Integrated thin-film solar battery

• US 6,294,722 B1
• Filed: 02/23/2000
• Issued: 09/25/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kaneka Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kaneka Corporation
• Inventors: Suzuki, Takayuki, Kondo, Masataka
• Primary Examiner(s): DIAMOND, ALAN D
• Application Number:
  US09/510,842
• Time in Patent Office: 580 Days
• Field of Search: 136/244, 136/251, 136/258, 136/261, 257/466
• US Class Current: 136/244
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/046 PV modules composed of a plurality of thin film solar cells deposited on the same substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0463 characterised by special patterning methods to connect the PV cells in a module, e.g. laser cutting of the conductive or active layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/048 Encapsulation of modules
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/049 Protective back sheets
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/056 the light-reflecting means being of the back surface reflector [BSR] type
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/18 Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment of these devices or of parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/52 PV systems with concentrators

Abstract

A sputtering-deposition method usable in forming on an insulator substrate a film including a conductive layer includes the steps of: preparing a conductive substrate holder in the form of a frame having an opening at its central area and electrically grounded; positioning the insulator substrate to cover the opening of the holder; arranging a flexible spacer on a peripheral edge of the substrate and also superposing a back plate on the spacer to press the substrate against the holder via the spacer; pressing and fixing the back plate to the holder; and then sputtering a separately provided target to deposit a new layer on a region of the substrate exposed in the holder'"'"'s opening.

Claims

1. An integrated thin-film solar battery, including:

a stacked-layered body comprised of a transparent electrode layer, a semiconductor layer and a back metal electrode layer successively deposited on a transparent insulator substrate, wherein the stacked-layered body is divided by a peripheral isolation groove that extends through the stacked-layered body to isolate a peripheral region from a photoelectric conversion cell region in which a plurality of electrically interconnected photoelectric conversion cells are formed, and wherein a whole outer peripheral edge of the back metal electrode layer is slightly inward of a whole outer peripheral edge of the semiconductor layer in said peripheral region.

2. The solar battery of claim 1, wherein said plurality of photoelectric conversion cells are formed in a region within said back metal electrode layer'"'"'s region.

3. The solar battery of claim 1, wherein a back sealing resin filler or an organic back protection film having a dark color selected from the group consisting of black, brown and wine red is provided to protect said transparent electrode layer, said semiconductor layer and said back metal electrode layer.

4. The solar battery of claim 1, wherein said semiconductor layer contains silicon as a main component.

5. The solar battery of claim 1, wherein the whole outer peripheral edge of the back metal electrode layer is inwardly offset with respect to the outer peripheral edge of the semiconductor layer in said peripheral region such that the outer peripheral edge of the semiconductor layer overlaps the outer peripheral edge of the back metal electrode layer.