Chronar Corp.

Energy Photovoltaics

Other

New Jersey Institute of Technology

Alan E Delahoy

Frank B Ellis, Jr

Thomas S Tonon

Vikram L Dalal

Ken K Chin

Herbert A Weakliem

Zoltan J Kiss

Albert Rose

John E Van Dine

Erter Eser

Zimeng Cheng

Sheyu Guo

The present disclosure provides improved thin film photovoltaic devices and related methods of fabrication. More particularly, the present disclosure provides improved CdTe photovoltaic devices and related fabrication methods. Disclosed is a novel thin film photovoltaic device and means for its fabrication. An exemplary device includes a metal oxide layer between the absorber layer and the rear electrode, resulting in an ohmic back contact and having improved device stability. The metal oxide layer can include at least one of silver oxide or copper oxide, and may additionally contain nickel oxide, molybdenum oxide, and/or vanadium oxide. The present disclosure is directed towards formation of a ohmic back contact for solar cells, the back contact having improved stability. In certain embodiments, the present disclosure provides for an ohmic contact to p-type II-VI semiconductors, and to the fabrication of solar cells having improved stability, and to solar panels incorporating such back contact schemes.

System and method for thin film photovoltaic modules and back contact for thin solar cells

Sulfur is used to improve the performance of CIGS devices prepared by the evaporation of a single source ZIS type compound to form a buffer layer on the CIGS. The sulfur may be evaporated, or contained in the ZIS type material, or both. Vacuum evaporation apparatus of many types useful in the practice of the invention are known in the art. Other methods of delivery, such as sputtering, or application of a thiourea solution, may be substituted for evaporation.

Method of junction formation for CIGS photovoltaic devices

The present invention provides an improved hollow cathode method for sputter coating a substrate. The method of the invention comprises providing a channel for gas to flow through, the channel defined by a channel defining surface wherein one or more portions of the channel-defining surface include at least one target material. Gas is flowed through the channel wherein at least a portion of the gas is a non-laminarly flowing gas. While the gas is flowing through the channel a plasma is generated causing target material to be sputtered off the channel-defining surface to form a gaseous mixture containing target atoms that is transported to the substrate. In an important application of the present invention, a method for forming oxide films and in particular zinc oxide films is provided.

Hollow cathode sputtering apparatus and related method

Chalcopyrite semiconductors, such as thin films of copper-indium-diselenide (CuInSe ), copper-gallium-diselenide (CuGaSe ), and Cu(In ,Ga )Se , all of which are sometimes generically referred to as CIGS, have become the subject of considerable interest and study for semiconductor devices in recent years. They are of particular interest for photovoltaic device or solar cell absorber applications. The quality of Cu(In,Ga)Se thin films, as an example of chalcopyrite films, is controlled by making spectrophotometric measurements of light reflected from the film surface. This permits the result of non-contacting measurements of films in a continuous production environment to be fed back to adjust the production conditions in order to improve or maintain the quality of subsequently produced film.

Non-contacting deposition control of chalcopyrite thin films

A radiant energy sensitive device formed by a radiant energy transmissive conductor of tin oxide with an overlying radiant energy transmissive layer of zinc oxide, that, in turn, underlies a radiant energy sensitive layer, with the result that the combination of the two radiant energy transmissive layers improves the performance of the radiant energy sensitive structure with respect to energy passing through the radiant energy transmissive layer.

Radiant energy sensitive device and method

Energy responsive apparatus in which a semiconductor is in contact with an energy transmissive conductor. An electrode with insulated face and side surfaces has an uninsulated surface in contact with the semiconductor, and a further electrode is in contact with the energy transmissive conductor and the semiconductor simultaneously. Or the energy transmissive conductor is in simultaneous further contact with the semiconductor and the further electrode. The insulator is an oxide of the electrode material.

Energy conversion structures

A method of depositing wide bandgap p type amorphous semiconductor materials on a substrate without photosensitization by the decomposition of one or more higher order gaseous silanes in the presence of a p-type catalytic dopant at a temperature of about 200.degree. C. and a pressure in the range from about 1-50 Torr.

Method of depositing wide bandgap amorphous semiconductor materials

Method of counteracting the effects of undesired contaminants in an amorphous semiconductor, and the resulting semiconductor product. An overcompensating agent is incorporated in the semiconductor in a restricted or limited region which is less than the entirety of the semiconductor body. The semiconductor is desirably of amorphous silicon. The undesired contaminant is a p acceptor and the compensating dopant is an n donor. Alternatively, the undesired contaminant can be an n donor and the compensating dopant can be a p acceptor. Typical p acceptors are residual boron and typical n donors are phosphorous. The compensation takes place over the range from about 1 to about 25% of the maximum thickness of the region of compensation. The compensating dopant is present in a limited amount ranging from about 1 part to about 50 parts per million.

Counteraction of semiconductor impurity effects

Removal of defects from semiconductors by applying a reverse bias potential to the semiconductors and irradiating the semiconductors with photon energy greater than their bangap energies.

Removal of defects from semiconductors

Directed energy conversion of semiconductors by the directed energy fusion of a selective region of a semiconductor layer to provide a conductive path through the layer. A conductive path is formed through a semiconductive layer through opposed electrodes by conversion of the semiconductive region, for example, by laser energy applied to change the structure in the region extending between the electrodes. The change in conductivity of the path is monitored and used to control the formation of the conductive path by controlling the directed energy source.

Directed energy conversion of semiconductor materials

A semiconductor device in which particles of semiconductive material extend as separate chains from respective first and second contacts. When one of the contacts is of p-type material, the conductive materials that extend from it are of likewise p-material. Similarly, when the contact is of n-type material, the chain that extends from it is also of n-material. In any case the particles can include both p-type and n-type. One of the contacts can have a prescribed work function and the other contact have a lower work function in order to produce a prescribed junction between the two contacts. In addition the contacts may be polymeric. The particulate bodies may range in size from 10 to about 3000 angstroms in diameter. The n-type particles provide a continuous path for electrons and the p-type particles provide a continuous path for holes. The particles are adhered to one another by an inorganic or organic binder, pressure, heat treatment or thermal fusion. Particles for the semiconductive device can be produced by introducing a gaseous phase semiconductane into a reaction chamber, creating particles from the semiconductane and collecting the particles thus created.

Particulate semiconductors and devices

A semiconductor device with an intrinsic layer that exhibits enhanced photoconductivity by the addition of a non-incidental amount of an n-type dopant.

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Rocky Hill, NJ, United States of America

Alan E Delahoy