Method for manufacturing a large-area thin film solar cell

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017309772-A1
Application number	US-201615275862-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 26, 2016
Priority date	Apr 22, 2016
Publication date	Oct 26, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method for manufacturing a large-area thin film solar cell includes the steps of: (a) forming a first contact layer on a substrate; (b) forming a multi-layer metal precursor film on the first contact layer, which includes the sub-steps of (b 1 ) sputtering a first multinary metal precursor layer on the first contact layer, the first multinary metal precursor layer containing Cu, Ga and KF, and (b 2 ) sputtering an In-containing precursor layer on the first multinary metal precursor layer; and (c) subjecting the multi-layer metal precursor film to selenization to form an absorber layer having a chalcopyrite phase.

First claim

1 . A method for manufacturing a large-area thin film solar cell, comprising the steps of:
(a) forming a first contact layer on a substrate; (b) forming a multi-layer metal precursor film on the first contact layer, which includes the sub-steps of: (b 1 ) sputtering a first multinary metal precursor layer on the first contact layer, the first multinary metal precursor layer containing Cu, Ga and KF, and (b 2 ) sputtering an In-containing precursor layer on the first multinary metal precursor layer; and (c) subjecting the multi-layer metal precursor film to selenization to form an absorber layer having a chalcopyrite phase.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the substrate is a Na-containing substrate.

3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein sub-step (b 1 ) is performed by sputtering from a target containing Cu, Ga and KF.

4 . The method according to claim 3 , wherein step (b) further includes, after sub-step (b 2 ), sub-step (b 3 ) of sputtering from the target containing Cu, Ga and KF to form a second multinary metal precursor layer on the In-containing precursor layer, the second multinary metal precursor layer containing Cu, Ga and KF.

5 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first multinary metal precursor layer includes a first metal precursor sub-layer formed on the first contact layer and containing Ga and KF, and a second metal precursor sub-layer formed on the first metal precursor sub-layer and containing Cu, sub-step (b 1 ) being performed by sputtering from a target containing Ga and KF to form the first metal precursor sub-layer, and sputtering from a target containing Cu to form the second metal precursor sub-layer.

6 . The method according to claim 5 , wherein step (b) further includes, after sub-step (b 2 ), sub-step (b 4 ) of sputtering from the target including Ga and KF to form another one of the first metal precursor sub-layer on the In-containing precursor layer.

7 . The method according to claim 5 , wherein step (b) further includes sub-step (b 4 ) of sputtering from the target including Ga and KF after sub-step (b 1 ) and prior to sub-step (b 2 ) to form another one of the first metal precursor sub-layer on the second metal precursor sub-layer.

8 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first multinary metal precursor layer includes a first metal precursor sub-layer being contiguous to the In-containing precursor layer and containing Ga and KF, and a second metal precursor sub-layer being contiguous to the first contact layer and containing Cu, sub-step (b 1 ) being performed by sputtering from a target containing Cu to form the second metal precursor sub-layer on the first contact layer and sputtering from a target containing Ga and KF to form the first metal precursor sub-layer on the second metal precursor sub-layer.

9 . The method according to claim 8 , wherein step (b) further includes, after sub-step (b 2 ), sub-step (b 4 ) of sputtering from the target including Ga and KF to form another the first metal precursor sub-layer on the In-containing precursor layer.

10 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the absorber layer has a thickness (D), the first multinary metal precursor layer has a thickness (d 1 ), and the In-containing precursor layer has a thickness (d 2 ), D being larger than 0.8 μm, and a ratio of d 1 /d 2 being not less than 0.25.

11 . The method according to claim 4 , wherein the absorber layer has a thickness (D), the first multinary metal precursor layer has a thickness (d 1 ), the In-containing precursor layer has a thickness (d 2 ), and the second multinary metal precursor layer has a thickness (d 3 ), D being larger than 0.8 μm, a ratio of d 1 /d 3 being in a range from 0.5 to 6, and a ratio of (d 1 +d 3 )/d 2 being not less than 0.25.

12 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the selenization is performed in the presence of an inert gas atmosphere and a selenium source and is followed by annealing.

13 . The method according to claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:
(d) forming a first buffer layer on the absorber layer; (e) forming a second buffer layer on the first buffer layer; (f) forming a transparent conductive layer on the second buffer layer; and (g) forming a second contact layer on the transparent conductive layer.

Assignees

• Nat Univ Tsing Hua

Inventors

• Lai Chih-Huang
• CAI Chung-Hao

Classifications

• H10P14/3436

  being chalcogenide semiconductor materials not being oxides, e.g. ternary compounds · CPC title

• H10P14/3241 Primary

  being conductive materials · CPC title

• H10P14/203

  using transformation of metal, e.g. oxidation or nitridation · CPC title

• H01L31/1828 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L31/186

  Electricity · mapped topic