Apparatus and method for depositing a semiconductor material

• Main Authors: RICKY C. POWELL, GARY L. DORER, TERENCE D. KAHLE, STEVEN M. COX, HAROLD A. MCMASTER, NICHOLAS A. REITER
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 06.09.1999
• Edition: 6
• Subjects: BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF GLASSES, GLAZES, OR VITREOUSENAMELS; CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; CHEMISTRY; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATIONOR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY IONIMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; ELECTRIC SOLID STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRICITY; GLASS; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION INGENERAL; JOINING GLASS TO GLASS OR OTHER MATERIALS; METALLURGY; MINERAL OR SLAG WOOL; SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; SURFACE TREATMENT OF FIBRES OR FILAMENTS MADE FROM GLASS,MINERALS OR SLAGS; SURFACE TREATMENT OF GLASS; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THESURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION

Apparatus (12, 12a) and a method for depositing a semiconductor material on a glass sheet substrate (G) utilizes a distributor (22) including a heated permeable member (24) through which a carrier gas and a semiconductor material are passed to provide a vapor that is deposited as a semiconductor layer on the conveyed glass sheet substrate. The permeable member (24) is tubular and has an electrical voltage applied along its length to provide the heating, and the carrier gas and the semiconductor as a powder are introduced into the tubular permeable member for flow outwardly therefrom as the vapor. A shroud (34) extending around the tubular permeable member (24) has an opening (36) through which the vapor flows for the semiconductor layer deposition. In one embodiment of apparatus (12), the semiconductor layer is deposited on an upwardly facing surface (56) of the glass sheet substrate (G) while another embodiment of the apparatus (12a) deposits the semiconductor layer on a downwardly facing surface (54) of the substrate.