Photoelectric conversion device, solar cell and method for manufacturing photoelectric conversion device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9941434-B2
Application number	US-201514854431-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 15, 2015
Priority date	Sep 22, 2014
Publication date	Apr 10, 2018
Grant date	Apr 10, 2018

Abstract

A photoelectric conversion device of an embodiment has a substrate, a bottom electrode comprising an electrode layer on the substrate and an intermediate interface layer, a light absorbing layer on the intermediate interface layer. The electrode layer comprises Mo or W. The intermediate interface layer is a compound thin film of a compound comprising Mo or W and at least one element X selected from the group consisting of S, Se, and Te. The intermediate interface layer has a crystal phase and an amorphous phase with which the crystal phase is covered.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A photoelectric conversion device comprising:
a substrate;
a bottom electrode comprising an electrode layer on the substrate and an intermediate interface layer; and
a light absorbing layer on the intermediate interface layer,
wherein the electrode layer comprises Mo or W,
the intermediate interface layer is a compound thin film of a compound comprising Mo or W and at least one element X selected from the group consisting of S, Se, and Te,
the intermediate interface layer has a crystal phase and an amorphous phase with which at least part of the crystal phase is covered, and
the intermediate interface layer satisfies the relation 0.4≤area ratio Sc/(Sa+Sc)≤0.9, wherein Sc is the area of the crystal phase, and Sa is the area of the amorphous phase.

2. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the electrode layer comprises Mo as a constituent element.

3. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the crystal phase comprises randomly oriented crystals.

4. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the light absorbing layer includes a p-type compound semiconductor layer and n-type compound semiconductor layer.

5. The device according to claim 4 , wherein the p-type compound semiconductor layer contains at least the element X.

6. The device according to claim 4 , wherein the p-type compound semiconductor layer has one of a chalcopyrite structure, a stannite structure, and a kesterite structure.

7. The device according to claim 1 , wherein crystals with c axes oriented in the same direction in the crystal phase make up 10% or less of crystals in the intermediate interface layer.

8. The device according to claim 1 , wherein 80% or more of the crystal phase in the intermediate interface layer is covered with the amorphous phase.

9. A solar cell comprising a photoelectric conversion device, the photoelectric conversion device comprising at least:
a substrate;
a bottom electrode comprising an electrode layer on the substrate and an intermediate interface layer; and
a light absorbing layer formed on the intermediate interface layer,
wherein the electrode layer comprises Mo or W,
the intermediate interface layer is a compound thin film of a compound comprising Mo or W and at least one element X selected from the group consisting of S, Se, and Te,
the intermediate interface layer has a crystal phase and an amorphous phase with which at least part of the crystal phase is covered, and
the intermediate interface layer satisfies the relation 0.4≤area ratio Sc/(Sa+Sc)≤0.9, wherein Sc is the area of the crystal phase, and Sa is the area of the amorphous phase.

10. The cell according to claim 9 , wherein the electrode layer comprises Mo as a constituent element.

11. The cell according to claim 9 , wherein the crystal phase comprises randomly oriented crystals.

12. The cell according to claim 9 , wherein the light absorbing layer includes a p-type compound semiconductor layer and a n-type compound semiconductor layer.

13. The cell according to claim 12 , wherein the p-type compound semiconductor layer contains at least the element X.

14. The cell according to claim 12 , wherein the p-type compound semiconductor layer has one of a chalcopyrite structure, a stannite structure, and a kesterite structure.

15. The cell according to claim 9 , wherein crystals with c axes oriented in the same direction in the crystal phase make up 10% or less of crystals in the intermediate interface layer.

16. The cell according to claim 9 , wherein 80% or more of the crystal phase in the intermediate interface layer is covered with the amorphous phase.

Assignees

• Toshiba Kk

Inventors

• Nakagawa Naoyuki
• Shibasaki Soichiro
• Hiraga Hiroki
• Saito Hitomi
• Yamazaki Mutsuki
• Yamamoto Kazushige
• Sakurada Shinya
• Inaba Michihiko

Classifications

• H01L31/022425

  Electricity · mapped topic

• Y02P70/521

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• H01L31/0392 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L31/0326

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L31/03928

  Electricity · mapped topic