Process for the production of a photovoltaic element

• US 5,859,397 A
• Filed: 05/16/1997
• Issued: 01/12/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Murakami, Tsutomu, Hasebe, Akio, Ichinose, Hirofumi, Shinkura, Satoshi, Ueno, Yukie
• Primary Examiner(s): Phasge, Arun S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wong, Edna
• Application Number:
  US08/857,905
• Time in Patent Office: 606 Days
• Field of Search: 204/157.15, 205/687, 205/724, 205/766, 205/769, 428/4, 428/12
• US Class Current: 204/157.15
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/03921 including only elements of Group IV of the Periodic Table
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/076 Multiple junction or tandem solar cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/208 Particular post-treatment of the devices, e.g. annealing, short-circuit elimination
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/548 Amorphous silicon PV cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

Abstract

A process for producing a photovoltaic element, said process comprising the steps of: providing a photovoltaic element comprising a lower electrode layer comprising a metallic layer comprising aluminum or an aluminum compound and a transparent and electrically conductive layer, a photoelectric conversion semiconductor layer, and a transparent electrode layer stacked in the named order on an electrically conductive surface of a substrate, and immersing said photovoltaic element in an electrolyte solution to passivate an short-circuited current path defect present in said photovoltaic element by the action of an electric field, wherein said electrolyte solution has a chlorine ion content of 0.03 mol/l or less.

Claims

1. A process for producing a photovoltaic element, said process comprising the steps of:

providing a photovoltaic element comprising (a) a lower electrode layer comprising (a-i) a metallic layer comprising aluminum or an aluminum compound and (a-ii) a transparent and electrically conductive layer, (b) a photoelectric conversion semiconductor layer, and (c) a transparent electrode layer stacked in the named order on a substrate, and,

immersing said photovoltaic element in an electrolyte solution to passivate a short-circuited current path defect present in said photovoltaic element by action of an electric field, wherein said electrolyte solution has a chlorine ion content of 0.03 mol/l or less.

2. A process according to claim 1, wherein the electrolyte solution contains a protective ion that prevents occurrence of layer peeling at an interface between the metallic layer (a-i) and the substrate or the transparent and electrically conductive layer (a-ii).

3. A process according to claim 2, wherein the protective ion is an anion selected from the group consisting of sulfate, nitrate, chromate, acetate, benzoate, and oxalate.

4. A process according to claim 1, wherein the electric field is an electric field generated by impressing a bias power to the photovoltaic element.

5. A process according to claim 4, wherein the bias power is impressed in a forward direction to the photovoltaic element.

6. A process according to claim 1, wherein the electric field is an electric field generated by irradiating light to the photovoltaic element.

7. A process according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is constituted by a material selected from the group consisting of metals, glass, ceramics, and resins.

8. A process according to claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises a long substrate, and the long substrate having the photovoltaic element thereon is continuously passed through the electrolyte solution.

9. A process according to claim 1, wherein the aluminum compound contains silicon.

10. A process according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the transparent and electrically conductive layer (a-ii) and the transparent electrode layer (c) comprises a metal oxide.

11. A process according to claim 1, wherein the photoelectric conversion semiconductor layer (b) comprises a non-single crystal semiconductor material.

12. A process according to claim 1, wherein treatment by the electrolyte solution is completed before layer peeling at an interface between the metallic layer (a-i) and the substrate or the transparent and electrically conductive layer (a-ii) is commenced.