Method of making a thin film cadmium telluride solar cell
AssigneeAtlantic Richfield Company
InventorKim W. Mitchell
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A phosphorous doped layer of cadmium telluride is deposited onto a conductive window layer to form a thin film cadmium telluride solar cell. Back contacts to the solar cell are made by first depositing a layer of p conductivity type lead telluride upon the cadmium telluride and then depositing the metallic back contacts onto the lead telluride.
Claims8
A method for making a photovoltaic cell comprising the steps of:
- (a) depositing a transparent or semi-transparent conductive window layer onto a substrate;
- (b) depositing a layer of cadmium telluride including phosphorus onto said window layer;
- (c) depositing a layer of lead telluride onto said layer of cadmium telluride;
- and
- (d) depositing a metallic electrode onto said lead telluride layer.
A process for forming an ohmic contact to a cadmium telluride layer comprising the steps of:
- (a) depositing a layer of lead telluride upon the layer of cadmium telluride;
- and
- (b) depositing a metal-containing electrode chosen from the group consisting of graphite-silver, nickel, aluminum, gold, solder, and graphite-copper onto said layer of lead telluride.
A process for forming a photovoltaic junction comprising the steps of:
- (a) depositing a tin oxide window layer onto a substrate;
- and
- (b) heating a cadmium telluride source to produce cadmium telluride vapors which are in turn deposited onto said window layer, said heating a cadmium telluride source comprising the steps of:
- (i) initially depositing said cadmium telluride wherein the temperature of said substrate is held below the temperature causing appreciable degradation in the optical transmission characteristics of said tin oxide window layer;
- and
- (ii) increasing the temperature of said substrate above said critical temperature following said initial deposition step.
A process for forming a photovoltaic junction comprising the steps of:
- (a) depositing a metallic oxide window layer onto a substrate;
- and
- (b) heating a cadmium telluride source to produce cadmium telluride vapors which are in turn deposited onto said window layer, said heating a cadmium telluride source comprising the steps of:
- (i) initially depositing said cadmium telluride wherein the temperature of said substrate is held below the temperature causing appreciable degradation in the optical transmission characteristics of said metallic oxide window layer;
- and
- (ii) increasing the temperature of said substrate above said critical temperature following said initial deposition step.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.