University of Delaware

Jln Solar, Inc.

Other

Global Solar Energy, Inc.

Robert W Birkmire

Gregory M Hanket

Brian E McCandless

Scott Wiedeman

Robert G Wendt

T W Fraser Russell

Jerold M Schultz

Erten Eser

Robert D Varrin, Jr

Ujjwal K Das

Habib Hichri

Steven S Hegedus

Matheswaran Marudachalam

A thermal evaporation sources are described. These thermal evaporation sources include a crucible configured to contain a volume of evaporant and a vapor space above the evaporant.

Thermal evaporation sources for wide-area deposition

Processes for fabricating back contacts for photovoltaic cell devices are disclosed. The processes involve depositing a passivation layer on the back surface of a wafer, depositing an emitter layer on the passivation layer, depositing a metal layer on the emitter layer, laser firing selected areas of the metal layer to form base contacts, laser cutting the metal layer to create at least one isolation region between emitter contacts and base contacts, and applying a stream of reactive gas to form a second passivation layer in the isolation region. The process may further involve inkjetting a resist on the passivation layer in a pattern corresponding to a boundary between the one or more emitter contacts and the one or more base contacts, and laser cutting the metal layer over the resist to create the isolation region.

Processes for fabricating all-back-contact heterojunction photovoltaic cells

Thin films are produced by a method wherein a material is heated in a furnace placed inside a vacuum system. An inert gas is flown over/through the heated material. The vapors of the material are entrained in the carrier gas which is then directed onto a substrate heated to a temperature below that of the furnace temperature and placed in close proximity to the exit of the furnace.

Method for producing thin films

A new, large-area, thin-film, flexible photovoltaic structure is disclosed, as well as a general fabrication procedure, including a preferably roll-to-roll-type, process-chamber-segregated, &ldquo;continuous-motion&rdquo;, method for producing such a structure. A special multi-material vapor-deposition environment is disclosed to implement an important co-evaporation, layer-deposition procedure performed in and as part of the fabrication procedure. A structural system adapted to create a vapor environment generally like that just referred to is disclosed, as is an organization of method steps involved in the generation of such a vapor environment. Also, a unique, vapor-creating, materials-distributing system, which includes specially designed heated crucibles with carefully arranged, spatially distributed, localized and generally point-like, heated-nozzle sources of different metallic vapors, and a special multi-fingered, comb-like, vapor-delivering manifold structure is shown.

Fabrication of thin-film, flexible photovoltaic module

Thin-film, flexible photovoltaic module

Methods are provided for the production of supported monophasic group I-III-VI semiconductor films. In the subject methods, a substrate is coated with group I and III elements and then contacted with a reactive group VI element containing atmosphere under conditions sufficient to produce a substrate coated with a composite of at least two different group I-III-IV alloys. The resultant composite coated substrate is then annealed in an inert atmosphere under conditions sufficient to convert the composite coating to a monophasic group I-III-VI semiconductor film. The resultant supported semiconductor films find use in photovoltaic applications, particularly as absorber layers in solar cells.

Process for preparing group Ib-IIIa-VIa semiconducting films

An apparatus for producing compound semiconductor thin films on substrates includes a reaction chamber wherein one or more constituents of semiconductor thin film is supplied as a gaseous species in a closed loop system. The apparatus includes hot and cold traps for isolating source materials from the reaction chamber and to provide for controlled delivery of the species. The hot and cold traps communicate with the reaction chamber through hot and cold legs to establish a closed loop recirculating flow. In a preferred embodiment, a thermosiphon provides the flow of gaseous species for formation of copper indium diselenide semiconductor thin films in a closed loop process.

Apparatus for producing compound semiconductor thin films

Semiconductor films and photovoltaic devices prepared therefrom are provided wherein the semiconductor films have a specular surface with a texture less than about 0.25 micron greater than the average planar film surface and wherein the semiconductor films are surface modified by exposing the surface to an aqueous solution of bromine containing an acid or salt and continuing such exposure for a time sufficient to etch the surface.

Process for levelling film surfaces and products thereof

Thin film photovoltaic solar cells are made by forming the cell structure from a number of layers including the contact layers and semiconductor layers. At least one of the semiconductor layers is a tellurium containing II-VI compound. After the structure is formed, it is heated to temperatures above 300.degree. C. and then rapidly cooled at rates greater than 10.degree. C./s. Cells comprising CdS and CdTe have increased fill factor when the fabrication process includes heating and rapid cooling.

Growing community of inventors

Newark, DE, United States of America

Robert W Birkmire