Front electrode including transparent conductive coating on etched glass substrate for use in photovoltaic device and method of making same
First Claim
1. A method of making a photovoltaic device, the method comprising:
- providing a soda-lime-silica based glass substrate which comprises from about 67-75% SiO2, from about 10-20% Na2O, from about 5-15% CaO, from about 0.1 to 8% MgO, and from about 0.1 to 5% Al2O3;
etching at least one major surface of the glass substrate to form a textured surface of the glass substrate, wherein an etching ratio ((Al2O3/Na2O)* (MgO/CaO)) of the glass substrate is at least about 0.010, and a ratio MgO/CaO in the glass substrate is at least about 0.45;
sputter-depositing a substantially transparent and electrically conductive front electrode on the textured surface of the glass substrate; and
using the front electrode formed on the textured surface of the glass substrate at a light incident side of a photovoltaic device.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Certain example embodiments of this invention relate to a front electrode provided on an etched/patterned front glass substrate for use in a photovoltaic device or the like. The glass is a low-iron soda-lime-silica based glass. Etching of the glass may include immersing the soda-lime-silica based glass in an acid inclusive solution such as hydrofluoric acid (e.g., HF in aqueous solution) and/or hydrofluoric acid with a buffer, in order to selectively dissolve some of the glass thereby producing at least one textured/patterned substantially transparent surface of the glass substrate. A front electrode (single or multi-layered) is then formed (e.g., via sputter-deposition) on the textured surface of the front glass substrate, and may be used in a photovoltaic device or the like.
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Citations
32 Claims
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1. A method of making a photovoltaic device, the method comprising:
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providing a soda-lime-silica based glass substrate which comprises from about 67-75% SiO2, from about 10-20% Na2O, from about 5-15% CaO, from about 0.1 to 8% MgO, and from about 0.1 to 5% Al2O3; etching at least one major surface of the glass substrate to form a textured surface of the glass substrate, wherein an etching ratio ((Al2O3/Na2O)* (MgO/CaO)) of the glass substrate is at least about 0.010, and a ratio MgO/CaO in the glass substrate is at least about 0.45; sputter-depositing a substantially transparent and electrically conductive front electrode on the textured surface of the glass substrate; and using the front electrode formed on the textured surface of the glass substrate at a light incident side of a photovoltaic device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 32)
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18. A method of making a photovoltaic device, the method comprising:
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providing a soda-lime-silica based glass substrate which comprises from about 67-75% SiO2, from about 10-20% Na2O, from about 5-15% CaO, from about 0.1 to 8% MgO, and from about 0.1 to 5% Al2O3; etching at least one major surface of the glass substrate to form a textured surface of the glass substrate, wherein (a) an etching ratio ((Al2O3/Na2O)* (MgO/CaO)) of the glass substrate is at least about 0.010, and/or (b) a ratio MgO/CaO in the glass substrate is at least about 0.45; sputter-depositing a substantially transparent and electrically conductive front electrode on the textured surface of the glass substrate; and using the front electrode formed on the textured surface of the glass substrate at a light incident side of a photovoltaic device. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A photovoltaic device comprising:
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a soda-lime-silica based front glass substrate which comprises from about 67-75% SiO2, from about 10-20% Na2O, from about 5-15% CaO, from about 0.1 to 8% MgO, and from about 0.1 to 5% Al2O3; a semiconductor film; a substantially transparent conductive front electrode provided between at least the front glass substrate and the semiconductor film; and wherein a ratio ((Al2O3/Na2O)*(MgO/CaO)) of a composition of the glass substrate is at least about 0.010, and a ratio MgO/CaO of the composition of the glass substrate is at least about 0.45. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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Specification