ELECTRICAL CONTACTS TO NANOSTRUCTURED AREAS

• US 20150136212A1
• Filed: 08/25/2014
• Published: 05/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bandgap Engineering, Inc. (Advanced Silicon Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bandgap Engineering, Inc. (Advanced Silicon Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Black, Marcie R., Forziati, Joanne, Jura, Michael, Miller, Jeff, Murphy, Brian, Standley, Adam
• Granted Patent: US 9,601,640 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 136/255
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/283 Deposition of conductive or insulating materials for electrodes conducting electric current
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/28506 of conductive layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/0676 oriented perpendicular or at an angle to a substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/413 Nanosized electrodes, e.g. nanowire electrodes comprising one or a plurality of nanowires nanosized carbon materials, e.g. carbon nanotubes, per se C01B32/15; transparent electrodes comprising carbon nano-tubes H10K30/821, nanotechnology per se B82B
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/02167 for solar cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/02168 the coatings being antireflective or having enhancing optical properties for the solar cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0224 Electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/022425 for solar cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/02363 of the semiconductor body itself, e.g. textured active layers
• 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 31/035218 the quantum structure being quantum dots
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/035227 the quantum structure being quantum wires, or nanorods carbon nanotubes H10K85/211
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/068 the potential barriers being only of the PN homojunction type, e.g. bulk silicon PN homojunction solar cells or thin film polycrystalline silicon PN homojunction solar cells
• 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 10/50 Photovoltaic [PV] energy
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/547 Monocrystalline silicon PV cells

Abstract

A process is provided for contacting a nanostructured surface. In that process, a substrate is provided having a nanostructured material on a surface, the substrate being conductive and the nanostructured material being coated with an insulating material. A portion of the nanostructured material is at least partially removed. A conductor is deposited on the substrate in such a way that it is in electrical contact with the substrate through the area where the nanostructured material has been at least partially removed.

Claims

1. An optoelectronic device comprising (a) a substrate, (b) a nanostructured area on a first surface of the substrate, (c) an electrically insulating layer atop the first surface, (d) a segment of the nanostructured area where the nanostructures are at least partially broken or removed, (e) optionally a covering layer atop the segment, and (f) a conductor atop the electrically insulating layer and optional covering layer.

2. The optoelectronic device of claim 1, wherein the covering layer comprises aluminum.

3. The optoelectronic device of claim 1, wherein the insulating layer comprises alumina.

5. The optoelectronic device of claim 1, wherein the segment comprises a grid shape.

6. The optoelectronic device of claim 1, wherein the conductor makes electrical contact to the substrate through the covering layer and the segment.

7. The optoelectronic device of claim 1, wherein the segment comprises a plurality of holes in the insulating layer having a diameter between about 25 nm and about 250 nm and exposing the substrate.

8. The optoelectronic device of claim 7, wherein the conductor makes electrical contact to the substrate through the covering layer and the plurality of holes in the insulating layer.

9. The optoelectronic device of claim 7, wherein the device is a photovoltaic cell and its power conversion efficiency for AM1.5G simulated sunlight is at least about 10%.

10. The optoelectronic device of claim 1, wherein the covering layer comprises titanium.

11. An optoelectronic device comprising (a) a substrate, (b) a nanostructured area on a first surface of the substrate, (c) a passivation layer atop the first surface, (d) a segment of the nanostructured area where there is a plurality of holes in the passivation layer, (e) an optional covering layer atop the segment, and (f) a conductor atop the passivation layer and optional covering layer.

12. A process for electroplating a substrate, comprising the steps of (a) depositing alumina on the substrate, (b) patterning the alumina so that the presence of alumina over portions of the substrate is substantially eliminated, (c) placing the substrate in an electroplating solution in a suitable holder, (d) applying an appropriate current to achieve a thickness of electroplated material atop the substrate, wherein electroplating takes place solely or predominantly in the portions of the substrate where the presence of alumina was substantially eliminated.