Hot Wire Process for Deposition of Semiconductor Material on a Substrate and Apparatus for Carrying Out the Process

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The invention describes a hot-wire chemical vapor deposition (HWCVD) method and apparatus for depositing multiple types of semiconductor layers onto a substrate inside a single deposition chamber. By incorporating at least two types of wires (such as tantalum and rhenium), each connected to separate electrical systems and gas feeds, different semiconductors can be deposited sequentially without opening or modifying the chamber. This streamlines multilayer semiconductor fabrication processes, as each wire type can be selectively heated and used for depositing a specific material, drastically reducing downtimes and material handling complexity.

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• Manufacturing of advanced thin-film solar cells requiring multiple semiconductor layer deposition (e.g., silicon and silicon-carbon layers) in one chamber.
• Production of multilayer semiconductor devices such as LEDs, sensors, thin-film transistors, or photodetectors.
• Research and development settings where rapid prototyping of multilayered semiconductor structures is needed.
• Industrial processes requiring switching between different semiconductor layer compositions without process interruption or vacuum breakage.

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• Significantly reduces process downtime by eliminating the need to open the chamber or repeatedly replace wires for each semiconductor layer.
• Improves manufacturing throughput and lowers production costs by enabling sequential deposition of multiple semiconductors in a single run.
• Enhances device quality and yield due to minimized contamination risk from less handling and exposure.
• Allows more flexible and efficient development of complex multilayer semiconductor structures.
• Minimizes wear and damage to expensive wire materials through selective, time-controlled heating.

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Patent Abstract

The invention relates to a hot-wire method for depositing semiconductor material on a substrate in a deposition chamber, at least two wires being clamped at the ends of the wires in a wire retainer and heated by supplying current, characterized in that a voltage for producing an electric current flow is applied to wires of different material in succession, such that a number of different semiconductors corresponding to the number of wire materials heated in succession can be deposited on the substrate in succession without opening the chamber. The invention further relates to a device for performing the method.