HK1188335A - Direct current ion implantation for solid phase epitaxial regrowth in solar cell fabrication - Google Patents

Description

DC ion implantation for solid phase epitaxial regrowth in solar cell fabrication

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application 61/414588, filed on 17.2010, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to ion implantation, and more particularly to ion implantation for fabricating solar cells at high throughput and low defect levels.

Background

Ion implantation has been used in the manufacture of semiconductors for many years. Typical commercial devices typically have an ion beam that can be scanned over the substrate by moving the ion beam, the substrate, or both. In one example, a "pencil" beam scans across the surface of the substrate in the x and y directions, while another example uses a "ribbon" beam that is slightly wider than the substrate so that scanning is only done in one direction to cover the entire substrate. Both systems, apart from being very slow, have inherent problems related to the creation of defects. That is, the ion implantation from any of these two systems is pulsed from a single point of view of the substrate, although the beam is continuously functional. Therefore, each point on the substrate "sees" the ion beam for a short period of time, and then "waits" for the next scan of the beam. This will result in local heating which causes extended defects due to dynamic self-annealing between scans.

Recently, another method of ion implantation has been proposed, commonly referred to as plasma immersion ion implantation, or P3 i. In such a process chamber, an ion beam is not used, but a plasma is established over the entire substrate. An AC potential, typically in the form of RF power, is then coupled to the substrate to attract ions from the plasma into the substrate. Thus, such systems also operate in a "pulsed" mode from the substrate perspective and cause the same self-annealing problems as exhibited by ion beam based systems.

One type of defect that is typically caused by end-of-range Damage is a problem that conventional ion implantation systems have consistently. Self-annealing is due to localized heating, while subsequent cooling results in cluster defects that cannot be eliminated during subsequent annealing steps. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an ion implantation system and method that enables high speed implantation while avoiding defects.

Disclosure of Invention

The following is included to provide a basic understanding of some aspects and features of the invention. This summary is not an extensive overview of the invention, and is intended neither to identify key or critical elements of the invention nor to delineate the scope of the invention. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

The disclosed embodiments provide ion implantation methods that enable high-throughput fabrication of solar cells while minimizing or eliminating defects. Using various experimental conditions, it has been shown that the disclosed method is superior to prior art ion implantation methods, in particular cluster defects due to end-of-range damage can be prevented.

According to the disclosed embodiments, ion implantation is performed using continuous ion implantation at high dose rates. The ion implantation is over the entire substrate surface or selected regions for selective ion implantation (e.g., for selective emitter design) andand (4) executing. The energy of the implantation may be, for example, 5-100keV, or more particularly 20-40keV, while the dose rate is, for example, higher than 1E¹⁴Ion/cm^-2Second or even higher than 1E¹⁴Ion/cm^-2At a level of, in some embodiments, 1E in a second¹⁴-5E¹⁶Ion/cm^-2In the range of/sec. High dose rates enable high throughput while fully amorphizing the implanted layer of the substrate. Since the implantation is continuous, no self-annealing occurs, nor is defect clusters observed. After annealing, the amorphized layer was completely crystallized, and no defect clusters were observed.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for manufacturing a solar cell using ion implantation is provided. According to the method, a substrate is introduced into an ion implantation chamber. A beam of ion species (ions) is generated, the cross-section of which is large enough to cover the entire substrate surface. Ions from the beam are continuously accelerated toward the substrate surface to continuously implant ions into the substrate. The dose rate is designed such that a given layer of the substrate is fully amorphized. Optionally, further processing is performed, such as depositing an anti-reflection layer or encapsulation layer, such as a silicon nitride layer, and depositing a metallization grid. The substrate is then annealed to recrystallize the amorphized layer and to activate the implanted dopant ions. According to one embodiment, the annealing step is performed using rapid thermal processing, for example, at 600-.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, an ion implantation method is provided, which may be used in the manufacture of solar cells. According to this embodiment, a substrate is introduced into an ion implantation chamber. The region of the substrate selected to be implanted is then continuously bombarded with ions to amorphize the region without the possibility of self-annealing. The substrate is annealed in the rapid thermal processing chamber using solid phase epitaxial regrowth.

Aspects of the present invention include a method of fabricating a solar cell using ion implantation, the method comprising: introducing a substrate into an ion implantation chamber; generating a continuous stream of ions for implantation into the substrate; and directing the stream of ions towards the surface of the substrate to cause a continuous ion bombardment of the surface of the substrate, thereby implanting ions into the substrate while amorphizing a layer of the substrate.

A further aspect of the invention includes a method for ion implanting a substrate, the method comprising: introducing a substrate into an ion implantation chamber; generating a continuous stream of ions for implantation into the substrate; and directing the ion stream toward the surface of the substrate to cause continuous ion bombardment of the substrate surface while preventing self-annealing of the substrate.

Other aspects of the invention include a method of ion implanting a substrate, the method comprising: introducing a substrate into an ion implantation chamber; generating a continuous stream of ions for implantation into the substrate; and directing the ion stream toward the surface of the substrate to cause continuous ion bombardment of the substrate surface, thereby simultaneously amorphizing the entire surface of the substrate.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description, serve to explain and illustrate the principles of the invention. The drawings are intended to illustrate major features of exemplary embodiments in a graphical manner. The drawings are not intended to depict every feature of actual embodiments nor relative dimensions of the depicted elements, and the depicted elements are not drawn to scale.

Figure 1 is a graph comparing the instantaneous ion implant dose of the prior art and the disclosed method.

Figure 2 is a graph of defect contrast dose rate after annealing for a prior art implanter and the current embodiment.

Fig. 3A is a photomicrograph of a wafer after ion implantation according to one embodiment of the invention, while fig. 3B is the wafer after 30 minutes of annealing at 930 ℃ in a conventional furnace.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an ion implantation chamber that may be used in the methods described herein.

Detailed Description

Figure 1 is a graph comparing the instantaneous ion implant dose of the prior art and the disclosed method. As shown, ion implantation of a wafer 100 is performed using a "pencil" beam 105, which "pencil" beam 105 is scanned in two dimensions to cover the wafer. The resulting instantaneous dose rate at various points on the substrate is plotted as a periodic implant at a high instantaneous dose rate, but for a very short duration. This causes local heating, which in turn causes self-annealing and defective clusters. Similarly, wafer 110 is ion implanted using ribbon beam 115, and ribbon beam 115 is scanned in a direction to cover the wafer. The resulting instantaneous dose rate at various points on the substrate is plotted as a periodic implant at a moderately high instantaneous high dose rate, but for a very short duration. This also causes local heating, which in turn causes self-annealing and defective clusters. In contrast, according to one embodiment, wafer 120 is implanted using a continuous wave beam current 125 such that the points to be implanted (here the entire wafer) are continuously implanted with ions and no self-annealing occurs.

It will be appreciated that the total dose rate shown in figure 1 can be calculated by integrating the plots of the methods. The system can be set so that the integrated dose rate is equal for all three systems, however, the instantaneous dose rate at each point on the wafer is highest for pencil beams, slightly lower for ribbon beams, and lowest for the "constantly on" beam of this embodiment. Therefore, the integrated dose rate of the pencil beam and the ribbon beam is limited so as not to overheat the wafer. On the other hand, the constant conductance of the present embodimentThe through beam may have a much higher average dose rate and still maintain the wafer at an acceptable temperature. For example, in some embodiments, the dose rate is set to be above 1E15 ions/cm^-2In seconds. In one example, the implant conditions are set to: implant energy of 20keV and 3E15cm^-2The dosage of (a).

Referring now to FIG. 2, the advantages of the method of the present invention are apparent. Figure 2 is a graph of defect number versus dose rate after annealing for a prior art implanter and this embodiment. In fig. 2, the present embodiment is denoted as an "Intevac injector". As can be appreciated from the graph of fig. 2, pencil beam ion implantation results in the greatest number of defects remaining after the annealing process, while the disclosed method results in the least number of defects or no defects remaining after the annealing process. Meanwhile, the difference in the number of defects shown in the figure further supports the following assumptions: the defects are caused by a self-annealing mechanism that does not exist using the disclosed methods.

Furthermore, fig. 2 shows that the annealing regime increases with increasing average dose rate. This may indicate that: defects will accumulate more effectively as the dose rate is increased, but will be better annealed as the average dose rate is increased. Also, the disclosed method may provide better amorphization of the substrate since the substrate does not have an opportunity to self-anneal when implanted continuously.

In the above embodiments, the substrate may be annealed using a conventional furnace or Rapid Thermal Processing (RTP). In one example, the wafer is annealed in the furnace at a temperature of, for example, 930 ℃ for about 30 minutes, while using RTP, the wafer is annealed at a temperature of 600 and 1000 ℃ for about 1-10 seconds (5 seconds in the specific example). Notably, studies of samples implanted into the beam line and conventionally annealed have shown an increase in the oxide layer. In particular, Rutherford Backscattering Spectroscopy (RBS) shows a broadened silicon peak, representing residual damage after annealing. In contrast, the RBS plot of the wafer after RTP annealing according to the disclosed method does not show an oxide or broadened silicon peak, indicating that the sample has been completely recrystallized.

Fig. 3A is a photomicrograph of a wafer after ion implantation according to one embodiment, and fig. 3B is a photomicrograph of the wafer after annealing at 930 ℃ for 30 minutes in a conventional furnace. The implantation is carried out by using pH₃Gas source at 20keV and 3E15cm^-2The following procedures were carried out. As can be seen in the micrograph of fig. 3A, the implanted layer has been completely amorphized. Moreover, the micrograph of fig. 3B also shows a fully recrystallized layer without defects.

Fig. 4 illustrates a cross-sectional three-dimensional perspective view of one embodiment of a plasma network implantation system 800 that can be used in the disclosed method. System 800 includes a chamber 810, chamber 810 housing a first pane 850, a second pane 855, and a third pane 857. The panels may be formed of a variety of different materials including, but not limited to, silicon, graphite, silicon carbide, and tungsten. Each grid comprises a plurality of apertures configured to allow ions to pass through. The plasma source maintains a plasma in a plasma region of the chamber 810. In fig. 4, the plasma region is located above the first pane 850. In some embodiments, a plasma gas is supplied to the plasma region via gas inlet 820. The plasma gas may be a combination of a plasma-sustaining gas such as argon and a doping gas such as a gas containing phosphorus, boron, or the like. In addition, an undoped amorphizing gas, such as germanium, may also be included. In some embodiments, a vacuum is applied to the interior of chamber 810 through vacuum port 830. In some embodiments, insulation 895 is disposed around the outer wall of chamber 810. In some embodiments, the chamber walls are configured to repel ions within the plasma region using, for example, electric and/or magnetic fields generated by permanent magnets or electromagnets.

A target wafer 840 is positioned on the opposite side of the grid from the plasma region. In fig. 4, the target wafer 840 is positioned below the third grid 857. The target wafer 840 is supported by an adjustable substrate holder, allowing the target wafer 840 to be adjusted between a homogeneous implant position (closer to the grid) and a selective implant position (farther from the grid). By applying a DC potential to the first grid 850, plasma ions are accelerated in the form of an ion beam 870 towards the target wafer 840. These ions are implanted into wafer 840. The deleterious effects of secondary electrons created by ions striking the wafer 840 and other materials are avoided by utilizing a second grid 855 that is negatively biased with respect to the original grid 855. The second grid 855 having a negative bias suppresses electrons escaping from the wafer 840. In some embodiments, the first panel 850 is biased to 80kV, while the second panel 855 is biased to-2 kV. However, other bias voltages are contemplated. The third grid 857 acts as a beam-defining grid and is typically grounded. A third pane 857 is positioned in contact with or very close to the substrate surface in order to provide the final definition of the implant. If selective implantation is desired, grid 857 can be used as a beam-defining mask and provide the critical alignment required. The third grid 857 may be configured as a shadow mask to enable selective implantation of defined beams. In addition, any form of beamforming that does not require a mask may be used instead of or in addition to the third grid 857.

In the embodiment of fig. 4, ions are extracted from the plasma region and accelerated towards the substrate. When the substrate is sufficiently spaced from the grid, ion beam 870 has sufficient travel distance to form an ion column (column) traveling toward the substrate. This is due to the natural tendency of each ion beam 870 to diverge once it exits the grid plate. The uniformity of the cross-section of the ion column can be controlled by adjusting the number, size and shape of the holes in the grid, the distance between the grids, the distance between the grid and the substrate, and the like. It should be noted that although in the embodiment of fig. 4, a grid and/or substrate is used to control the generation of the ion columns and their uniformity, other means may be used. The main objective is to generate a single column of ions, where the column has a cross-section large enough to enable concurrent and continuous implantation of the entire surface of the substrate. Of course, if selective implantation is performed, a third grid may be used to block portions of the column.

As can be understood from the above, the embodiment of the method proceeds with the following steps: a substrate is introduced into an ion implanter, an ion beam or column of ions is generated having cross-sectional dimensions large enough to cover the entire area of the substrate, and the beam is directed to successively implant ions onto the substrate and amorphize layers of the substrate. The substrate is then annealed in an RTP chamber using a SPER annealing mechanism to improve throughput, wherein the amorphized layer recrystallizes. The annealing step also activates the dopants implanted from the ion beam. According to another embodiment for solar cell manufacturing, after ion implantation, further layers of the solar cell, including metallization layers, are fabricated on the amorphization layer. The substrate is then transferred into an RTP chamber to simultaneously anneal the metallization layer and the amorphized layer. That is, the SPER anneal is performed as a metallization anneal step such that there is no separate anneal step after the ion implantation process. While the present invention has been discussed in terms of exemplary embodiments of specific materials and specific steps, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that variations from these specific examples, or variations from the specific examples used, may be made and will be understood from the described and illustrated practices and discussions of operations to thereby produce such structures and methods as facilitate modifications without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims (22)

1. A method of fabricating a solar cell using ion implantation, comprising:

introducing a substrate into an ion implantation chamber;

generating a continuous stream of ions to be implanted into the substrate;

directing the stream of ions toward a surface of the substrate to cause successive ion bombardment of the surface of the substrate to thereby implant ions into the substrate while amorphizing a layer of the substrate.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of generating a continuous stream of ions comprises generating an ion beam having a cross-section large enough to enable simultaneous implantation of the entire surface of the substrate.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

defining a region of the substrate to be implanted; and the number of the first and second electrodes,

wherein the step of generating a continuous stream of ions comprises generating an ion beam having a cross-section large enough to enable simultaneous implantation of the entire region of the substrate to be implanted.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of generating a continuous stream of ions comprises:

maintaining a plasma using a gas containing a species to be implanted;

extracting an ion beam of the species, wherein the ion beam has a cross-section large enough to enable simultaneous implantation of the entire surface of the substrate.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the energy of the implant is 5-100 keV.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the energy of the implant is 20-40 keV.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the dose rate is higher than 1E¹⁵Ion/cm^-2In seconds.

8. The method of claim 2, further comprising annealing the substrate using rapid thermal processing.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the annealing is performed at 600-1000 ℃ for about 1-10 seconds.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

after the process of ion implantation and without performing an annealing step, fabricating a metallization layer on the substrate; and the number of the first and second groups,

after forming the metallization layer, annealing the substrate to simultaneously: annealing the metallization layer, recrystallizing the amorphized layer, and activating the implanted dopants.

11. A method for ion implanting a substrate, comprising:

introducing a substrate into an ion implantation chamber;

generating a continuous stream of ions to be implanted into the substrate;

directing the ion stream toward a surface of the substrate to cause continuous ion bombardment of the surface of the substrate while preventing self-annealing of the substrate.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of preventing self-annealing of the substrate comprises causing a continuous bombardment of ion species across the surface to be implanted.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising fully amorphizing a layer of the substrate to be implanted.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the entire front surface of the substrate is implanted simultaneously.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of generating a continuous stream of ions comprises:

maintaining a plasma using a gas containing a species to be implanted;

extracting columns of ions of said species, wherein said columns have a cross section large enough to enable simultaneous implantation of the entire surface of said substrate.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein extracting an ion column comprises extracting a plurality of ion beams from the plasma and causing a plurality of the ion beams to be combined into a single ion column.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the energy of the implant is 5-100 keV.

18. A method according to claim 16, wherein the dose rate is designed such that a given layer of the substrate is fully amorphized.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein said dose rate is higher than 1E¹⁵Ion/cm^-2In seconds.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the average dose is 5E¹⁴-5E¹⁶cm^-2。

21. A method for ion implanting a substrate, comprising:

introducing a substrate into an ion implantation chamber;

generating a continuous stream of ions to be implanted into the substrate;

directing the ion stream toward a surface of the substrate to cause continuous ion bombardment of the surface of the substrate, thereby simultaneously amorphizing the entire surface of the substrate.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the step of generating a continuous stream of ions comprises:

maintaining a plasma using a gas containing a species to be implanted;

extracting columns of ions of said species, wherein said columns have a cross section large enough to enable simultaneous implantation of the entire surface of said substrate.