Primestar Solar, Inc.

First Solar, Inc.

General Electric Company

Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC

First Solar Malaysia Sdn. Bhd.

Robert Dwayne Gossman

Scott Daniel Feldman-Peabody

Bastiaan Arie Korevaar

Russell Weldon Black

Hongying Peng

Mark Jeffrey Pavol

Juan Carlos Rojo

Jennifer Ann Drayton

Tammy Jane Lucas

Patrick Lynch O'Keefe

Steven Jude Duclos

Peter Joel Meschter

George Theodore Dalakos

David Alan Lilienfeld

Stacey Joy Kennerly

James Neil Johnson

David Scott Albin

Anping Zhang

Holly Ann Blaydes

Hongbo Cao

Jinbo Cao

Victor Mario Torres

David William Vernooy

Mehran Sadeghi

Sean Timothy Halloran

Gregory Keith Dudoff

Bogdan Lita

Nathan John Kruse

Yangang Andrew Xi

Allan Robert Northrup

Stephen Lorenco Araujo

Valerie Pflumio Hill

John Milton Flood, Iii

Scott Daniel Feldman-Peaboy

A method for sputtering an aluminum layer on a surface of a semiconductor device is presented. The method includes three sputtering steps for depositing the aluminum layer, where each sputtering step includes at least one sputtering parameter that is different from a corresponding sputtering parameter of another sputtering step. The surface of the semiconductor device includes a dielectric layer having a plurality of openings formed through the dielectric layer.

Sputtering system and method for forming a metal layer on a semiconductor device

Methods for doping an absorbent layer of a p-n heterojunction in a thin film photovoltaic device are provided. The method can include depositing a window layer on a transparent substrate, where the window layer includes at least one dopant (e.g., copper). A p-n heterojunction can be formed on the window layer, with the p-n heterojunction including a photovoltaic material (e.g., cadmium telluride) in an absorber layer. The dopant can then be diffused from the window layer into the absorber layer (e.g., via annealing).

Doping an absorber layer of a photovoltaic device via diffusion from a window layer

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

A method of manufacturing a transparent oxide layer is provided. The manufacturing method includes disposing a cadmium tin oxide layer on a support, placing the support with the cadmium tin oxide layer within a chamber of a rapid thermal annealing system, and rapidly thermally annealing the cadmium tin oxide layer by exposing the cadmium tin oxide layer to electromagnetic radiation to form the transparent oxide layer, wherein the rapid thermal anneal is performed without first pumping down the chamber.

Methods for forming a transparent oxide layer for a photovoltaic device

Embodiments of the present invention include a method. The method includes heating a layer stack. The layer stack includes a first layer comprising cadmium and tin, a metal layer disposed over the first layer, and a window layer disposed over the metal layer. Heating the stack includes transforming at least a portion of the first layer from an amorphous phase to a crystalline phase. Heating may be performed using any of various configurations, such as, for example, heating an individual stack, or using a face-to-face configuration of multiple stacks. The stack may be used for fabricating a photovoltaic device.

Manufacturing methods for semiconductor devices

Thin film photovoltaic devices are provided. The device includes a transparent substrate; a transparent conductive oxide layer on the transparent substrate; an n-type window layer on the transparent conductive oxide layer, an absorber layer on the n-type window layer, and a back contact layer on the absorber layer. The n-type window layer includes a plurality of nanoparticles spatially distributed within a medium, with the nanoparticles comprising cadmium sulfide. In one embodiment, the medium has an optical bandgap that is greater than about 3.0 eV (e.g., includes a material other than cadmium sulfide). Methods are also provided for such thin film photovoltaic devices.

Spatially distributed CdS in thin film photovoltaic devices and their methods of manufacture

A method for making a photovoltaic device is presented. The method includes steps of disposing a window layer on a substrate and disposing an absorber layer on the window layer. Disposing the window layer, the absorber layer, or both layers includes introducing a source material into a deposition zone, wherein the source material comprises oxygen and a constituent of the window layer, of the absorber layer or of both layers. The method further includes step of depositing a film that comprises the constituent and oxygen.

Method for making photovoltaic devices using oxygenated semiconductor thin film layers

In one aspect of the present invention, a method is provided. The method includes disposing a substantially amorphous cadmium tin oxide layer on a support; and thermally processing the substantially amorphous cadmium tin oxide layer in an atmosphere substantially free of cadmium from an external source to form a transparent layer, wherein the transparent layer has an electrical resistivity less than about 2&#xd7;10Ohm-cm. Method of making a photovoltaic device is also provided.

Method of making a transparent conductive oxide layer and a photovoltaic device

A sputtering cathode is generally provided. The sputtering cathode can include a semiconducting target (e.g., a cadmium sulfide target, a cadmium tin oxide target, etc.) defining a sputtering surface and a back surface opposite to the sputtering surface. A backing plate can be positioned facing the back surface of the target and non-bonded to the back surface of the target. A non-bonding attachment mechanism can removably hold the target within the sputtering cathode such that the back surface is facing the backing plate during sputtering.

Sputtering cathode having a non-bonded semiconducting target

Methods are generally provided for sputtering thin films on individual substrates. Individual substrates can be conveyed into a vacuum chamber to draw a sputtering pressure that is less than about 50 mTorr. Then, the individual substrates can be conveyed into a sputtering chamber and past a planar magnetron continuously sputtering a target by an ionized gas at the sputtering pressure such that a thin film is formed on a surface of the individual substrate. The target is subjected to a high frequency power having a frequency from about 400 kHz to about 4 MHz at power levels of greater than about 1 kW. In one particular embodiment, the method can be generally directed to sputtering thin films on individual substrates defining a surface having a surface area of about 1000 cmto about 2500 cm.

Methods for high-rate sputtering of a compound semiconductor on large area substrates

Methods of sputtering using a non-bonded semiconducting target

Thin film photovoltaic devices are generally provided. The device can include a transparent conductive oxide layer on a glass substrate, an n-type thin film layer on the transparent conductive layer, and a p-type thin film layer on the n-type layer. The n-type thin film layer and the p-type thin film layer form a p-n junction. An anisotropic conductive layer is applied on the p-type thin film layer, and includes a polymeric binder and a plurality of conductive particles. A metal contact layer can then be positioned on the anisotropic conductive layer.

Anisotropic conductive layer as a back contact in thin film photovoltaic devices

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

Thin film photovoltaic devices are provided that generally include a transparent conductive oxide layer on the glass, a multi-layer n-type stack on the transparent conductive oxide layer, and an absorber layer (e.g., a cadmium telluride layer) on the multi-layer n-type stack. The multi-layer n-type stack generally includes a first layer (e.g., a cadmium sulfide layer) and a second layer (e.g., a mixed phase layer). The multi-layer n-type stack can, in certain embodiments, include additional layers (e.g., a third layer, a fourth layer, etc.). Methods are also generally provided for manufacturing such thin film photovoltaic devices.

Multi-layer N-type stack for cadmium telluride based thin film photovoltaic devices and methods of making

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Aurora, CO, United States of America

Robert Dwayne Gossman