Front electrode for use in photovoltaic device and method of making same
First Claim
1. A photovoltaic device comprising:
- a front substantially transparent glass substrate;
a first layer comprising one or more of silicon nitride, silicon oxide, silicon oxynitride, and/or tin oxide;
a second layer comprising one or more of titanium oxide and/or niobium oxide, wherein at least the first layer is located between the front substrate and the second layer;
a third layer comprising zinc oxide and/or zinc aluminum oxide;
a conductive layer comprising silver, wherein at least the third layer is provided between the conductive layer comprising silver and the second layer; and
a transparent conductive oxide (TCO) film provided between the conductive layer comprising silver and a semiconductor film of the photovoltaic device;
wherein a layer stack comprising said first layer, said second layer, said third layer, said conductive layer comprising silver, and said TCO are provided on an interior surface of the front glass substrate facing the semiconductor film, and an exterior surface of the front glass substrate facing incident light is textured so as to reduce reflection loss of incident solar flux and increase absorption of photons in the semiconductor film.
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Abstract
This invention relates to a front electrode/contact for use in an electronic device such as a photovoltaic device. In certain example embodiments, the front electrode of a photovoltaic device or the like includes a multilayer coating including at least one transparent conductive oxide (TCO) layer (e.g., of or including a material such as tin oxide, ITO, zinc oxide, or the like) and/or at least one conductive substantially metallic IR reflecting layer (e.g., based on silver, gold, or the like). In certain example instances, the multilayer front electrode coating may include one or more conductive metal(s) oxide layer(s) and one or more conductive substantially metallic IR reflecting layer(s) in order to provide for reduced visible light reflection, increased conductivity, cheaper manufacturability, and/or increased infrared (IR) reflection capability. At least one of the surfaces of the front glass substrate may be textured in certain example embodiments of this invention.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. A photovoltaic device comprising:
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a front substantially transparent glass substrate; a first layer comprising one or more of silicon nitride, silicon oxide, silicon oxynitride, and/or tin oxide; a second layer comprising one or more of titanium oxide and/or niobium oxide, wherein at least the first layer is located between the front substrate and the second layer; a third layer comprising zinc oxide and/or zinc aluminum oxide; a conductive layer comprising silver, wherein at least the third layer is provided between the conductive layer comprising silver and the second layer; and a transparent conductive oxide (TCO) film provided between the conductive layer comprising silver and a semiconductor film of the photovoltaic device; wherein a layer stack comprising said first layer, said second layer, said third layer, said conductive layer comprising silver, and said TCO are provided on an interior surface of the front glass substrate facing the semiconductor film, and an exterior surface of the front glass substrate facing incident light is textured so as to reduce reflection loss of incident solar flux and increase absorption of photons in the semiconductor film. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 22)
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19. A photovoltaic device comprising:
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a front glass substrate; an active semiconductor film; an electrically conductive and substantially transparent front electrode located between at least the front glass substrate and the semiconductor film; wherein the substantially transparent front electrode comprises, moving away from the front glass substrate toward the semiconductor film, at least a first substantially transparent conductive substantially metallic infrared (IR) reflecting layer comprising silver and/or gold, and a first transparent conductive oxide (TCO) film located between at least the IR reflecting layer and the semiconductor film; and wherein the front electrode is provided on an interior surface of the front glass substrate facing the semiconductor film, and an exterior surface of the front glass substrate facing incident light is textured so as to reduce reflection loss of incident solar flux and increase absorption of photons in the semiconductor film. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21)
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Specification