PLASMA ENHANCED CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION OF BARRIER COATINGS

摘要

A method to produce barrier coatings (such as nitrides, oxides, carbides) for large area thin film devices such as solar panels or the like using a high frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) process is presented. The proposed process provides a uniform deposition of barrier coating(s) such as silicon nitride, silicon oxide, silicon carbide (SiNx, SiO2, SiC) at a high deposition rate on thin film devices such as silicon based thin film devices at low temperature. The proposed process deposits uniform barrier coatings (nitrides, oxides, carbides) on large area substrates (about Im x 0.5m and larger) at a high frequency (27-81 MHz). Stable plasma maintained over a large area substrate at high frequencies allows high ionization density resulting in high reaction rates at lower temperature.