Method of manufacturing a photovoltaic device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9450115-B2
Application number	US-201414212584-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 14, 2014
Priority date	Mar 15, 2013
Publication date	Sep 20, 2016
Grant date	Sep 20, 2016

Abstract

A method to improve CdTe-based photovoltaic device efficiency is disclosed, the method including steps for removing surface contaminants from a semiconductor absorber layer prior to the deposition or formation of a back contact layer on the semiconductor absorber layer, the surface contaminants removed using at least one of a dry etching process and a wet etching process.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of manufacturing a photovoltaic device comprising the steps of:
depositing a semiconductor absorber layer adjacent to a substrate;
cleaning the semiconductor absorber layer to remove contaminants therefrom using in succession a dry etch followed by a wet etch, the wet etch performed using a solution including HCl/H 3 PO 4 that results in the semiconductor absorber layer having a Te-rich surface and a Cd/Te ratio that is lower than the Cd/Te ratio obtained when the wet etch is performed using a solution including only HCl;
in a desorption step, placing the semiconductor layer and the substrate in a vacuum and applying thermal energy to remove surface moisture from the semiconductor absorber layer; and
depositing a back contact layer adjacent to the semiconductor absorber layer;
wherein the cleaning the semiconductor absorber layer step and the desorption step are performed prior to the deposition of the back contact layer.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the back contact layer is formed from one of the group of a polycrystalline zinc telluride, ZnTe:Cu, CdZnTe, and a multi-layer stack including at least two of CdTe, CdZnTe, ZnTe, and ZnTe:Cu.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wet etch is performed using an HCl-containing solution chosen from a list consisting of a solution having about 8500 ppm HCl, about 0.09% to about 3.7% HCl, about 0.09% to about 3.7% HCl, 3.7% HCl (10/1 HCl), a two-step wet etch with a NH 4 OH/H 2 O 2 mixture and HCl, and an HNO 3 /HCl mixture.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the dry etch utilizes an oxygen plasma etching process removes hydrocarbons and other carbon-containing contaminants from the semiconductor absorber layer.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the wet etch of the semiconductor absorber layer removes oxidized material utilizing a HCl-containing solution.

6. The method of claim 4 , further comprising a step of rinsing the semiconductor absorber layer after the cleaning step with one of the group of a deionized water and a purified water.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising a step of removing surface moisture from the semiconductor absorber layer prior to the depositing of the back contact layer step.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wet etch is performed using a solution including HCl/H 3 PO 4 that results in the semiconductor absorber layer having a Te-rich surface and a Cd/Te ratio that is lower than the Cd/Te ratio obtained when the wet etch is performed using a solution including only HCl at about 0.09% to about 3.7% HCl.

9. A method of manufacturing a photovoltaic device comprising the steps of:
depositing a semiconductor absorber layer adjacent to a substrate;
cleaning the semiconductor absorber layer to remove contaminants therefrom using a dry etch of the semiconductor absorber layer followed in succession by a wet etch of the semiconductor absorber layer, the wet etch performed using a solution including HCl/H 3 PO 4 that results in the semiconductor absorber layer having a Te-rich surface and a Cd/Te ratio that is lower than the Cd/Te ratio obtained when the wet etch is performed using a solution including only HCl;
in a desorption step, placing the semiconductor layer and the substrate in a vacuum and applying thermal energy to remove surface moisture from the semiconductor absorber layer after the cleaning step; and
depositing a back contact layer adjacent to the semiconductor absorber layer.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the back contact layer is formed from one of the group of a polycrystalline zinc telluride, ZnTe:Cu, CdZnTe, and a multi-layer stack including at least two of CdTe, CdZnTe, ZnTe, and ZnTe:Cu.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the wet etch is performed using an HCl-containing solution chosen from a list consisting of a solution having about 8500 ppm HCl, about 0.09% to about 3.7% HCl, 3.7% HCl (10/1 HCl), a two-step wet etch with a NH 4 OH/H 2 O 2 mixture and HCl, and an HNO 3 /HCl mixture.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the dry etch utilizes an oxygen plasma etching process removing hydrocarbons and other carbon-containing contaminants from the semiconductor absorber layer.

13. The method of claim 9 , further comprising the step of rinsing the semiconductor absorber layer after the cleaning step with one of the group of a deionized water and a purified water.

14. The method of claim 9 , wherein the wet etch is performed using a solution including HCl/H 3 PO 4 that results in the semiconductor absorber layer having a Te-rich surface and a Cd/Te ratio that is lower than the Cd/Te ratio obtained when the wet etch is performed using a solution including only HCl at about 0.09% to about 3.7% HCl.

15. A method of manufacturing a photovoltaic device comprising the steps of:
depositing a CdTe semiconductor absorber layer adjacent to a substrate;
cleaning the CdTe semiconductor absorber layer to remove contaminants therefrom using a dry etch followed in succession by a wet etch, the wet etch performed using a solution including HCl/H 3 PO 4 that results in the semiconductor absorber layer having a Te-rich surface and a Cd/Te ratio that is lower than the Cd/Te ratio obtained when the wet etch is performed using a solution including only HCl;
in a desorption step, placing the semiconductor layer and the substrate in a vacuum and applying thermal energy to remove surface moisture from the CdTe semiconductor absorber layer; and
depositing a ZnTe back contact layer adjacent to the CdTe semiconductor absorber layer.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the dry etch utilizes an oxygen plasma etching process removes hydrocarbons and other carbon-containing contaminants from the semiconductor absorber layer and the wet etch utilizes a HCl-containing solution chosen from a list consisting of a solution having about 8500 ppm HCl, about 0.09% to about 3.7% HCl, 3.7% HCl (10/1 HCl), a two-step wet etch with a NH 4 OH/H 2 O 2 mixture and HCl, an HNO 3 /HCl mixture, and an HCl/H 3 PO 4 mixture.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the wet etch is performed using a solution including HCl/H 3 PO 4 that results in the semiconductor absorber layer having a Te-rich surface and a Cd/Te ratio that is lower than the Cd/Te ratio obtained when the wet etch is performed using a solution including only HCl at about 0.09% to about 3.7% HCl.

Assignees

• First Solar Inc

Inventors

• Christensen Scott
• Mrozek Pawel
• Xiong Gang
• Yu San

Classifications

• Y02E10/543

  Solar cells from Group II-VI materials · CPC title

• H10F77/1696

  the films including Group II-VI materials, e.g. CdTe or CdS · CPC title

• H10F71/125

  The active layers comprising only Group II-VI materials, e.g. CdS, ZnS or CdTe · CPC title

• 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

• H10F10/162

  comprising only Group II-VI materials, e.g. CdS/CdTe photovoltaic cells · CPC title