# US 11,908,970 B2 · Process for manufacturing multilayered thin film, method of manufacturing solar cell, and method for manufacturing solar cell module

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- Number: US 11,908,970 B2
- Document ID: US11908970B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/460,375
- Filed: 2021-08-30
- Published: 2021-12-16
- Granted: 2024-02-20
- Earliest claimed: 2020-03-23
- Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba; Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation
- Applicants: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba; Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation
- Inventors: Yuya Honishi; Soichiro Shibasaki; Naoyuki Nakagawa; Mutsuki Yamazaki; Yoshiko Hiraoka; Kazushige Yamamoto
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11908970B2

## CPC

- H10F 77/12: Active materials
- H10F 10/16: Photovoltaic cells having only PN heterojunction potential barriers
- H10F 10/161: comprising multiple PN heterojunctions, e.g. tandem cells
- H10F 10/164: comprising heterojunctions with Group IV materials, e.g. ITO/Si or GaAs/SiGe photovoltaic cells
- H10F 19/30: comprising thin-film photovoltaic cells
- H10F 19/40: comprising photovoltaic cells in a mechanically stacked configuration
- H10F 77/244: {made of transparent conductive layers, e.g. transparent conductive oxide [TCO] layers}
- H02S 10/40: Mobile PV generator systems
- H02S 40/38: Energy storage means, e.g. batteries, structurally associated with PV modules
- Y02E 10/50: Photovoltaic [PV] energy
- H10F: INORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES SENSITIVE TO INFRARED RADIATION, LIGHT, ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION OF SHORTER WAVELENGTH OR CORPUSCULAR RADIATION
- H02S: GENERATION OF ELECTRIC POWER BY CONVERSION OF INFRARED RADIATION, VISIBLE LIGHT OR ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT, e.g. USING PHOTOVOLTAIC [PV] MODULES (obtaining electrical energy from radioactive sources G21H1/12; light sensitive inorganic semiconductor devices H10F; light sensitive organic semiconductor devices H10K30/00; thermoelectric devices H10N10/00; pyroelectric devices H10N15/00)
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION

## Abstract

A process for manufacturing a multilayered thin film, includes: forming a photovoltaic conversion layer, comprising Cu2O as a main component, on a first transparent electrode; and placing, under a first atmosphere at an oxygen level of from 5.0×10−8 [g/L] to 5.0×10−5 [g/L] for 1 h to 1600 h, a member having the photovoltaic conversion layer formed on the first transparent electrode.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A process for manufacturing a multilayered thin film, comprising:
forming a photovoltaic conversion layer, comprising Cu2O as a main component, on a first transparent electrode; and
placing, under a first atmosphere at an oxygen level of from 5.0×10−8 [g/L] to 5.0×10−5 [g/L] for 1 h to 1600 h, a member having the photovoltaic conversion layer formed on the first transparent electrode.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The process for manufacturing a multilayered thin film according to claim 1, wherein a water vapor level in the first atmosphere during the placing under the first atmosphere is from 5.0×10−8 [g/L] to 5.0×10−5 [g/L].

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The process for manufacturing a multilayered thin film according to claim 1, further comprising placing, under a second atmosphere of air at from 0° C. to 50° C. for 1 h or less, the member having the photovoltaic conversion layer formed on the first transparent electrode, before the placing under the first atmosphere.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The process for manufacturing a multilayered thin film according to claim 1, wherein a temperature of the first atmosphere during the placing under the first atmosphere is from 0° C. to 100° C.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The process for manufacturing a multilayered thin film according to claim 1, wherein a retention time in the first atmosphere during the placing under the first atmosphere is from 72 h to 1600 h.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The process for manufacturing a multilayered thin film according to claim 1, wherein the oxygen level in a low-oxygen atmosphere during the placing under the first atmosphere is from 5.0×10−8 [g/L] to 3.5×10−5 [g/L], and
a water vapor level in the low-oxygen atmosphere during the placing under the first atmosphere is from 5.0×10−8 [g/L] to 4.0×10−5 [g/L].

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The process for manufacturing a multilayered thin film according to claim 1, wherein when a retention time in the first atmosphere during the placing under the first atmosphere is defined as t [h], the oxygen level in the first atmosphere is defined as CO [g/L], and a water vapor level in the first atmosphere is defined as CW [g/L],
1.0×10−7 [h·g/L]≤t×CO [h·g/L]≤1.6×10−3 [h·g/L] is satisfied, and
1.0×10−7 [h·g/L]≤t×CW [h·g/L]≤6.5×10−2 [h·g/L] is satisfied.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

A method of manufacturing a solar cell, comprising manufacturing a multilayered thin film by the process for manufacturing a multilayered thin film according to claim 1.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

A method of manufacturing a multi-junction solar cell, comprising manufacturing a multilayered thin film by the process for manufacturing a multilayered thin film according to claim 1.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

A method for manufacturing a solar cell module, comprising manufacturing a multilayered thin film by the process for manufacturing a multilayered thin film according to claim 1.