Amorphous Silicon Films

About

Summary: This patented technology provides a compound and process useful in the production of amorphous silicon films, such as those used in photovoltaic applications, as well as in the creation of printed, flexible electronic circuits.  The technology involves a process of producing compounds containing a tetradecachlorocyclohexasilane dianion. These compounds are prepared by contacting trichlorosilane with a reagent composition comprising a tertiary polyamine. The resulting dianion can be chemically reduced to liquid cyclohexasilane (CHS), a stable compound useful in the silicon-based industries described herein.   Applications: Used to produces liquid cyclohexasilane (CHS), a stable compound useful for silicon-based applications, including: Liquid CHS can be easily printed using direct write techniques Used as a feedstock material for semiconductor wafers and photovoltaics Useful in the deposition of amorphous silicon films Resulting CHS is easily purified via distillation processes Improvements in yield and process flow have led to the development of cyclohexasilane that is cost-competitive with very little waste or by-products.