Solar cell device and method of producing the same
AssigneeCitizen Watch Co., Ltd.
InventorShinzo Yanagimachi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A solar cell device (2) is formed into a laminated structure by providing a transparent oxide electrode (12) on the surface of an insulating substrate (10) which is a transparent glass substrate, providing a surface treatment layer (14) by performing oxidative plasma treatment on the surface of the transparent oxide electrode (12), providing a silicon nitride film (16) on the surface treatment layer (14), and laminating a p-type semiconductor layer (18), a buffer layer (20), an intrinsic semiconductor layer (22), an n-type semiconductor layer (24), and a metal electrode (26) on the silicon nitride film (16) in that order. Thereby, the surface of the transparent oxide electrode (12) is chemically stabilized by the surface treatment layer (14), resulting in improved open circuit voltage.
Claims3
A solar cell device in which a transparent oxide electrode is provided on an insulating substrate, a p-type semiconductor layer, an intrinsic semiconductor layer, and an n-type semiconductor layer are provided over the transparent oxide electrode in that order, and a metal electrode is provided on the n-type semiconductor layer,
- wherein said transparent oxide electrode is provided by being patterned by dry etching and side faces thereof which are not provided with said p-type semiconductor layer are formed in a tapered shape gradually inclined outward from the top end thereof toward said insulating substrate,
- wherein said transparent oxide electrode is provided with a surface treatment layer formed by performing oxidative plasma treatment on the entire surface thereof including the side faces which are not provided with said p-type semiconductor layer and said surface treatment layer is between said transparent oxide electrode and said p-type semiconductor layer,
- wherein a silicon nitride film is provided between the surface treatment layer and said p-type semiconductor layer, and
- wherein the side faces of said transparent oxide electrode which are not provided with a p-type semiconductor layer are formed to be capable of being connected with an interconnection code via the surface treatment layer.
A fabricating method of a solar cell device in which the solar cell device is fabricated by providing a transparent oxide electrode on an insulating substrate, providing a p-type semiconductor layer, an intrinsic semiconductor layer, and an n-type semiconductor layer on the transparent oxide electrode in that order, and providing a metal electrode on the n-type semiconductor layer, said fabricating method comprising the steps of:
- forming the transparent oxide electrode by patterning by dry etching so that side faces thereof which are not provided with the p-type semiconductor layer are formed in a tapered shape gradually inclined outward from the top end thereof toward the insulating substrate;
- forming a surface treatment layer by performing oxidative plasma treatment using raw material gas composed of oxygen and argon in which the oxygen is included more than the argon on the entire surface of the transparent oxide electrode including the side faces which are not provided with the p-type semiconductor layer;
- forming a silicon nitride film on the surface treatment layer;
- forming the p-type semiconductor layer, an intrinsic semiconductor layer, and an n-type semiconductor layer on the silicon nitride film in that order;
- and
- forming a metal electrode on the n-type semiconductor layer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.