Light-Assisted Electrochemical Shunt Passivation for Photovoltaic Devices
First Claim
1. A method of passivating any performance-reducing shunting defects in a photovoltaic cell having one or more layers of a thin film semiconductor material and layer of a superposed electrode, the method comprising:
- immersing at least a portion of the photovoltaic cell in a conversion reagent, illuminating at least a portion of the immersed photovoltaic cell with a suitable source of illumination, and applying an appropriate electrical bias voltage on the immersed photovoltaic cell.
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Abstract
A method of passivating current-shunting defects in a photovoltaic device and such passivated photovoltaic devices are described. The photovoltaic device includes a thin film body with a superposed electrode comprised of a layer of transparent electrically conductive electrode material. The method includes converting the transparent, electrically conductive electrode material to a material having a higher electrical resistivity than the transparent electrically conductive electrode material or by removing the transparent conducting electrode material, by simultaneously: 1) immersing at least a portion of the electrode in a conversion reagent, 2) illuminating the immersed electrode with a suitable source of illumination, and 3) applying an appropriate electrical bias to activate the conversion.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. A method of passivating any performance-reducing shunting defects in a photovoltaic cell having one or more layers of a thin film semiconductor material and layer of a superposed electrode, the method comprising:
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immersing at least a portion of the photovoltaic cell in a conversion reagent, illuminating at least a portion of the immersed photovoltaic cell with a suitable source of illumination, and applying an appropriate electrical bias voltage on the immersed photovoltaic cell. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 24, 25)
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20. An apparatus for performing the light-assisted shunt passivation in a photovoltaic cell, the apparatus comprising:
- an electrolyte, a counter-electrode, and a conducting electrode placed in near or in contact with the photovoltaic cell.
- View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23)
Specification