# US 10,483,422 B2 · Photovoltaic device and method for manufacturing the same

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- Number: US 10,483,422 B2
- Document ID: US10483422B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/380,612
- Filed: 2012-05-15
- Published: 2015-10-08
- Granted: 2019-11-19
- Earliest claimed: 2012-02-28
- Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha; National University Corporation Saitama University
- Applicants: Daisuke Sato; Hiroyuki Yaguchi; Shuhei Yagi
- Inventors: Daisuke Sato; Hiroyuki Yaguchi; Shuhei Yagi
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10483422B2

## CPC

- H10F 10/144: comprising only Group III-V materials, e.g. GaAs,AlGaAs, or InP photovoltaic cells
- B82Y 20/00: Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
- H10F 71/127: {The active layers comprising only Group III-V materials, e.g. GaAs or InP}
- H10F 71/1274: {comprising nitrides, e.g. InGaN or InGaAlN}
- H10F 77/146: {Superlattices; Multiple quantum well structures}
- Y02E 10/544: Solar cells from Group III-V materials
- Y02E 10/547: Monocrystalline silicon PV cells
- Y02P 70/50: Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product
- H10F: INORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES SENSITIVE TO INFRARED RADIATION, LIGHT, ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION OF SHORTER WAVELENGTH OR CORPUSCULAR RADIATION
- B82Y: SPECIFIC USES OR APPLICATIONS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MEASUREMENT OR ANALYSIS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF NANOSTRUCTURES
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS

## Abstract

Provided is a photovoltaic device prepared with a semiconductor including a localized level or an intermediate band in a forbidden band and capable of improving the performance than before. The photovoltaic device includes a plurality of first layers made of a first semiconducting material and a plurality of second layers made of a second semiconducting material that is different from the first semiconducting material, wherein the second semiconducting material includes a localized level or intermediate band in a forbidden band, the first layers and the second layers are alternately laminated one by one, at least two of the second layers are each disposed between a pair of the first layers, and a thickness of each of the second layers is thinner than a thickness of four molecular layers of the first semiconducting material.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A photovoltaic device comprising:
a light absorbing layer, consisting of:
a plurality of first layers made of a first semiconducting material of GaAs; and
a plurality of second layers made of a second semiconducting material of GaNxAs1-xwherein 0.003≤x≤0.4,
wherein
the first layers and second layers are alternately arranged,
N atoms of the second layers adjacent to each other across an intermediate first layer in a thickness direction of the light absorbing layer are substantially equidistant from one another in the thickness direction,
each of the plurality of first layers comprises Si atoms in a range from 1017 to 1018 atoms per 1 cm3, and
the second semiconducting material includes a localized level or an intermediate band in a forbidden band; at least two of the second layers are each disposed between a pair of the first layers; and a thickness of each of the second layers is thinner than a thickness of four molecular layers of the first semiconducting material.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The photovoltaic device according to claim 1, wherein, defining a thickness of each of the first layers as w1 and the thickness of each of the second layers as w2, w1+w2 satisfies 3.3 nm ≤w1+w2≤20 nm.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The photovoltaic device according to claim 1, wherein, defining the thickness of each the first layers as w1 and the thickness of each of the second layers as w2, w2/(w1+w2) satisfies 0.05≤w2/(w1+w2)≤0.30.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The photovoltaic device according to claim 1, wherein a concentration of an additive element having a different electronegativity from that of at least one element configuring the first semiconducting material to an entirety of the first layers and the second layers is 0.10 mole % or more and 2.0 mole % or less.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

A method for manufacturing the photovoltaic device according to claim 1, the method comprising:
forming a Si doped, first layer on a base material, the first layer being made of a first semiconducting material of GaAs;
forming a second layer on a surface of the first layer, the second layer having a thickness thinner than a thickness of four molecular layers of the first semiconducting material and being made of a second semiconducting material of GaNxAs1-x and 0.003≤x≤0.4, by going through a process of supplying a part of elements configuring the first semiconducting material and an additive element of N, the additive element producing a localized level or an intermediate band in a forbidden band;
forming a first layer on a surface of the second layer, the first layer being made of the first semiconducting material;
forming a secondary second layer on a surface of the first layer formed on the surface of the second layer, the secondary second layer having a thickness thinner than the thickness of four molecular layers of the first semiconducting material and being made of the second semiconducting material, by going through a process of supplying a part of elements configuring the first semiconducting material and the additive element; and
forming a first layer on a surface of the secondary second layer, the first layer being made of the first semiconducting material.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method for manufacturing the photovoltaic device according to claim 5, wherein, defining a thickness of the first layer as w1 and the thickness of the second layer as w2, the step of forming the first layer and the step of forming the second layer are controlled so that w1+w2 satisfies 3.3 nm ≤w1+w2 ≤20 nm.

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

The method for manufacturing the photovoltaic device according to claim 5, wherein, defining the thickness of the first layer as w1 and the thickness of the second layer as w2, the step of forming the first layer and the step of forming the second layer are controlled so that w2/(w1+w2 satisfies 0.05≤w2/(w1+w2) ≤0.30.

### Claim 8 (depends on 5)

The method for manufacturing the photovoltaic device according to claim 5, wherein the step of forming the first layer and the step of forming the second layer are controlled so that a concentration of the additive element to an entirety of the first layer and the second layer is 0.10 mole % or more and 2.0 mole % or less.