Primestar Solar, Inc.

General Electric Company

First Solar, Inc.

Mehran Sadeghi

Scott Daniel Feldman-Peabody

Jennifer Ann Drayton

Robert Dwayne Gossman

Yu Zhao

Jonathan Mack Frey

Wyatt Keith Metzger

Laura Anne Clark

Tammy Jane Lucas

Bogdan Lita

Renee Mary Whitney

Samuel H Demtsu

David Joseph Dickerson

Laura Jean Wilson

Robert Dwayne Gossmann

Victor Kaydanov

Michael Burnash Cozens

Methods for preparing an exposed surface of a p-type absorber layer of a p-n junction for coupling to a back contact in the manufacture of a thin film photovoltaic device are provided. The method can include: applying a treatment solution onto the exposed surface defined by the p-type absorber layer of cadmium telluride; and annealing the device with the p-type absorber layer in contact with the treatment solution to form a tellurium-enriched region in the p-type absorber layer at the exposed surface. The treatment solution comprises a chlorinated compound component that is substantially free from copper, a copper-containing metal salt, and a solvent.

Method of controlling the amount of Cu doping when forming a back contact of a photovoltaic cell

Methods are generally provided for forming a conductive oxide layer on a substrate. In one particular embodiment, the method can include sputtering a transparent conductive oxide layer on a substrate at a sputtering temperature from about 10&#xb0; C. to about 100&#xb0; C. A cap layer including cadmium sulfide can be deposited directly on the transparent conductive oxide layer. The transparent conductive oxide layer can be annealed at an anneal temperature from about 450&#xb0; C. to about 650&#xb0; C. Methods are also generally provided for manufacturing a cadmium telluride based thin film photovoltaic device. An intermediate substrate is also generally provided for use to manufacture a thin film photovoltaic device.

Methods of forming a conductive transparent oxide film layer for use in a cadmium telluride based thin film photovoltaic device

A cadmium telluride thin film photovoltaic device is provided having a thin film interlayer positioned between a cadmium sulfide layer and a cadmium telluride layer. The thin film interlayer can be an oxide thin film layer (e.g., an amorphous silica layer, a cadmium stannate layer, a zinc stannate layer, etc.) or a nitride film, and can act as a chemical barrier at the p-n junction to inhibit ion diffusion between the layers. The device can include a transparent conductive layer on a glass superstrate, a cadmium sulfide layer on the transparent conductive layer, a thin film interlayer on the cadmium sulfide layer, a cadmium telluride layer on the thin film interlayer, and a back contact on the cadmium telluride layer. Methods are also provided of manufacturing such devices.

Thin film interlayer in cadmium telluride thin film photovoltaic devices and methods of manufacturing the same

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

Orpington, United Kingdom

Mehran Sadeghi