Integrated tandem solar cell and manufacturing method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11557689-B2
Application number	US-202016875131-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 15, 2020
Priority date	Nov 27, 2019
Publication date	Jan 17, 2023
Grant date	Jan 17, 2023

Abstract

An integrated tandem solar cell includes a first solar cell including a rear electrode, a light absorption layer disposed on the rear electrode, and a buffer layer disposed on the light absorption layer; a recombination layer including a first transparent conductive layer disposed on the buffer layer; a nanoparticle layer that is transparent and conductive, that is disposed on the first transparent conductive layer, and that planarizes the first solar cell; and a second transparent conductive layer disposed on the nanoparticle layer; and a second solar cell that is a perovskite solar cell including a perovskite layer and that is disposed on and bonded to the second transparent conductive layer of the recombination layer. The recombination layer electrically joins the first and second solar cells and planarizes the first solar cell so that the second solar cell is uniformly deposited in all regions thereof.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An integrated tandem solar cell, comprising:
a first solar cell including a rear electrode, a light absorption layer disposed on the rear electrode, and a buffer layer disposed on the light absorption layer;
a recombination layer that is a triple layer structure including:
a first transparent conductive layer that is transparent and conductive, and that is disposed on the buffer layer;
a nanoparticle layer that is transparent and conductive, that is disposed on the first transparent conductive layer, that comprises nanoparticles, and that planarizes the first solar cell, wherein the nanoparticle layer has a thickness ranging from 70 nm to 100 nm and the nanoparticles have a size ranging from 1 nm to 20 nm, and wherein the nanoparticle layer comprises core-shell type silica (SiO 2 @rGO) nanoparticles coated with reduced graphene oxide or titanium dioxide (TiO 2 @ rGO) nanoparticles coated with reduced graphene oxide; and
a second transparent conductive layer that is transparent and conductive, and that is disposed on the nanoparticle layer; and

a second solar cell that is a perovskite solar cell which includes a perovskite layer and that is disposed on and bonded to the second transparent conductive layer of the recombination layer,
wherein the recombination layer electrically joins the first solar cell to the second solar cell and planarizes the first solar cell so that the second solar cell is uniformly deposited in all regions thereof.

2. The integrated tandem solar cell of claim 1 , wherein the first solar cell is a thin film solar cell containing copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) and copper indium selenide (CIS) of a chalcopyrite series or copper zinc tin sulfide (CZTS) of a kesterite series.

3. The integrated tandem solar cell of claim 1 , wherein the nanoparticle layer comprises nanoparticles of an oxide material that is transparent and conductive and that is selected from the group consisting of indium tin oxide, aluminum zinc oxide, zirconium tin oxide, a compound of indium and zinc oxide, and an oxide material containing indium, tin, and zinc.

4. The integrated tandem solar cell of claim 1 , further comprising a bridge material that transfers charge between nanoparticles and that is ethyleneglycol or polyvinylpyridine.

5. The integrated tandem solar cell of claim 1 , wherein the nanoparticle layer is a spin coated layer, a dip coated layer, a spray coated layer, an electrosprayed layer, or a successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) layer.

6. The integrated tandem solar cell of claim 1 , wherein the first transparent conductive layer includes a zinc oxide layer which is an intrinsic semiconductor.

7. The integrated tandem solar cell of claim 1 , wherein the second transparent conductive layer includes a transparent conductive layer that comprises an oxide material that has a high transmittance and a high conductivity and that is selected from the group consisting of indium tin oxide, aluminum zinc oxide, zirconium tin oxide, a compound of indium oxide and zinc oxide, and an oxide material containing indium, tin, and zinc.

8. A method of manufacturing an integrated tandem solar cell, comprising:
forming a first solar cell that includes a rear electrode, a light absorption layer disposed on the rear electrode, and a buffer layer disposed on the light absorption layer;
forming a recombination layer that is a triple layer structure including:
a first transparent conductive layer that is transparent and conductive, and that is disposed on the buffer layer,
a nanoparticle layer that is transparent and conductive, that is disposed on the first transparent conductive layer, that comprises nanoparticles, and that planarizes the first solar cell, wherein the nanoparticle layer has a thickness ranging from 70 nm to 100 nm and the nanoparticles have a size ranging from 1 nm to 20 nm; and wherein the nanoparticle layer is formed of silica (SiO 2 @rGO) nanoparticles coated with a core-shell type reduced graphene oxide or titanium dioxide (TiO 2 @ rGO) nanoparticles coated with reduced graphene oxide; and
a second transparent conductive layer that is transparent and conductive, and that is disposed on the nanoparticle layer; and

forming a second solar cell that is a perovskite solar cell which includes a perovskite layer, that is disposed on and bonded to the second transparent conductive layer of the recombination layer, and that is uniformly deposited in all regions thereof due to the nanoparticle layer planarizing the first solar cell.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein forming the nanoparticle layer is accomplished by spin coating, dip coating, spray coating (spraying), electrospraying, or a successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method.

10. The method of claim 8 , further comprising modifying a surface of the nanoparticle layer by heat treating followed by an ultraviolet (UV)-ozone treatment prior to disposing the second transparent conductive layer thereon.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the first solar cell is a thin film solar cell containing copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) and copper indium selenide (CIS) of a chalcopyrite series or copper zinc tin sulfide (CZTS) of a kesterite series.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein the nanoparticle layer comprises nanoparticles of an oxide material that is transparent and conductive and that is selected from the group consisting of indium tin oxide, aluminum zinc oxide, zirconium tin oxide, a compound of indium and zinc oxide, and an oxide material containing indium, tin, and zinc.

13. The method of claim 8 , further comprising including a bridge material that transfers charge between nanoparticles and that is ethyleneglycol or polyvinylpyridine.

Assignees

• Korea Inst Sci & Tech

Inventors

• Lee Doh Kwon
• Jang Yoon Hee
• Kim In Ho
• Mai Thi Kim Cuc
• Son Wan Soo
• Jeong Jeung Hyun

Classifications

• Y02E10/549

  Organic PV cells · CPC title

• Y02P70/50

  Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product · CPC title

• Y02E10/544

  Solar cells from Group III-V materials · CPC title

• Y02E10/541

  CuInSe2 material PV cells · CPC title

• H01L31/0326

  Electricity · mapped topic