Ag-doped photovoltaic devices and method of making

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11450778-B2
Application number	US-201716305455-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 31, 2017
Priority date	May 31, 2016
Publication date	Sep 20, 2022
Grant date	Sep 20, 2022

Abstract

A doped photovoltaic device is presented. The photovoltaic device includes a semiconductor absorber layer or stack disposed between a front contact and a back contact. The absorber layer comprises cadmium, selenium, and tellurium doped with Ag, and optionally with Cu. The Ag dopant may be added to the absorber in amounts ranging from 5×1015/cm3 to 2.5×1017/cm3 via any of several methods of application before, during, or after deposition of the absorber layer. The photovoltaic device has improved Fill Factor and PMAX at higher Pr(=Isc*Voc product) values, e.g. about 160 W, which results in improved conversion efficiency compared to a device not doped with Ag. Improved PT may result from increased Isc, increased Voc, or both.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A photovoltaic device comprising:
an absorber layer that converts photon energy to electrical current, wherein:
the absorber layer comprises a II-VI semiconductor material comprising cadmium, selenium, and tellurium;
the absorber layer is doped with copper and silver at a ratio of copper to silver greater than 2:1, and a back contact comprising ZnTe directly on the absorber layer.

2. The photovoltaic device of claim 1 , wherein the ratio of copper to silver is between 5:1 and 40:1.

3. The photovoltaic device of claim 1 , wherein the absorber layer is doped with copper at a concentration between 5×10 16 /cm 3 and 5×10 17 /cm 3 .

4. The photovoltaic device of claim 1 , wherein the absorber layer is doped with silver at a concentration between 5×10 15 /cm 3 and 2.5×10 17 /cm 3 .

5. The photovoltaic device of claim 1 , wherein the back contact is doped with Ag.

6. The photovoltaic device of claim 5 , comprising a front contact on a light incident side, wherein:
the absorber layer has a thickness between a first interface towards the front contact and a second interface towards the back contact;
a concentration of selenium varies throughout the thickness of the absorber layer from a highest level at the first interface and a lowest level at the second interface.

7. The photovoltaic device of claim 6 , wherein the absorber layer includes CdSe x Te 1-x with x from about 1 at % to about 40 at %.

8. The photovoltaic device of claim 7 , wherein x is from about 10 at % to about 40 at % at the first interface and from about 0 at % to about 20 at % at the second interface.

9. A photovoltaic device having a front contact on a light incident side, a back contact, and a substrate, the photovoltaic device comprising:
an absorber layer formed between the front contact and the back contact, the absorber layer having a thickness and a first interface towards the front contact, and a second interface contacting the back contact, the absorber layer comprising a II-VI semiconductor material comprising cadmium, selenium, and tellurium;
wherein the absorber layer is doped with copper and silver, wherein a ratio of copper to silver in the absorber layer is between 3:1 and 30:1, wherein the back contact comprises ZnTe.

10. The photovoltaic device of claim 9 , wherein:
the silver dopant is present in the absorber layer in a concentration from about 5×10 15 atoms/cm 3 to about 2.5×10 17 atoms/cm 3 ; and
the copper dopant is present in the absorber layer in a concentration from about 5×10 16 atoms/cm 3 to about 5×10 17 atoms/cm 3 .

Assignees

• First Solar Inc

Inventors

• Ring Kenneth
• Huber William H
• Peng Hongying
• Gloeckler Markus
• Mor Gopal
• Liao Feng
• Zhao Zhibo
• Los Andrei

Classifications

• H01L31/1832

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L31/02966

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L31/02963 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L31/073

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H10F77/1237 Primary

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