Methods of forming ruthenium-group iiia alloys
AssigneeSoloPower, Inc.
InventorsSerdar Aksu, Sarah Lastella, Alan Kleiman-Shwarsctein, Shirish Pethe, Mustafa Pinarbasi
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Abstract
Described are embodiments including an apparatus that provides a thin film solar cell base structure for a photovoltaic device, a method of manufacturing a photovoltaic device, a roll to roll method of manufacturing a thin film solar cell base structure, and a ruthenium alloy sheet material.
Claims57
An apparatus that provides a thin film solar cell base structure for a photovoltaic device, comprising:
- a conductive substrate, wherein the conductive substrate is a sheet shaped substrate including an upper surface;
- a ruthenium-Group IIIA alloy layer formed over the upper surface of the conductive substrate, the ruthenium-Group IIIA alloy layer including ruthenium (Ru) and a Group IIIA material;
- and
- an absorber layer foHned over the ruthenium-Group IIIA alloy layer, thereby creating the thin film solar cell base structure.
A method of manufacturing a photovoltaic device, comprising:
- providing a conductive substrate, wherein the conductive substrate is a sheet shaped substrate including an upper surface;
- forming a ruthenium-Group IIIA alloy layer over the upper surface of the conductive substrate, the ruthenium-Group IIIA alloy layer including ruthenium (Ru) and a Group IIIA material;
- forming a CIGS absorber layer over the ruthenium-Group IIIA alloy layer;
- and
- reacting the CIGS absorber layer to form the photovoltaic device.
A roll to roll method of manufacturing a thin film solar cell base structure, comprising:
- providing a conductive substrate having a top surface, wherein the conductive substrate is a sheet shaped substrate having a top surface;
- advancing the conductive substrate through a process station;
- and
- forming a ruthenium-Group IIIA alloy layer over the top surface of the conductive substrate as the substrate advanced through the process station, to create the thin film solar cell base structure, the alloy layer including ruthenium (Ru) and a Group IIIA material.
An ruthenium alloy sheet material comprising, by molar percentage:
- 1-50% of gallium (Ga);
- no more than 5% of any other impurity;
- and
- a remaining molar percentage of ruthenium (Ru).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.