Solution-Phase Inclusion of Silver Into Chalcogenide Semiconductor Inks

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019157490-A1
Application number	US-201816235148-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 28, 2018
Priority date	Oct 6, 2016
Publication date	May 23, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

Silver-containing absorbers for photovoltaic devices and techniques for fabrication thereof are provided. In one aspect, a method of forming an ink includes: mixing a silver halide and a solvent to form a first solution; mixing a metal, sulfur, and the solvent to form a second solution; combining the first solution and the second solution to form a precursor solution; and adding constituent components for an absorber material to the precursor solution to form the ink. Methods of forming an absorber film, a photovoltaic device, and the resulting photovoltaic device are also provided.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A photovoltaic device, comprising:
a substrate; an electrically conductive layer on the substrate; an absorber layer on the electrically conductive layer, wherein the absorber layer comprises silver and a halide, and wherein the silver and the halide are both present throughout the absorber layer; a buffer layer on the absorber layer; a transparent front contact on the buffer layer; and a metal grid on the transparent front contact.

2 . The photovoltaic device of claim 1 , wherein the halide is selected from the group consisting of: chlorine (Cl), bromine (Br), and iodide (I).

3 . The photovoltaic device of claim 1 , wherein the substrate is selected from the group consisting of: a glass substrate, a ceramic substrate, a metal foil substrate, and a plastic substrate.

4 . The photovoltaic device of claim 1 , wherein the substrate is soda lime glass.

5 . The photovoltaic device of claim 1 , wherein the electrically conductive layer comprises a material selected from the group consisting of: molybdenum (Mo), molybdenum trioxide (MoO 3 ), gold (Au), nickel (Ni), tantalum (Ta), tungsten (W), aluminum (Al), platinum (Pt), titanium nitride (TiN), silicon nitride (SiN), and combinations thereof.

6 . The photovoltaic device of claim 1 , wherein the electrically conductive layer comprises an alloy of MoO 3 and Au.

7 . The photovoltaic device of claim 1 , wherein the electrically conductive layer has a thickness of from about 0.1 μm to about 2.5 μm, and ranges therebetween.

8 . The photovoltaic device of claim 1 , wherein the buffer layer has a thickness of from about 100 angstroms (Å) to about 1,000 Å, and ranges therebetween.

9 . The photovoltaic device of claim 1 , wherein the buffer layer comprises a material selected from the group consisting of: cadmium sulfide (CdS), a cadmium-zinc-sulfur material of the formula Cd 1-x Zn x S (wherein 0<x≤1), indium sulfide (In 2 S 3 ), zinc oxide, zinc oxysulfide, aluminum oxide (Al 2 O 3 ), and combinations thereof.

10 . The photovoltaic device of claim 1 , wherein the transparent front contact comprises a material selected from the group consisting of: a transparent conductive oxide, indium-tin-oxide (ITO), aluminum (Al)-doped zinc oxide (ZnO) (AZO), and combinations thereof.

11 . The photovoltaic device of claim 1 , wherein the metal grid comprises a material selected from the group consisting of: nickel (Ni), aluminum (Al), and combinations thereof.

12 . A photovoltaic device, comprising:
a substrate; an electrically conductive layer on the substrate; an absorber layer on the electrically conductive layer, wherein the absorber layer comprises CZT(S,Se) is a kesterite absorber material containing copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), tin (Sn), and at least one of sulfur (S) and selenium (Se), and wherein the absorber layer further comprises silver and a halide, and wherein the silver and the halide are both present throughout the absorber layer; a buffer layer on the absorber layer; a transparent front contact on the buffer layer; and a metal grid on the transparent front contact.

13 . The photovoltaic device of claim 12 , wherein the halide is selected from the group consisting of: Cl, Br, and I.

14 . The photovoltaic device of claim 12 , wherein the substrate is selected from the group consisting of: a glass substrate, a ceramic substrate, a metal foil substrate, and a plastic substrate.

15 . The photovoltaic device of claim 12 , wherein the electrically conductive layer comprises a material selected from the group consisting of: Mo, MoO 3 , Au, Ni, Ta, W, Al, Pt, TiN, SiN, and combinations thereof.

16 . The photovoltaic device of claim 12 , wherein the electrically conductive layer has a thickness of from about 0.1 μm to about 2.5 μm, and ranges therebetween.

17 . The photovoltaic device of claim 12 , wherein the buffer layer has a thickness of from about 100 Åto about 1,000 Å, and ranges therebetween.

18 . The photovoltaic device of claim 12 , wherein the buffer layer comprises a material selected from the group consisting of: CdS, a cadmium-zinc-sulfur material of the formula Cd 1-x Zn x S (wherein 0<x≤1), In 2 S 3 , zinc oxide, zinc oxysulfide, Al 2 O 3 , and combinations thereof.

19 . The photovoltaic device of claim 12 , wherein the transparent front contact comprises a material selected from the group consisting of: a transparent conductive oxide, ITO, Al-doped ZnO, and combinations thereof.

20 . The photovoltaic device of claim 12 , wherein the metal grid comprises a material selected from the group consisting of: Ni, Al, and combinations thereof.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Antunez Priscilla D
• Gershon Talia S
• Haight Richard A
• Todorov Teodor K

Classifications

• H10F71/128

  Annealing · CPC title

• H01L31/0322

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L31/18

  Electricity · mapped topic

• C09D11/52

  Electrically conductive inks · CPC title

• H01L31/0326

  Electricity · mapped topic