Method and material for processing iron disilicide for photovoltaic application
A method for providing a semiconductor material for photovoltaic devices, the method includes providing a sample of iron disilicide comprising approximately 90 percent or greater of a beta phase entity. The sample of iron disilicide is characterized by a substantially uniform first particle size ranging from about 1 micron to about 10 microns. The method includes combining the sample of iron disilicide and a binding material to form a mixture of material. The method includes providing a substrate member including a surface region and deposits the mixture of material overlying the surface region of the substrate. In a specific embodiment, the mixture of material is subjected to a post-deposition process such as a curing process to form a thickness of material comprising the sample of iron disilicide overlying the substrate member. In a specific embodiment, the thickness of material is characterized by a thickness of about the first particle size.
1. A method for forming a semiconductor material for photovoltaic devices, the method comprising:
providing a sample of iron disilicide comprising approximately 90 percent or greater of a beta phase entity, the sample of iron disilicide being characterized by a first particle size;
combining the sample of iron disilicide and a binding material to form a mixture of material;
providing a substrate member including a surface region;
depositing the mixture of material overlying the surface region of the substrate; and
forming a thickness of material overlying the substrate member using a post-deposition process such as a curing process, the thickness of material comprising the sample of iron disilicide, the thickness of material being characterized by a thickness of about the first particle size.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the sample of iron disilicide comprises greater than about 95 percent of beta phase iron silicide.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the first particle size ranges from about 1 micron to about 10 microns.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the first particle size ranges from about 1 micron to about 5 microns.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the first particle size ranges from about 1 micron to about 2 microns.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein the thickness of material is formed using a spin coating process, a spraying process, an inkjet process, or a doctor blading process.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein the thickness of material is formed by dip coating the substrate member in the mixture of material.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein the binding material is transparent to electromagnetic radiation.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein the binding material is selected from an organic polymer material, an inorganic polymer material, or a spin on glass (SOG) material.
10. The method of claim 1 wherein the post-deposition process can be provided by a thermal process, a UV curing process, a chemical process, or a combination.
11. The method of claim 10 wherein the thermal process is provided at a temperature ranging from 100 Degree Celsius to about 450 Degree Celsius for a time period ranging from about 5 minutes to about 240 minutes.
12. The method of claim 1 wherein the thickness of material has a thickness of about the first particle size.
13. The method of claim 1 wherein the substrate member can be a transparent substrate such as glass, quartz, fused silica, polymer, semiconductor, insulator, and others.
14. The method of claim 1 wherein the substrate member can be a semiconductor such as silicon, polysilicon, silicon-germanium, germanium, silicon on insulator, and others.
15. The method of claim 1 wherein the substrate member can be a multilayered material.
16. The method of claim 1 wherein the substrate member can be a metal.
17. A method for forming a semiconductor material for photovoltaic devices, the method comprising:
providing a sample of semiconductor material, the sample of semiconductor material being characterized by a first particle size;
combining the sample of semiconductor material and a binding material to form a mixture of material;
providing a substrate member including a surface region;
depositing the mixture of material overlying the surface region of the substrate; and
forming a thickness of material overlying the substrate member using a post-deposition process such as a curing process, the thickness of material comprising the sample of semiconductor material, the thickness of material being characterized by a thickness of about the first particle size.