General Electric Company

First Solar Malaysia Sdn. Bhd.

Bogdan Lita

Scott Daniel Feldman-Peabody

Robert Dwayne Gossman

Mark Jeffrey Pavol

Yu Zhao

Mehran Sadeghi

Renee Mary Whitney

Nathan John Kruse

Michael Burnash Cozens

John Milton Flood, Iii

Valerie Pflumio Hill

Thin film photovoltaic devices that include a transparent substrate; a transparent conductive oxide layer on the transparent substrate; a n-type window layer on the transparent conductive oxide layer; a p-type absorber layer on the n-type window layer; and, a back contact on the p-type absorber layer are provided. The p-type absorber layer comprises cadmium telluride, and forms a photovoltaic junction with the n-type window layer. Generally, the p-type absorber layer defines a plurality of finger structures protruding from the p-type absorber layer into the back contact. The finger structures can have an aspect ratio of about 1 or greater and/or can have a height that is about 20% to about 200% of the thickness of the p-type absorber layer. Methods of forming such finger structures protruding from a back surface of the p-type absorber layer are also provided.

Finger structures protruding from absorber layer for improved solar cell back contact

Methods of making a photovoltaic (PV) cell are disclosed. The methods comprise at least the steps of, providing a first component comprising a cadmium telluride (CdTe) layer comprising an interfacial region, and subjecting the first component to a functionalizing treatment in the presence of a material comprising copper.

Method of making photovoltaic cell

Growing community of inventors

Boulder, CO, United States of America

Bogdan Lita