(503d) Intensification of the Hydride Vapor Phase Epitaxy Manufacturing Process for Solar Devices
AIChE Annual Meeting
2017
2017 Annual Meeting
Computing and Systems Technology Division
Process Intensification through Process Systems Engineering
Wednesday, November 1, 2017 - 9:03am to 9:24am
There are already a couple of practices applying the philosophy of process intensifications in this area. For example, through clever design, the compact horizontal reactor in [2] was capable of growing various III-V semiconductors (GaAs, InGaAs, GaInP, etc.) at high growth rates and depositing multilayers of those compounds in a controlled mode by manually operating transfer rod and shifting gas flow [2, 3]. Based on this reactor, an improved inline reactor was proposed [4], in which the growth method was adapted to sequentially deposit different layer of material on one wafer travelling through multiple reaction chambers separated by gas curtain. To further promote performance of process and product, we present novel alternatives to previous intensification techniques using new concepts in both equipment design and operation method. Computational modeling tools are used to verify design and operational strategies. We are expecting this work will not only aid the production of economically and industrially viable III-V solar cells, but also inspire more ideas to optimize other CVD processes that grow films with high cost-performance ratio.
[1] M. A. Green et al., âSolar cell efficiency tables (version 49),â Prog. Photovolt: Res. Appl., vol. 25, no. 1, pp. 3â13, Jan. 2017.
[2] K. L. Schulte, W. L. Rance, R. C. Reedy, A. J. Ptak, D. L. Young, and T. F. Kuech, âControlled formation of GaAs pn junctions during hydride vapor phase epitaxy of GaAs,â Journal of Crystal Growth, vol. 352, no. 1, pp. 253â257, Aug. 2012.
[3] K. L. Schulte et al., âMetalorganic vapor phase growth of quantum well structures on thick metamorphic buffer layers grown by hydride vapor phase epitaxy,â Journal of Crystal Growth, vol. 370, pp. 293â298, May 2013.
[4] D. L. Young, A. J. Ptak, T. F. Kuech, K. Schulte, and J. D. Simon, âHigh throughput semiconductor deposition system,â US20130309848 A1, 21-Nov-2013.