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US 4,539,431 AGranted
Pulse anneal method for solar cell
AssigneeSera Solar Corporation
InventorsGarret R. Moddel, James F. Gibbons
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A solar cell including a pulse annealed layer of crystalline, amorphous or polycrystalline semiconductor material of one conductivity type and either a layer of opposite conductivity type or a liquid electrolyte forming a collector junction therewith. A method of improving the characteristics of a solar cell including at least one layer of crystalline, amorphous or polycrystalline semiconductor material which includes the step of pulse annealing said semiconductor material.
Claims3
The method of making a solar cell which comprises the steps of depositing on a substrate
- a first layer of n-type amorphous silicon, followed by a second layer of amorphous silicon containing carbon atoms, followed by a third layer p-type amorphous silicon, and
- annealing the entire structure by rapidly heating with radiant thermal energy for a short period of time, said carbon atoms minimizing crystallization of said second layer and maintaining high light absorption.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.