High efficiency solar cells fabricated by inexpensive pecvd
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsKeith E. Fogel, Augustin J. Hong, Jeehwan Kim, Devendra K. Sadana
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Abstract
A method for forming a photovoltaic device includes depositing one or more layers of a photovoltaic stack on a substrate by employing a high deposition rate plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (HDR PECVD) process. Contacts are formed on the photovoltaic stack to provide a photovoltaic cell. Annealing is performed on the photovoltaic cell at a temperature and duration configured to improve overall performance.
Claims24
A method for forming a photovoltaic device, comprising:
- depositing one or more layers of a photovoltaic stack on a substrate by employing a high deposition rate plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (HDR PECVD) process;
- forming contacts on the photovoltaic stack to provide a photovoltaic cell;
- and
- annealing the photovoltaic cell at a temperature and duration configured to improve overall performance by increasing the crystallinity of the photovoltaic stack in the regions of the photovoltaic stack nearest to the contacts.
A method for forming a photovoltaic device, comprising:
- depositing a p-type layer on a transparent electrode of a transparent substrate;
- depositing an intrinsic layer on the p-type layer;
- depositing an n-type layer on intrinsic layer, wherein at least the p-type layer, the intrinsic layer and the n-type layer are deposited by employing a high deposition rate plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (HDR PECVD) process to form a photovoltaic stack on the substrate;
- forming a contacts on the n-type layer photovoltaic stack to provide a photovoltaic cell;
- and
- annealing the photovoltaic cell at a temperature of between about 155 and 250 degrees Celsius to improve overall performance by increasing the crystallinity of the photovoltaic stack in the regions of the photovoltaic stack nearest to the transparent electrode and the contact on the n-type layer.
A method for forming a photovoltaic device, comprising:
- depositing a buffer layer on a transparent electrode of a transparent substrate;
- depositing a p-type layer on the buffer layer;
- depositing an intrinsic layer on the p-type layer;
- depositing an n-type layer on the intrinsic layer, wherein at least the p-type layer, the buffer layer, the intrinsic layer and the n-type layer are deposited by employing a high deposition rate plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (HDR PECVD) process to form a photovoltaic stack on the substrate, the HDR PECVD process including a deposition rate of 3 angstroms per second or greater at a vacuum pressure of between about 1 mTorr and about 90 mTorr;
- forming a contact on the n-type layer photovoltaic stack to provide a photovoltaic cell;
- and
- annealing the photovoltaic cell at a temperature of between about 155 and 250 degrees Celsius for a duration of between about 5 minutes and about 10 minutes to improve overall performance by increasing the crystallinity of the photovoltaic stack in the regions of the photovoltaic stack nearest to the transparent electrode and the contact on the n-type layer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.