Transferable transparent conductive oxide

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9337436-B2
Application number	US-201514736942-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 11, 2015
Priority date	Sep 20, 2013
Publication date	May 10, 2016
Grant date	May 10, 2016

Abstract

A method for fabricating a photovoltaic device includes forming an adhesion layer on a substrate, forming a material layer on the adhesion layer and applying release tape to the material layer. The substrate is removed at a weakest interface between the adhesion layer and the substrate by mechanically pulling the release tape to form a transfer substrate including the adhesion layer, the material layer and the release tape. The transfer substrate is transferred to a target substrate to contact the adhesion layer to the target substrate. The transfer substrate includes a material sensitive to formation processes of the transfer substrate such that exposure to the formation processes of the transfer substrate is avoided by the target substrate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for fabricating a photovoltaic device, comprising:
forming a material layer on an adhesion layer formed on a substrate;
applying release tape to the material layer;
mechanically pulling the release tape to form a transfer substrate including the adhesion layer, the material layer and the release tape; and
transferring the transfer substrate to a target substrate to contact the adhesion layer to the target substrate such that exposure to the formation processes of the transfer substrate is avoided by the target substrate.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the adhesion layer includes a layer of one or more of: gold, silver, copper, platinum, graphene and carbon nanotubes.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein forming the material layer includes forming one or more of: a transparent conductor, a multi-layer structure, device structures or a metal grid.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the material layer includes a sensitive material including an organic photovoltaic layer.

5. The method as recited in claim 4 , wherein the target substrate includes a transparent conductor.

6. The method as recited in claim 4 , wherein the sensitive material is exposed to temperatures not exceeding 120 degrees Celsius.

7. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising: removing the release tape using heat.

8. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the material layer includes an organic transparent conductor.

9. The method as recited in claim 8 , wherein the organic transparent conductor includes a form of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) poly(styrenesulfonate).

10. A method for fabricating a photovoltaic device, comprising:
forming a first transparent conductor layer on a metal adhesion layer formed on a substrate;
using thermal release tape, mechanically peeling the thermal release tape to remove the first transparent conductor layer and adhesion layer from the substrate;
separately forming a sensitive material on a second transparent conductor layer to avoid exposure to formation processes of the adhesion layer and the first transparent conductor layer; and
bonding the adhesion layer with the first transparent conductor to the sensitive material to form a photovoltaic device.

11. The method as recited in claim 10 , wherein forming the metal adhesion layer includes forming a layer of one or more of: gold, silver, copper and platinum.

12. The method as recited in claim 10 , further includes forming a metal grid on the first transparent conductor layer.

13. The method as recited in claim 10 , wherein the sensitive material includes an organic photovoltaic layer.

14. The method as recited in claim 10 , further comprising etching the adhesion layer prior to bonding to reduce its thickness.

15. The method as recited in claim 10 , wherein the sensitive material is exposed to temperatures not exceeding 120 degrees Celsius.

16. The method as recited in claim 10 , further comprising: removing the thermal release tape using heat.

17. The method as recited in claim 10 , wherein bonding includes one or more of applying pressure, applying adhesive or chemically bonding the adhesion layer to the sensitive material.

18. The method as recited in claim 10 , wherein the sensitive material includes an organic transparent conductor.

19. The method as recited in claim 18 , wherein the organic transparent conductor includes a form of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) poly(styrenesulfonate).

Assignees

• Globalfoundries Inc

Inventors

• Fogel Keith E
• Kim Jeehwan
• Sadana Devendra K
• Song Tze-Bin

Classifications

• H10K30/50

  Photovoltaic [PV] devices · CPC title

• H10K30/82

  Transparent electrodes, e.g. indium tin oxide [ITO] electrodes · CPC title

• H10K71/18 Primary

  using non-liquid printing techniques, e.g. thermal transfer printing from a donor sheet · CPC title

• H01L51/0021

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L51/0013

  Electricity · mapped topic