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US 4,377,604 AGranted
Copper stabilized dipping solution for a photovoltaic device incorporating a Cu.sub.x S layer
AssigneeChevron Research Company
InventorRonald A. Schneider
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A copper stabilized dipping solution for a photovoltaic device incorporating a Cu.sub.x S layer. The dipping solution contains copper metal which stabilizes the solution by providing a source of copper to continuously reduce CU.sup.++ ions to Cu.sup.+ ions. The copper has no adverse effect on the topochemical formation of a copper sulfide layer on, for example, a semiconductor cadmium sulfide layer in a photovoltaic device. Preferably, the copper stabilized dipping solution has a pH less than about 4.5 and includes counter ions such as chloride or bromide ions.
Claims9
A method of fabricating a solar cell comprising:
- (a) dipping an electrically conductive substrate having a layer of cadmium sulfide deposited thereon into a cuprous ion solution in contact with metallic copper for a sufficient time to form a layer of Cu.sub.x S thereon;
- and
- (b) fabricating an electrical contact to the resulting Cu.sub.x S layer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.