Stion Corporation

Litel Instruments

Chester A Farris, Iii

Howard W H Lee

Robert D Wieting

Steven Aragon

Albert S Brown

Laila Dounas

Robert O Hunter, Jr

James H Whittemore, Iv

A method of fabricating a thin film photovoltaic device is provided. The method subjects a soda lime glass substrate having a front side, backside, and edges to a first cleaning process and forms a first coating of silicon dioxide overlying the backside and the edges. The method further subjects the substrate to a second cleaning process and forms a second coating of silicon dioxide overlying the front side and the edges of the substrate. Furthermore, the method includes causing a barrier layer comprising the first coating and the second coating to encapsulate entirely the front side, backside, and edges. The barrier layer includes at least a thickness of oxygen rich silicon dioxide to contain any sodium bearing material within the substrate. Moreover, the method includes forming a thickness of metal material overlying the second coating on the front side followed by an absorber material and window material plus a top electrode.

Double sided barrier for encapsulating soda lime glass for CIS/CIGS materials

A method for manufacture of application specific solar cells includes providing and processing custom design information to determine at least a cell size and a cell shape. The method includes providing a transparent substrate having a back surface region, a front surface region, and one or more grid-line regions overlying the front side surface region. The one or more grid regions provide one or more unit cells having the cell size and the cell shape. The method further includes forming a layered structure including photovoltaic materials overlying the front surface region. Additionally, the method includes aligning a laser beam from the back surface region to illuminate a first region within the one or more grid-line regions, subjecting a first portion of the layered structure overlying the first region to the laser beam to separate the first portion of the layered structure from the first region, and scanning the laser beam along the one or more grid-line regions to cause formation of one or more unit cells having the cell size and cell shape. The method further includes transferring the one or more unit cells.

Application specific solar cell and method for manufacture using thin film photovoltaic materials

A method for manufacturing a thin-film photovoltaic device includes providing a glass substrate contained sodium species. The glass substrate comprising a surface region and a peripheral edge region surround the surface region. The method further includes forming a barrier material overlying the surface region and partially overlying the peripheral edge region and forming a conductor material overlying the barrier material. Additionally, the method includes forming at least a first trench in a vicinity of the peripheral edge region to remove substantially the conductor material therein and forming precursor materials overlying the patterned conductor material. Furthermore, the method includes thermally treating the precursor materials to transform the precursor materials into a film of photovoltaic absorber. The first trench is configured to maintain the film of photovoltaic absorber substantially free from peeling off the conductor material.

Method and structure for eliminating edge peeling in thin-film photovoltaic absorber materials

A method for laser separation of a thin film structure with multi junction photovoltaic materials. The method includes providing an optically transparent substrate having a thickness, a back surface region, and a front surface region including an edge region. The method further includes forming a thin film structure including a conductive layer on the optical transparent substrate. The conductive layer immediately overlies the front surface region. Additionally, the method includes aligning a laser beam with a beam spot on a first portion of the edge region from the back surface region through the thickness of the optically transparent substrate. The method further includes subjecting at least partially the conductive layer overlying the first portion via absorbed energy from the laser beam to separate an edge portion of the thin film structure from the first portion of the edge region.

Method and system for laser separation for exclusion region of multi-junction photovoltaic materials

A method for large scale manufacture of photovoltaic devices includes loading a substrate into a load lock station and transferring the substrate in a controlled ambient to a first process station. The method includes using a first physical deposition process in the first process station to cause formation of a first conductor layer overlying the surface region of the substrate. The method includes transferring the substrate to a second process station, and using a second physical deposition process in the second process station to cause formation of a second layer overlying the surface region of the substrate. The method further includes repeating the transferring and processing until all thin film materials of the photovoltaic devices are formed. In an embodiment, the invention also provides a method for large scale manufacture of photovoltaic devices including feed forward control.

Method and system for large scale manufacture of thin film photovoltaic devices using multi-chamber configuration

A tandem photovoltaic cell device is disclosed including an upper and lower cell. The lower cell may comprise a glass substrate and overlying layers that may include an electrode, absorber, window layer, and a transparent conductive oxide layer. The upper cell may comprise an intermediate glass substrate and overlying layers that may include a transparent conductor, an absorber, a window layer, a second conductive oxide layer, and an upper glass material. The cells may be coupled with an optical coupling material, and edge sealing material may be disposed between the glass substrates for both the upper and lower cells.

Tandem photovoltaic cell and method using three glass substrate configuration

A system for large scale manufacture of thin film photovoltaic cells includes a chamber comprising a plurality of compartments in a common vacuum ambient therein. Additionally, the system includes one or more shutter screens removably separating each of the plurality of compartments. The system further includes one or more transfer tools configured to transfer a substrate from one compartment to another without breaking the common vacuum ambient. The substrate is optically transparent and is characterized by a lateral dimension of about 1 meter or greater for a solar module. Embodiments of the invention provide compartments configured to subject the substrate to one or more thin film processes to form a Cu-rich Cu&#x2014;In composite material overlying the substrate and at least one of the plurality of compartments is configured to subject the Cu-rich Cu&#x2014;In composite material to a thermal process to form a chalcogenide structured material.

Method and system for large scale manufacture of thin film photovoltaic devices using single-chamber configuration

A method for large scale manufacture of photovoltaic devices includes loading a substrate into a load lock station and transferring the substrate in a controlled ambient to a first process station. The method includes formation of a first conductor layer overlying the surface region of the substrate. The method includes transferring the substrate to a second process station, and forming a second layer overlying the surface region of the substrate. The method further includes repeating the transferring and processing until all thin film materials of the photovoltaic devices are formed. In an embodiment, the invention also provides a method for large scale manufacture of photovoltaic devices including feed forward control. That is, the method includes in-situ monitoring of the physical, electrical, and optical properties of the thin films. These properties are used to determine and adjust process conditions for subsequent processes.

Method for large scale manufacture of thin film photovoltaic devices using multi-chamber configuration

The present invention provides a solar module formed using a powder coating and thermal treatment process. The solar module includes a substrate having a surface region and a photovoltaic material overlying the surface region. The solar module further includes a barrier material overlying the photovoltaic material. Moreover, the solar module includes a coating overlying the barrier material and enclosing the photovoltaic material to mechanically protect the photovoltaic material. In certain embodiments, photovoltaic material is a thin film photovoltaic cell and the coating is provided by a powder coating substantially free of bubbles formed by electrostatic spraying and cured with a thermal treatment process.

Method and structure for forming module using a powder coating and thermal treatment process

Multi-module utility photovoltaic apparatus

The method and system for selenization in fabricating CIS and/or CIGS based thin film solar cell overlaying cylindrical glass substrates. The method includes providing a substrate, forming an electrode layer over the substrate and depositing a precursor layer of copper, indium, and/or gallium over the electrode layer. The method also includes disposing the substrate vertically in a furnace. Then a gas including a hydrogen species, a selenium species and a carrier gas are introduced into the furnace and heated to between about 350&#xb0; C. and about 450&#xb0; C. to at least initiate formation of a copper indium diselenide film from the precursor layer.

Method and system for selenization in fabricating CIGS/CIS solar cells

A method of sodium doping in fabricating CIGS/CIS based thin film solar cells includes providing a shaped substrate member. The method includes forming a barrier layer over the surface region followed by a first electrode layer, and then a sodium bearing layer. A precursor layer of copper, indium, and/or gallium materials having an atomic ratio of copper/group III species no greater than 1.0 is deposited over the sodium bearing layer. The method further includes transferring the shaped substrate member to a second chamber and subjecting it to a thermal treatment process within an environment comprising gas-phase selenium species, followed by an environment comprising gas-phase sulfur species with the selenium species being substantially removed to form an absorber layer.

Sodium doping method and system for shaped CIGS/CIS based thin film solar cells

A solar device is provided, comprising a substrate structure having a surface region, a flexible and conformal material comprising a polymer material affixing the surface region, and one or more solar cells spatially provided by one or more films of materials characterized by a thickness dimension of 25 microns and less and mechanically coupled to the flexible and conformal material. The one or more solar cells have a flexible characteristic. The flexible characteristic maintains each of the solar cells substantially free from any damage or breakage thereto when the one or more films of materials is subjected to bending.

Affixing method and solar decal device using a thin film photovoltaic

A system for large scale manufacture of thin film photovoltaic cells. The system includes a chamber comprising a plurality of compartments in a common vacuum ambient therein. Additionally, the system includes one or more shutter screens removably separating each of the plurality of compartments. The system further includes one or more transfer tools configured to transfer a substrate from one compartment to another without breaking the common vacuum ambient. The substrate is optically transparent and is characterized by a lateral dimension of about 1 meter or greater for a solar module. Embodiments of the invention provide that at least some of the plurality of compartments are configured to subject the substrate to one or more thin film processes to form a Cu-rich Cu&#x2014;In composite material overlying the substrate and at least one of the plurality of compartments is configured to subject the Cu-rich Cu&#x2014;In composite material to a thermal process to form a chalcogenide structured material.

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Yorba Linda, CA, United States of America

Chester A Farris, Iii