Back Contact Deposition Using Water-Doped Gas Mixtures

• US 20110132450A1
• Filed: 11/08/2010
• Published: 06/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: First Solar Incorporated
• Original Assignee: First Solar Incorporated
• Inventors: Addepalli, Pratima, Jayaraman, Sreenivas
• Application Number:
  US12/941,529
• Publication Number:
  US 20110132450A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 136/256
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/022425 for solar cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/03925 including AIIBVI compound materials, e.g. CdTe, CdS
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/073 comprising only AIIBVI compound semiconductors, e.g. CdS/CdTe solar cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/1884 Manufacture of transparent electrodes, e.g. TCO, ITO
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/543 Solar cells from Group II-VI materials
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a photovoltaic module may include depositing a semiconductor material adjacent to a substrate; and depositing a back contact material adjacent to the semiconductor material, where depositing the back contact material may include directing a feed gas including hydrogen toward the substrate.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing a photovoltaic module, the method comprising:

depositing a semiconductor material adjacent to a substrate; and

depositing a contact material adjacent to the semiconductor material in the presence of a feed gas comprising hydrogen, oxygen or water toward the substrate.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the contact material comprises a molybdenum nitride.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the feed gas comprises argon gas.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the feed gas comprises nitrogen gas.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the feed gas comprises an argon-nitrogen gas mix.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the feed gas comprises oxygen.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the feed gas comprises water.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising doping the feed gas with hydrogen.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising doping the feed gas with oxygen.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising doping the feed gas with water vapor.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of depositing a back contact material comprises physical vapor deposition.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of depositing a back contact material comprises chemical vapor deposition.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of depositing a back contact material comprises laser ablation.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising depositing a back support on the back contact material.

15. A photovoltaic module comprising:

a cadmium telluride layer adjacent to a substrate; and

a molybdenum nitride back contact comprising at least a trace amount of hydrogen, oxygen, or water.