Method of increasing the band gap of iron pyrite by alloying with oxygen

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9450120-B2
Application number	US-201313799632-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 13, 2013
Priority date	Jul 31, 2012
Publication date	Sep 20, 2016
Grant date	Sep 20, 2016

Abstract

A method of increasing the band gap of iron pyrite by alloying with oxygen is disclosed. According to one embodiment, a method comprises alloying iron pyrite (FeS 2 ) with oxygen to form an iron pyrite and oxygen alloy (FeS 2−x O x ). The iron pyrite and oxygen alloy (FeS 2−x O x ) has a band gap greater than iron pyrite (FeS 2 ).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A photo voltaic device, comprising:
one or more absorber layers, wherein the one or more absorber layers comprise an iron pyrite base material having a band gap greater than iron pyrite (FeS2);
wherein the iron pyrite based material is an iron pyrite and oxygen alloy (FeS 2−x O x ); and
wherein the iron pyrite and oxygen alloy is formed by replacing about 10% of the sulfur atoms with oxygen atoms.

2. The photo voltaic device of claim 1 wherein the band gap of the iron pyrite base material is in a range from about 1.2 eV to about 1.3 eV.

3. A pyrite based photo voltaic material, comprising:
iron pyrite (FeS2) alloyed with oxygen to form an iron pyrite and oxygen alloy (FeS 2−x O x ), wherein the iron pyrite and oxygen alloy (FeS 2−x O x ) having a band gap greater than iron pyrite (FeS2),
wherein the iron pyrite and oxygen alloy (FeS 2−x O x ) is formed b replacing about 10% of the sulfur atoms with oxygen atoms.

4. The pyrite based photo voltaic material of claim 3 , wherein the band gap of the iron pyrite and oxygen alloy (FeS2-xOx) is in a range from about 1.2 eV to about 1.3 eV.

5. A method for increasing the band gap of iron pyrite (FeS2), comprising:
alloying iron pyrite (FeS2) with oxygen to form an iron pyrite and oxygen alloy (FeS 2−x O x ) by replacing about 10% of the sulfur atoms of the iron pyrite (FeS2) with oxygen atoms;
wherein the iron pyrite and oxygen alloy (FeS 2−x O x ) has a band gap greater than iron pyrite (FeS2).

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the step of alloying iron pyrite (FeS2) with oxygen to form the iron pyrite and oxygen alloy further comprises mixing oxygen with iron pyrite (FeS2).

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the band gap of the iron pyrite and oxygen alloy (FeS2-xOx) is in a range from about 1.2 eV to about 1.3 eV.

Assignees

• Univ California

Inventors

• Wu Ruqian
• Law Matt
• Hu Jun
• Zhang Yanning

Classifications

• H10F10/16

  Photovoltaic cells having only PN heterojunction potential barriers · CPC title

• Y02E10/50

  Photovoltaic [PV] energy · CPC title

• H10F77/12 Primary

  Active materials · CPC title

• H01L31/032 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L31/072

  Electricity · mapped topic