THIN-FILM PHOTOVOLTAIC DEVICES

• US 20100129957A1
• Filed: 11/25/2008
• Published: 05/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sunlight Aerospace Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Sunlight Photonics Incorporated
• Inventors: Cyrus, Michael, Frolov, Sergey, Bruce, Allan James
• Granted Patent: US 8,110,428 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 438/95
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0322 comprising only AIBIIICVI chalcopyrite compounds, e.g. Cu In Se2, Cu Ga Se2, Cu In Ga Se2
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0749 including a AIBIIICVI compound, e.g. CdS/CulnSe2 [CIS] heterojunction solar cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/541 CuInSe2 material PV cells

Abstract

A method is provided for producing a thin-film photovoltaic device. The method includes forming on a substrate a first thin-film absorber layer using a first deposition process. A second thin-film absorber layer is formed on the first thin-film absorber layer using a second deposition process different from the first deposition process. The first and second thin-film absorber layers are each photovoltaically active regions and the second thin-film absorber layer has a smaller concentration of defects than the first thin-film absorber layer.

Claims

1. A method of producing a thin-film photovoltaic device, comprising:

forming on a substrate a first thin-film absorber layer using a first deposition process; and

forming on the first thin-film absorber layer a second thin-film absorber layer using a second deposition process different from the first deposition process, wherein the first and second thin-film absorber layers are each photovoltaically active regions.

2. A thin-film photovoltaic device formed in accordance with the method set forth in claim 1.

3. The device of claim 2, further comprising a window layer in contact with said second absorber layer.

4. The device of claim 2, further comprising a back contact layer in contact with said first absorber layer.

5. The device of claim 3, further comprising a front contact layer in contact with said window layer.

6. The device of claim 4, wherein the substrate is in contact with said back contact layer.

7. The device of claim 2, wherein said first thin-film absorber layer has p-type conductivity.

8. The device of claim 2, wherein said at least second thin-film absorber layer has p-type conductivity.

9. The device of claim 2, wherein said first thin-film absorber layer comprises a CIGS layer.

10. The device of claim 2 wherein said second thin-film absorber layer comprises a CIGS layer.

11. The device of claim 2, wherein said first deposition process is a reacted particle deposition process.

12. The device of claim 2, wherein said second deposition process is a reacted target physical deposition process.

13. The device of claim 2, wherein said second deposition process is a multi-elemental co-evaporation process.

14. The device of claim 2, wherein said second thin-film absorber layer comprises at least two second absorber layers.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein at least one of the second absorber layers has p-type conductivity and another other one of the second absorber layer has n-type conductivity.

16. The device of claim 2, wherein said at least one of the first and second thin-film absorber layers are greater than 10 nm in thickness.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second deposition processes comprises deposition of CIGS.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein said first deposition process is a reacted particle deposition process

19. The method of claim 1, wherein said second deposition process is a reacted target physical deposition process.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein said second deposition is a co-evaporation deposition process.

21. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing at least one surface treatment step following said first deposition process.

22. The method of claim 1, further comprising chemically doping the second thin-film absorber layer step following said second deposition process.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein said second thin-film absorber layer having a smaller concentration of defects than the first thin-film absorber layer.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein said second thin-film absorber layer has a slower recombination rate than the first thin-film absorber layer.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein said first and second thin-film absorber layers have essentially the same chemical composition and optical bandgap.