Back contact having selenium blocking layer for photovoltaic devices such as copper-indium-diselenide solar cells

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9691917-B2
Application number	US-201514856683-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 17, 2015
Priority date	Apr 25, 2012
Publication date	Jun 27, 2017
Grant date	Jun 27, 2017

Abstract

A photovoltaic device (e.g., solar cell) includes: a front substrate (e.g., glass substrate); a semiconductor absorber film; a back contact including a first conductive layer of or including copper (Cu) and a second conductive layer of or including molybdenum (Mo); and a rear substrate (e.g., glass substrate). A selenium blocking layer is provided between at least the Cu inclusive layer and the Mo inclusive layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of making a coated article for use in a photovoltaic device, the method comprising:
providing a substrate;
depositing a conductive layer comprising Cu over at least said substrate;
depositing a selenium blocking layer on the substrate over at least the conductive layer comprising Cu, wherein the selenium blocking layer consists essentially of an oxide of copper which may optionally be nitrided;
depositing a conductive layer comprising Mo on the substrate over at least the conductive layer comprising Cu and the selenium blocking layer; and
forming a CIGS absorber film over at least said conductive layer comprising Mo.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said forming a CIGS absorber film comprises:
depositing a seed layer comprising copper;
depositing indium and/or gallium over said seed layer; and
heat treating said seed layer including said indium and/or gallium in an atmosphere including selenium.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the selenium blocking layer consists essentially of copper, oxygen and nitrogen.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the selenium blocking layer has an enthalpy of formation smaller than that of copper selenide.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the selenium blocking layer is located between and directly contacting the conductive layer comprising Cu and the conductive layer comprising Mo.

6. A method of making a coated article for use in a photovoltaic device, the method comprising:
having a glass substrate;
depositing a conductive layer comprising Cu over at least said glass substrate;
depositing a selenium blocking layer on the substrate over at least the conductive layer comprising Cu, wherein the selenium blocking layer consists essentially of an oxide of copper which may optionally be nitrided;
depositing a conductive layer comprising Mo on the substrate over at least the conductive layer comprising Cu and the selenium blocking layer; and
wherein the coated article is configured so that a CIGS absorber film can be formed over at least said conductive layer comprising Mo.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the selenium blocking layer has an enthalpy of formation smaller than that of copper selenide.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the selenium blocking layer is located between and directly contacting the conductive layer comprising Cu and the conductive layer comprising Mo.

Assignees

• Guardian Industries

Inventors

• Krasnov Alexey

Classifications

• H01L31/03923

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L31/022425

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L31/18

  Electricity · mapped topic

• Y02E10/541

  CuInSe2 material PV cells · CPC title

• H01L31/022441 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic