IP Library Granted Patent US 7,807,494
Granted Patent B2
US 7,807,494 · App. 10/474,472 · Granted Oct 5, 2010

Method for producing a chalcogenide-semiconductor layer of the ABC

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,807,494
App. No.
10/474,472
Granted
Oct 5, 2010
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method of monitoring the chalcogenation process in which the chalcogenide semiconductor layer is produced by initially sequentially depositing the two precursor layers of elements A and B and thereafter carrying out a chalcogenizing process with a simultaneous optical process control in which the layer sequence A B is irradiated by light from at least one coherent light source, the light diffusely scattered at the surface is detected and the scattered light signal measured as a function of time is evaluated such that characteristic changes in the layer developing during the chalcogenation are assigned to four characteristic points of the scattered light signal curve.

Claims (13)

1. A method of producing a chalcogenide semiconductor layer of the ABC 2 type, comprising the steps of:

sequentially depositing two metallic precursor layers from elements A and B;

chalcogenizing the deposited layers;

simultaneously irradiating the layers with light from at least one source of coherent light;

detecting measuring scattered light reflected from the layers;

evaluating the measured scattered light as a function of time; and

assigning precursor transformation of the compound AB 2 to A 11 B 9 to a first point;

assigning surface chalcogenation of the formed layer in which formation of the phase ABC 2 has been initiated to a second point;

assigning the complete formation of ABC 2 in the case of a precursor layer without excess A or the complete phase separation of ABC 2 and the foreign phase A x C y in the case of a precursor layer with excess A to a third point; and

assigning the transformation of the foreign phase A x C y to foreign phase A C to a fourth point.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the element A is one of Cu and Ag, the element B is one of In, Ga and Al, and the element C is one of S and Se.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the chalcogenizing surfaces is irradiated by light material of different wavelengths from different sources.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the scattered light is measured in dependence of time as a difference signal formed by subtraction of the amplitude of the light from the different sources impinging upon the layer.

Assignments (3)
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE THE ADDRESS OF THE ASSIGNEE PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ON REEL 022352 FRAME 0394. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE CHANGE OF NAME. Recorded Dec 16, 2009
From: HAHN-MEITNER-INSTITUT BERLIN GMBH
To: HELMHOLTZ-ZENTRUM BERLIN FUER MATERIALIEN UND ENERGIE GMBH
Reel/Frame 023662/0222 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Mar 5, 2009
From: HAHN-MEITNER-INSTITUT BERLIN GMBH
To: HELMHOLTZ-ZENTRUM BERLIN FUER MATERIALIEN UND ENERGIE GMBH
Reel/Frame 022352/0394 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 29, 2003
From: SCHEER, ROLAND; PIETZKER, CHRISTIAN
To: HAHN-MEITNER-INSTITUT BERLIN GMBH.
Reel/Frame 014639/0488 →