The Standard Oil Company

Louis F Szabo

William J Biter

A stable ohmic contact for thin films of p-type tellurium-containing II-VI semiconductors and photovoltaic devices incorporating such contacts. An ohmic contact according to the invention includes a contact-forming layer deposited on a p-type thin film of a tellurium-contacting II-VI semiconductor. Preferably, the contact-forming layer is copper having a thickness of about 2 nanometers. An isolation layer is deposited on the contact-forming to isolate subsequently deposited layers from the thin film. The isolation layer may be carbon or a thin layer of nickel. A connection layer for attaching an external electrical conductor is deposited on the isolation layer. The connection layer may be aluminum, chromium or a layer of copper, provided a copper layer is covered with one of silver, aluminum or a thin layer of nickel, preferably covered with aluminum. The stable, ohmic contact may be used as a back contact in a photovoltaic device incorporating a thin film of a tellurium-containing II-VI semiconductor as one of the active semiconductor layers in the device.

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Garfield Heights, OH, United States of America

Louis F Szabo