A NEW MODULAR MULTICHAMBER PLASMA-ENHANCED CHEMICAL-VAPOR-DEPOSITION SYSTEM

The present work reports on a new modular UHV multichamber PECVD system with characteristics which prevent both the incorporation of residual impurities and cross contamination between different layers. A wide range of intrinsic and doped hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) materials have been produced and single junction pin solar cells with an efficiency greater than 10% have been readily obtained with little optimization. The system contains three UHV modular process zones (MPZ's); the MPZ's and a load lock chamber are located around a central isolation and transfer zone which contains the transport mechanism consisting of an arm with radial and linear movement. This configuration allows for introduction of the substrate into the MPZ's in any sequence so that any type of multilayer device can be produced. The interelectrode distance in the MPZ's can be adjusted between 1 and 5 cm. This has been found to be an important parameter in the optimisation of the deposition rate and of the uniformity. The multichamber concept also allows individually optimized deposition temperatures and interelectrode distances for the various layers. The system installed in Utrecht will be employed for further optimization of single junction solar cells and for research and development of stable a-Si:H tandem cells.