Method of making TCO front electrode for use in photovoltaic device or the like
First Claim
1. A method of making a photovoltaic device, the method comprising:
- providing a glass substrate;
sputtering at least one ceramic target in an atmosphere in order to deposit a substantially transparent conductive electrode comprising zinc oxide on the glass substrate;
wherein the ceramic target comprises zinc oxide;
wherein the atmosphere in which the target is sputtered includes both argon and oxygen gas and has an oxygen gas to total gas ratio of from 0.00001 to 0.0025; and
using the glass substrate with at least the electrode thereon in making a photovoltaic device which includes at least one semiconductor film.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Certain example embodiments of this invention relate to an electrode (e.g., front electrode) for use in a photovoltaic device or the like. In certain example embodiments, a transparent conductive oxide (TCO) based front electrode for use in a photovoltaic device may be made by sputtering a ceramic target in a gaseous atmosphere tailored to optimize the electro-optical properties of the resulting TCO coating. For example, using a particular type of atmosphere in the sputtering process can permit the resulting TCO coating (e.g., of or including zinc oxide, zinc aluminum oxide, and/or ITO) to more readily withstand subsequent high temperature processing which may be used during manufacture of the photovoltaic device. Moreover, processing energy resulting from the high temperature(s) may also optionally be used to improve crystallinity characteristics of the TCO.
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Citations
30 Claims
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1. A method of making a photovoltaic device, the method comprising:
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providing a glass substrate; sputtering at least one ceramic target in an atmosphere in order to deposit a substantially transparent conductive electrode comprising zinc oxide on the glass substrate; wherein the ceramic target comprises zinc oxide; wherein the atmosphere in which the target is sputtered includes both argon and oxygen gas and has an oxygen gas to total gas ratio of from 0.00001 to 0.0025; and using the glass substrate with at least the electrode thereon in making a photovoltaic device which includes at least one semiconductor film. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method of making an electrode for use in an electronic device, the method comprising:
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providing a glass substrate; sputtering at least one ceramic target in an atmosphere in order to deposit a substantially transparent conductive electrode comprising zinc oxide on the glass substrate; wherein the ceramic target comprises zinc oxide; and wherein the atmosphere in which the target is sputtered includes both argon and oxygen gas and has an oxygen gas to total gas ratio of from 0.00001 to 0.0025. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method of making a photovoltaic device, the method comprising:
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providing a glass substrate; sputtering at least one ceramic target in an atmosphere in order to deposit a substantially transparent conductive electrode comprising indium tin oxide on the glass substrate; wherein the ceramic target comprises indium tin oxide; wherein the atmosphere in which the target is sputtered includes both argon and oxygen gas and has an oxygen gas to total gas ratio of from 0.003 to 0.017; and using the glass substrate with at least the electrode thereon in making a photovoltaic device which includes at least one semiconductor film. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A method of making an electrode for use in an electronic device, the method comprising:
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providing a glass substrate; sputtering at least one ceramic target in an atmosphere in order to deposit a substantially transparent conductive electrode comprising indium tin oxide on the glass substrate; wherein the ceramic target comprises indium tin oxide; and wherein the atmosphere in which the target is sputtered includes both argon and oxygen gas and has an oxygen gas to total gas ratio of from 0.003 to 0.017. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30)
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Specification