layer is reacted in at least one suitable atmosphere to form the compound film. The compound film may be used in fabrication of a radiation detector or solar cell.
1. A semiconductor compound film made by a process comprising:
formulating a nano-powder material with a controlled overall composition and including particles of at least one solid solution of Cu, In, and Ga,
depositing said nano-powder material on a substrate to form a layer on the substrate, and
reacting the layer in at least one suitable atmosphere to form said compound film,
wherein said compound film has a Cu/(In+Ga) compositional range of 0.7–1.0 and a Ga/(In+Ga) compositional range of 0.05–0.3.
2. The film of claim 1 , wherein said nano-powder material further includes particles of one element selected from the group consisting of copper, indium, and gallium.
3. A process of forming a compound film comprising:
formulating a nano-powder material with a controlled overall composition and including particles of at least one solid solution of Cu, In, and Ga,
depositing said nano-powder material on a substrate to form a layer on the substrate, and
reacting the layer with at least one of S, Se and Te to form said compound film, wherein said compound film has a Cu/(In+Ga) compositional range of 0.7–1.0 and a Ga/(In+Ga) compositional range of 0.05–0.3.
4. The process of claim 3 , wherein said at least one solid solution is copper-gallium.
5. The process of claim 4 , wherein said nano-powder material further includes particles of at least one element.
6. The process of claim 5 , wherein said at least one element is indium.
7. The process of claim 5 , wherein said at least one element consists of copper and indium.
8. The process of claim 4 , wherein said nano-powder material further includes particles of another solid solution.
9. The process of claim 8 , wherein the other solid solution is copper-indium.
10. The process of claim 9 , wherein said nano-powder material further includes particles of a further solid solution.
11. The process of claim 10 , wherein the further solid solution is indium-gallium.
12. The process of claim 11 , wherein said nano-powder material further includes particles of at least one element.
13. The process of claim 12 , wherein said at least one element is one of indium, copper and gallium.
14. The process of claim 12 , wherein said at least one element consists of copper and gallium.
15. The process of claim 12 , wherein said at least one element consists of copper and indium.
16. The process of claim 9 , wherein said nano-powder material further includes particles of at least one element.
17. The process of claim 16 , wherein said at least one element is indium.
18. The process of claim 16 , wherein said at least one element consists of copper and indium.
19. The process of claim 8 , wherein the other solid solution is indium-gallium.
20. The process of claim 19 , wherein said nano-powder material further includes particles of at least one element.
21. The process of claim 20 , wherein said at least one element is one of indium, copper and gallium.
22. The process of claim 20 , wherein said at least one element consists of copper and gallium.
23. The process of claim 20 , wherein said at least one element consists of indium and copper.
24. The process of any one of claims 19 , 21 – 23 , 6 , 7 , 11 , 13 – 15 , 17 , and 18 , wherein said nano-powder material additionally includes particles of a CuGaIn solid solution.
25. The process of claim 24 , wherein said nano-powder material additionally includes particles of at least one of selenium, sulfur, and tellurium.
26. The process of any one of claims 3 – 18 , wherein said nano-powder material additionally includes particles of at least one of selenium, sulfur, and tellurium.
27. The process of claim 3 , wherein said particles have diameters of no more than about 200 nanometers.
28. The process of claim 3 , wherein the particles are nearly spherical in shape.
29. The process of claim 3 , wherein the particles are formed as platelets.
30. The process of claim 3 further comprising a step of annealing after the step of depositing.
31. The process of claim 30 wherein the step of annealing is carried out at a temperature in the range of 100–300° C.
32. The process of claim 30 , wherein the step of reacting the layer is carried out at temperatures of 350–600° C.
33. The process of claim 3 , wherein the step of reacting the layer is carried out at temperatures of 350–600° C.