Ion-Beam Treatment to Prepare Surfaces of p-CdTe Films

U.S. Patent 6,281,035


Technology Description A method of making a low-resistance electrical contact between a p-CdTe layer and outer contact layers by ion beam processing comprising:a) placing a CdS/CdTe device into a chamber and evacuating the chamber;b) orienting the p-CdTe side of the CdS/CdTe layer so that it faces apparatus capable of generating Ar atoms and ions of preferred energy and directionality;c) introducing Ar and igniting the area of apparatus capable of generating Ar atoms and ions of preferred energy and directionality in a manner so that during ion exposure, the source-to-substrate distance is maintained such that it is less than the mean-free path or diffusion length of the Ar atoms and ions at the vacuum pressure;d) allowing exposure of the p-CdTe side of the device to said ion beam for a period less than about 5 minutes; ande) imparting movement to the substrate to control the real uniformity of the ion-beam exposure on the p-CdTe side of the device.

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Type of Offer: Licensing



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