Photovoltaic devices including doped semiconductor films

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10861994-B2
Application number	US-201916435838-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 10, 2019
Priority date	Nov 2, 2007
Publication date	Dec 8, 2020
Grant date	Dec 8, 2020

Abstract

A photovoltaic cell can include a dopant in contact with a semiconductor layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A photovoltaic cell comprising:
a transparent conductive layer;
a first semiconductor window layer over the transparent conductive layer;
a dopant layer comprising a first dopant over the first semiconductor window layer;
a second semiconductor window layer over and in direct contact with the dopant layer;
wherein,
the second semiconductor window layer includes the first dopant;
the first and second semiconductor window layers comprise at least one of MgO or ZnO; and
the dopant layer comprising the first dopant has a thickness between 4 and 15 Angstroms; and

a semiconductor absorber layer over the second semiconductor window layer, wherein the semiconductor absorber layer comprises a mixture of CdTe and CdSe, doped p-type with a Group I element and a Group V element, wherein a concentration of the Group V element in the semiconductor absorber layer is between 0.5 ppma and 500 ppma.

2. The photovoltaic cell of claim 1 , wherein the Group I element comprises at least one of: lithium (Li), sodium (Na), potassium (K), rubidium (Rb), cesium (Cs), copper (Cu), silver (Ag), or gold (Au).

3. The photovoltaic cell of claim 1 , wherein the Group V element comprises at least one of phosphorous (P), arsenic (As), antimony (Sb), or bismuth (Bi).

4. The photovoltaic cell of claim 1 , wherein the Group V element comprises P.

5. The photovoltaic cell of claim 1 , wherein the Group V element comprises As.

6. The photovoltaic cell of claim 1 , further comprising a top layer over the semiconductor absorber layer, wherein the top layer comprises a metal nitride, and wherein the metal nitride, includes at least one of: aluminum, molybdenum, chromium, cobalt, nickel, titanium, or tungsten.

Assignees

• First Solar Inc

Inventors

• Abken Anke
• Gloeckler Markus
• Green Roger
• Gupta Akhlesh
• Jayamaha Upali
• Meyers Peter
• Powell Rick

Classifications

• H10F77/244 Primary

  made of transparent conductive layers, e.g. transparent conductive oxide [TCO] layers · CPC title

• H10F71/138

  Manufacture of transparent electrodes, e.g. transparent conductive oxides [TCO] or indium tin oxide [ITO] electrodes · CPC title

• H10F71/129

  Passivating · CPC title

• H10F77/1243

  characterised by the dopants · CPC title

• H10F77/1237

  having at least three elements, e.g. HgCdTe · CPC title