| abstract |
The present invention relates to semiconductor devices suitable for electronic, optoelectronic and energy conversion applications. In a particular form, the present invention relates to the fabrication of a thin film solar cells and thin film transistors through the advantageous combination of semiconductors, insulators, rare-earth based compounds and amorphous and/or ceramic and/or glass substrates. Example embodiments of crystalline or polycrystalline thin film semiconductor-on-glass formation using rare-earth based material as impurity barrier layer(s) are disclosed. In particular, thin film silicon-on-glass substrate is disclosed as the alternate embodiment, with impurity barrier designed to inhibit transport of deleterious alkali species from the glass into the semiconductor thin film. |