CONDUCTIVE FILM SUBSTRATE, PHOTOVOLTAIC CELL HAVING THE SAME, AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME

• US 20130213464A1
• Filed: 02/20/2013
• Published: 08/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Corning Precision Materials Company Limited (Corning Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Corning Precision Materials Company Limited (Corning Incorporated)
• Inventors: Kim, SeoHyun, YOON, GunSang, LEE, Hyunhee, YOO, YoungZo
• Granted Patent: US 9,297,069 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 136/256
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 3/263 characterised by a layer having non-uniform thickness
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/407 of zinc, germanium, cadmium, indium, tin, thallium or bismuth
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02554 Oxides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02573 Conductivity type
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0262 Reduction or decomposition of gaseous compounds, e.g. CVD
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/022483 composed of zinc oxide [ZnO]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/02366 of the substrate or of a layer on the substrate, e.g. textured ITO/glass substrate or superstrate, textured polymer layer on glass substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/1884 Manufacture of transparent electrodes, e.g. TCO, ITO
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 Photovoltaic [PV] energy
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24355 Continuous and nonuniform or irregular surface on layer or component [e.g., roofing, etc.]

Abstract

A conductive film substrate, a photovoltaic cell having the same, and a method of manufacturing the same. The conductive film substrate includes a base substrate and a transparent conductive film formed on the base substrate. The transparent conductive film is a zinc oxide thin film which has first texture structures and second texture structures concurrently formed on a surface thereof. The second texture structures are smaller than the first texture structures.

Claims

1. A conductive film substrate comprising:

a base substrate; and

a transparent conductive film formed on the base substrate, wherein the transparent conductive film is a zinc oxide thin film which has first texture structures and second texture structures concurrently formed on a surface thereof, the second texture structures being smaller than the first texture structures.

2. The conductive film substrate of claim 1, wherein a distribution density of the first texture structures ranges from 2/μ

m² to 20/μ

m² and a distribution density of the second texture structures ranges from 50/μ

m² to 500/μ

m².

3. The conductive film substrate of claim 1, wherein the first texture structures have a length ratio of a short axis to a long axis ranging from 0.15 to 0.70 when viewed perpendicularly from above the base substrate.

4. The conductive film substrate of claim 1, wherein a length of each long axis of the first texture structures ranges from 200 nm to 500 nm and a length of each short axis of the first texture structures ranges from 80 nm to 200 nm when viewed perpendicularly from above the base substrate.

5. The conductive film substrate of claim 1, wherein the first texture structures have a hexagonal shape when viewed perpendicularly from above the base substrate.

6. The conductive film substrate of claim 1, wherein a length of each axis of the second texture structures ranges from 30 nm to 150 nm when viewed perpendicularly from above the base substrate.

7. The conductive film substrate of claim 1, wherein the transparent conductive film contains at least one sort of dopant selected from the group consisting of Al, Ga, B, In and F.

8. The conductive film substrate of claim 7, wherein the dopant is added in an amount of 7 wt % or less of a content of zinc oxide.

9. A photovoltaic cell comprising the conductive film substrate as claimed in claim 1.

10. A method of manufacturing the conductive film substrate as claimed in claim 1, comprising:

preparing the base substrate; and

forming the transparent conductive film on the base substrate.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the transparent conductive film is formed by one process selected from the group consisting of atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition, low pressure chemical vapor deposition and sputtering.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the transparent conductive film is formed by the atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition,

wherein the atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition comprises:

loading the base substrate into a chamber;

heating the loaded base substrate; and

feeding a zinc precursor and an oxidizer gas into the chamber, a molar ratio of the zinc precursor to the oxidizer gas ranging from 1;

12 to 1;

28.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein feeding the zinc precursor and the oxidizer gas comprises feeding the zinc precursor at a rate ranging from 0.001552 mol/min to 0.002328 mol/min and the oxidizer gas at a rate ranging from 0.5 g/min to 1 g/min.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the zinc precursor comprises one selected from the group consisting of diethylzinc, dimethylzinc and a mixture thereof.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the oxidizer gas comprises at least one substance selected from the group consisting of H₂O, ethanol, methanol, butanol, propanol and isopropanol.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein heating the loaded base substrate comprises heating the loaded base substrate in a temperature ranging from 350°

C. to 550°

C.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein feeding the zinc precursor and the oxidizer gas comprises additionally feeding at least one sort of dopant selected from the group consisting of Al, Ga, B, In and F.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the dopant is added in an amount of 7 wt % or less of a content of zinc oxide.