Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Comp. Ltd.

TSMC Solar Ltd.

TSMC Solid State Lighting Ltd.

Wen-Tsai Yen

Chung-Hsien Wu

Wen-Chin Lee

Shih-Wei Chen

Jyh-Lih Wu

Liang-Sheng Yu

Yung-Sheng Chiu

Chi-Yu Chiang

Wei-Lun Xu

Kuan-Chu Chen

Ding-Yuan Chen

Wei-Lun Lu

Li Xu

Yung Sheng Chiu

Ying-Hsin Wu

Jui-Fu Hsueh

Yu-Han Chang

A substrate carrier, includes: a unitary body fabricated from a single block of graphite, wherein the body comprises a back plate, and a pair of spaced apart, substantially parallel, side rails, wherein each of the side rails comprises: an inwardly facing surface extending outwardly of the back plate; a longitudinally extending selenium vapor bore formed therein, a top end of the selenium vapor bore being open and configured for coupling to a selenium supply container for receiving selenium vapor by gravity, a bottom end of the selenium vapor bore being closed; an inwardly directed selenium vapor channel; a plurality of selenium vapor outlets disposed between the selenium vapor bore and the inwardly directed selenium vapor channel so as provide a plurality of conduits between the selenium vapor bore and the selenium vapor channel; and, a longitudinally extending engagement slot formed in the inwardly facing surface of each side rail adjacent the back plate to engage and hold a substrate in proximity to the back plate.

Enhanced selenium supply in copper indium gallium selenide processes

A device and method of improving efficiency of a thin film solar cell by providing a back reflector between a back electrode layer and an absorber layer. Back reflector reflects sunlight photons back into the absorber layer to generate additional electrical energy. The device is a photovoltaic device comprising a substrate, a back electrode layer, a back reflector, an absorber layer, a buffer layer, and a front contact layer. The back reflector is formed as a plurality of parallel lines.

Photovoltaic device with back reflector

A solar cell device with improved performance and a method of fabricating the same is described. The solar cell includes a back contact layer formed on a substrate, an absorber layer formed on the back contact layer, a buffer layer formed on the absorber layer, and a front contact layer formed by depositing a transparent conductive oxide layer on the buffer layer and annealing the deposited TCO layer.

Thin film solar cell and method of forming same

A solar cell with a molybdenum back electrode layer and a molybdenum selenide ohmic contact layer over the molybdenum back electrode, is provided. The molybdenum selenide layer includes an accurately controlled thickness. A distinct interface exists between the molybdenum back electrode layer and the molybdenum silicide layer. The molybdenum silicide layer is produced by forming a molybdenum layer or a molybdenum nitride layer or a molybdenum oxide layer over an initially formed molybdenum layer such that an interface exists between the two layers. A selenization and sulfurization process is carried out to selectively convert the molybdenum-containing layer to molybdenum selenide but not the original molybdenum back electrode layer which remains as a molybdenum layer.

Molybdenum selenide sublayers with controlled thickness in solar cells and methods for forming the same

A solar cell device and a method of fabricating the same are described. The method of fabricating a solar cell includes forming a photovoltaic substructure including a substrate, back contact, absorber and buffer, forming a transparent cover separate from the photovoltaic substructure including a transparent layer and a plasmonic nanostructured layer in contact with the transparent layer, and adhering the transparent cover on top of the photovoltaic substructure. The plasmonic nanostructured layer can include metal nanoparticles.

Transparent cover for solar cells and modules

A sputtering apparatus comprises a chamber configured to contain at least one sputter target and at least one substrate to be coated. The chamber has at least one adjustable shielding member defining an adjustable aperture. The member is positioned between the at least one sputter target and the at least one substrate. The aperture is adjustable in at least one of the group consisting of area and shape.

Sputtering apparatus and method

A method and system for forming chalcogenide semiconductor absorber materials with sodium impurities is provided. The system includes a sodium vaporizer in which a solid sodium source material is vaporized. The sodium vapor is added to reactant gases and/or annealing gases and directed to a furnace that includes a substrate with a metal precursor material. The precursor material reacts with reactant gases such as S-containing gases and Se-containing gases according to various process sequences. In one embodiment, a selenization operation is followed by an annealing operation and a sulfurization operation and the sodium vapor is caused to react with the metal precursor during at least one of the annealing and the sulfurization steps to produce a chalcogenide semiconductor absorber material that includes sodium dopant impurities.

Apparatus and method for forming chalcogenide semiconductor absorber materials with sodium impurities

A method for fabricating a solar cell generally comprises delivering a solar cell substructure to a chamber. Electromagnetic radiation is generated using a wave generating device that is coupled to the chamber such that the wave generating device is positioned proximate to the solar cell substructure. The electromagnetic radiation is applied onto at least a portion of the solar cell substructure to facilitate the diffusion of at least one metal element through at least a portion of the solar cell substructure such that a semiconductor interface is formed between at least two different types of semiconductor materials of the solar cell substructure.

Apparatus and methods for fabricating solar cells

A method for forming a thin film solar cell that includes one or more moisture barrier layer made of a water-insoluble material for protection against water and oxygen damage to the top electrode layer material is disclosed.

Method for forming solar cells

An evaporation apparatus comprises a chamber configured to contain at least one dispensing nozzle and at least one substrate to be coated. The chamber has at least one adjustable shielding member defining an adjustable aperture. The member is positioned between the at least one dispensing nozzle and the at least one substrate. The aperture is adjustable in at least one of the group consisting of area and shape. The at least one adjustable shielding member has a heater.

Evaporation apparatus and method

A solar cell includes an absorber layer formed of a CIGAS, copper, indium, gallium, aluminum, and selenium. A method for forming the absorber layer provides for using an indium-aluminum target and depositing an aluminum-indium film as a metal precursor layer using sputter deposition. Additional metal precursor layers such as a CuGa layer are also provided and a thermal processing operation causes the selenization of the metal precursor layers. The thermal processing operation/selenization operation converts the metal precursor layers to an absorber layer. In some embodiments, the absorber layer includes a double graded chalcopyrite-based bandgap.

Method for indium sputtering and for forming chalcopyrite-based solar cell absorber layers

A method of fabricating a solar cell includes forming a front contact layer over a substrate, and the front contact layer is optically transparent at specified wavelengths and electrically conductive. A first scribed area is scribed through the front contact layer to expose a portion of the substrate. A buffer layer doped with an n-type dopant is formed over the front contact layer and the first scribed area. An absorber layer doped with a p-type dopant is formed over the buffer layer. A back contact layer that is electrically conductive is formed over the absorber layer.

Superstrate solar cell

Indium sputtering method and materials for chalcopyrite-based material usable as solar cell absorber layers

Sulfur-containing chalcogenide absorbers in thin film solar cell are manufactured by sequential sputtering or co-sputtering targets, one of which contains a sulfur compound, onto a substrate and then annealing the substrate. The anneal is performed in a non-sulfur containing environment and avoids the use of hazardous hydrogen sulfide gas. A sulfurized chalcogenide is formed having a sulfur concentration gradient.

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Caotun, Taiwan

Wen-Tsai Yen