Method and structure for thin film photovoltaic materials using bulk semiconductor materials

• US 8,314,326 B2
• Filed: 08/16/2011
• Issued: 11/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Stion Corporation
• Original Assignee: Stion Corporation
• Inventors: Lee, Howard W. H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lin, Kuang
• Assistant Examiner(s): Yoon, Kevin E
• Application Number:
  US13/211,234
• Publication Number:
  US 20110297218A1
• Time in Patent Office: 462 Days
• Field of Search: 163243-265
• US Class Current: 136/252
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 10/00 Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/074 comprising a heterojunction with an element of Group IV of the Periodic Table, e.g. ITO/Si, GaAs/Si or CdTe/Si solar cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 Photovoltaic [PV] energy

Abstract

A photovoltaic device and related methods. The device has a structured material positioned between an electron collecting electrode and a hole collecting electrode. An electron transporting/hole blocking material is positioned between the electron collecting electrode and the structured material. In a specific embodiment, negatively charged carriers generated by optical absorption by the structured material are preferentially separated into the electron transporting/hole blocking material. In a specific embodiment, the structured material has an optical absorption coefficient of at least 10³ cm⁻¹ for light comprised of wavelengths within the range of about 400 nm to about 700 nm.

Claims

1. A photovoltaic device comprising:

a substrate;

a first electrode overlying the substrate;

a second electrode overlying the first electrode; and

a first structured material disposed over the first electrode, the first structured material having a planar first surface and an opposing second surface;

a second structured material disposed directly over the first structured material;

a third structural material disposed directly over the second structured material, the third structural material having a planar third surface and an opposing fourth surface; and

an intermixed region provided by the first structured material, the second structured material and the third structured material;

wherein the first structured material is disposed such that the planar first surface of the first structured material is in direct contact with an upper surface of the first electrode along the entire upper surface;

wherein the interface between the first structured material and second structured material comprises a contact characterized by sintered connections along the interfacial area, and

wherein the planar third surface of the third structured material is in direct contact with the second electrode along an entire lower surface of the second electrode.

2. The photovoltaic device of claim 1 wherein the intermixed region is characterized by a thickness in the range of between 1 nanometer and 50 nanometers.

3. The photovoltaic device of claim 1 wherein the first structured material is characterized by a first electron affinity and a first ionization potential, wherein the second structural material is characterized by a second electron affinity and a second ionization potential, and wherein the third structural material is characterized by a third electron affinity and a third ionization potential,

wherein the first electron affinity is less than the second electron affinity, the second electron affinity is less than the third electron affinity, the first ionization potential is less than the second ionization potential, and the second ionization potential is less than the third ionization potential.

4. The photovoltaic device of claim 1 wherein the first structured material comprises at least one of nanoparticles, quantum dots, quantum wires, nano-columns, nanorods, nanotubes, quantum wells, nanoshells, or nanobelts.

5. The photovoltaic device of claim 1 wherein a thickness of the first structured material is more than a carrier diffusion length of a carrier in the first structured material.

6. The photovoltaic device of claim 1 wherein each of the first structured material, the second structured material, and the third structured material has one or more nano junctions such that all optically generated carriers are within a diffusion length of a nano-junction, wherein each of the nano junctions is configured to provide charge separation for the optically generated carriers.

8. The photovoltaic device of claim 1 wherein the first structured material comprises a metal oxide or a metal sulfide.

9. The photovoltaic device of claim 1 wherein the first structured material comprises silicon, germanium, or a combination of the two.

10. The photovoltaic device of claim 1 wherein the second structured material comprises a metal oxide or a metal sulfide.

7. A photovoltaic device comprising:

an electron collecting electrode;

a hole collecting electrode overlying the electron collecting electrode;

an electron transporting/hole blocking material positioned between the electron collecting electrode and the hole collecting electrode, wherein the electron transporting/hole blocking material comprises;

a first structured material disposed over the electron collecting electrode, the first structured material having a planar first surface and an opposing second surface;

a second structured material disposed directly over the first structured material;

a third structural material disposed directly over the second structured material, the third structural material having a planar third surface and an opposing fourth surface; and

an intermixed region provided by the first structured material, the second structured material and the third structured material;

wherein the first structured material is disposed such that the planar first surface of the first structured material is in direct contact with an upper surface of the electron collecting electrode along the entire upper surface;

wherein the interface between the first structured material and second structured material comprises a contact characterized by sintered connections along the interfacial area, and

wherein the planar third surface of the third structured material is in direct contact with the hole collecting electrode along an entire lower surface of the hole collecting electrode.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein the electron transporting hole blocking material is n-doped.

12. The photovoltaic device of claim 7 wherein the intermixed region is characterized by a thickness in the range of between 1 nanometer and 50 nanometers.

13. The photovoltaic device of claim 7 wherein the first structured material is characterized by a first electron affinity and a first ionization potential, wherein the second structural material is characterized by a second electron affinity and a second ionization potential, and wherein the third structural material is characterized by a third electron affinity and a third ionization potential.

14. The photovoltaic device of claim 13, wherein the first electron affinity is less than the second electron affinity, the second electron affinity is less than the third electron affinity, the first ionization potential is less than the second ionization potential, and the second ionization potential is less than the third ionization potential.

15. The photovoltaic device of claim 7 wherein the first structured material comprises at least one of nanoparticles, quantum dots, quantum wires, nano-columns, nanorods, nanotubes, quantum wells, nanoshells, or nanobelts.

16. The photovoltaic device of claim 7 wherein a thickness of the first structured material is more than a carrier diffusion length of a carrier in the first structured material.

17. The photovoltaic device of claim 7 wherein each of the first structured material, the second structured material, and the third structured material has one or more nano junctions such that all optically generated carriers are within a diffusion length of a nano-junction, wherein each of the nano junctions is configured to provide charge separation for the optically generated carriers.

18. The photovoltaic device of claim 7 wherein the first structured material comprises a metal oxide or a metal sulfide.

19. The photovoltaic device of claim 7 wherein the first structured material comprises silicon, germanium, or a combination of the two.

20. The photovoltaic device of claim 7 wherein the second structured material comprises a metal oxide or a metal sulfide.