Method for manufacturing thin film solar cell and module structure of thin film solar cell

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016126376-A1
Application number	US-201514803843-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 20, 2015
Priority date	Oct 31, 2014
Publication date	May 5, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method for manufacturing a thin film solar cell includes: depositing a transparent first rear electrode on a first surface of a transparent substrate; depositing a second rear electrode having a high-conductive metal on the first rear electrode; performing a first laser scribing process to separate a double layer of the first and second rear electrodes; depositing a light absorption layer having selenium (Se) or sulfur (S) on the second rear electrode; performing a second laser scribing process by inputting a laser to a second surface of the transparent substrate to separate the light absorption layer; depositing a transparent electrode on the light absorption layer; and performing a third laser scribing process by inputting a laser to the second surface to separate the transparent electrode. Accordingly, patterning may be performed in a substrate-incident laser manner to improve price, productivity and precision of the patterning process.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method for manufacturing a thin film solar cell, comprising:
depositing a transparent first rear electrode on a first surface of a transparent substrate; depositing a second rear electrode having a high-conductive metal on the first rear electrode; performing a first laser scribing process to separate a double layer of the first and second rear electrodes; depositing a light absorption layer having selenium (Se) or sulfur (S) on the second rear electrode; performing a second laser scribing process by inputting a laser to a second surface of the transparent substrate, which is opposite to the first surface, to separate the light absorption layer; depositing a transparent electrode on the light absorption layer; and performing a third laser scribing process by inputting a laser to the second surface to separate the transparent electrode.

2 . The method for manufacturing a thin film solar cell according to claim 1 ,
wherein, in the performing of a second laser scribing process and the performing of a third laser scribing process, the second rear electrode is used as a sacrificial layer for removing the layers subsequently placed on the second rear electrode.

3 . The method for manufacturing a thin film solar cell according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first rear electrode is made of a material having a light absorptance of 20% or below in a visible or near infrared light band and a specific resistance of 1E-2 Ωcm or below.

4 . The method for manufacturing a thin film solar cell according to claim 3 ,
wherein the first rear electrode includes any one selected from the group consisting of a transparent conductive oxide (TCO) having at least one of an indium oxide, a zinc oxide and a tin oxide, a multilayered transparent electrode composed of a TCO and a metal film or a nano-wire layer and a TCO, and a transparent electrode in which a carbon material having at least one of graphene and carbon nanotube is dispersed.

5 . The method for manufacturing a thin film solar cell according to claim 1 ,
wherein the second rear electrode is made of a material having a specific resistance of 5E-5 Ωcm or below and also having a wavelength band in which a ratio of a light absorptance of the second rear electrode to a light absorptance of the first rear electrode is more than 1 in a visible or near infrared light band.

6 . The method for manufacturing a thin film solar cell according to claim 5 ,
wherein the second rear electrode is formed with a single layer or multiple layers including at least one metal selected from molybdenum (Mo), tungsten (W), titanium (Ti), copper (Cu), gold (Au), silver (Ag), niobium (Nb) and nickel (Ni).

7 . The method for manufacturing a thin film solar cell according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first rear electrode is formed to have a thickness of 50 to 1000 nm, and the second rear electrode is formed to have a thickness of 10 to 1000 nm.

8 . The method for manufacturing a thin film solar cell according to claim 1 ,
wherein the light absorption layer is made of a material including at least one of copper (Cu) and silver (Ag), at least one of indium (In), gallium (Ga), aluminum (Al), zinc (Zn) and tin (Sn), and at least one of selenium (Se) and sulfur (S).

9 . The method for manufacturing a thin film solar cell according to claim 1 , further comprising:
depositing at least one of a buffer layer and a high-resistive window layer on the light absorption layer, wherein the at least one layer is removed together with the light absorption layer when the second laser scribing process is performed.

10 . A method for manufacturing a thin film solar cell, comprising:
depositing a transparent rear electrode on a first surface of a transparent substrate; performing a first laser scribing process to separate the rear electrode; depositing a light absorption layer having selenium (Se) or sulfur (S) on the rear electrode; performing a second laser scribing process by inputting a laser to a second surface of the transparent substrate, which is opposite to the first surface, to separate the light absorption layer; depositing a transparent electrode on the light absorption layer; and performing a third laser scribing process by inputting a laser to the second surface to separate the transparent electrode.

11 . The method for manufacturing a thin film solar cell according to claim 10 ,
wherein the rear electrode is made of a material having a light absorptance of 20% or below in a visible or near infrared light band and a specific resistance of 1E-2 Ωcm or below.

12 . The method for manufacturing a thin film solar cell according to claim 11 ,
wherein the rear electrode includes any one selected from the group consisting of a transparent conductive oxide (TCO) having at least one of an indium oxide, a zinc oxide and a tin oxide, a multilayered transparent electrode composed of a TCO and a metal film or a nano-wire layer and a TCO, and a transparent electrode in which a carbon material having at least one of graphene and carbon nanotube is dispersed.

13 . The method for manufacturing a thin film solar cell according to claim 10 , wherein the depositing of a transparent rear electrode on a first surface of a transparent substrate further includes:
depositing an interface control substance on the rear electrode.

14 . The method for manufacturing a thin film solar cell according to claim 13 ,
wherein the interface control substance is made of a material which is stable at temperature of 400 to 600° C. and has a work function of 5 eV or above.

15 . The method for manufacturing a thin film solar cell according to claim 14 ,
wherein the interface control substance includes at least one of molybdenum oxide, tungsten oxide, nickel oxide and chrome oxide.

16 . The method for manufacturing a thin film solar cell according to claim 13 ,
wherein the rear electrode is formed to have a thickness of 100 to 2000 nm, and the interface control substance is formed to have a thickness of 1 to 50 nm.

17 . The method for manufacturing a thin film solar cell according to claim 10 ,
wherein the light absorption layer is made of a material including at least one of copper (Cu) and silver (Ag), at least one of indium (In), gallium (Ga), aluminum (Al), zinc (Zn) and tin (Sn), and at least one of selenium (Se) and sulfur (S).

18 . The method for manufacturing a thin film solar cell according to claim 10 , further comprising:
depositing at least one of a buffer layer and a high-resistive window layer on the light absorption layer, wherein the at least one layer is removed together with the light absorption layer when the second laser scribing process is performed.

19 . A module structure of a thin film solar cell, comprising:
a first rear electrode having transparency and formed on a transparent substrate; a second rear electrode having a high-conductive metal and formed on the first rear electrode; a light absorption layer having selenium (Se) or sulfur (S) and formed on the second rear electrode; at least one of a buffer layer and a high-resistive window layer formed on the light absorption layer; and a transparent electrode formed on the at least one layer, wherein a double layer of the first rear electrode and the second rear electrode is separated at regular intervals in a first direction, wherein the second rear electrode, the light absorption layer and the at least one layer are separated in the first direction in a region adjacent to a separation area o

Assignees

• Korea Inst Sci & Tech

Inventors

• Jeong Jeung-Hyun
• Kim Won Mok
• Park Jong-Keuk

Classifications

• H10F71/00

  Manufacture or treatment of devices covered by this subclass (patterning processes to connect thin photovoltaic cells in integrated devices, or assemblies of multiple devices, having photovoltaic cells H10F19/33; manufacture or treatment of encapsulations or containers for integrated devices, or assemblies of multiple devices, having photovoltaic cells H10F19/80; manufacture or treatment of integrated devices, or assemblies of multiple devices, comprising at least one element in which radiation controls the flow of current H10F39/00) · CPC title

• H10F77/20 Primary

  Electrodes · CPC title

• H10F19/33

  Patterning processes to connect the photovoltaic cells, e.g. laser cutting of conductive or active layers · CPC title

• H10F10/167

  comprising Group I-III-VI materials, e.g. CdS/CuInSe2 [CIS] heterojunction photovoltaic cells · CPC title

• H10F77/211 Primary

  for photovoltaic cells · CPC title