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US 8,541,048 B1Granted
Formation of photovoltaic absorber layers on foil substrates
AssigneeNanosolar, Inc.
InventorsCraig Leidholm, Brent Bollman
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An absorber layer of a photovoltaic device may be formed on an aluminum or metallized polymer foil substrate. A nascent absorber layer containing one or more elements of group IB and one or more elements of group IIIA is formed on the substrate. The nascent absorber layer and/or substrate is then rapidly heated from an ambient temperature to an average plateau temperature range of between about 200° C. and about 600° C. and maintained in the average plateau temperature range 1 to 30 minutes after which the temperature is reduced.
Claims18
A method comprising:
- continuous processing of an elongate flexible metal substrate coated with a nascent absorber layer, the continuous processing occurring as the substrate passes through an elongate furnace in a non-oxygen group VIA vapor atmosphere in a non-vacuum process to incorporate the group VIA element into the nascent absorber layer without damaging or destroying the metal substrate and without generating substantial hydrogen selenide, wherein the elongate flexible metal substrate comprises a bulk portion comprised of aluminum and a first, electrically conductive diffusion barrier on a top surface of the aluminum and a second diffusion barrier layer on a bottom surface of the substrate, wherein the first diffusion barrier layer is between the substrate and an electrode layer.
A method comprising:
- continuous processing of an elongate flexible metal substrate coated with a nascent absorber layer in two or more processing stages, the processing occurring as the substrate passes through an elongate furnace,
- wherein at least one of the foregoing stages occurs in a non-oxygen group VIA vapor in a non-vacuum process and a total time spent above ambient temperature in such vapor is sufficient to incorporate the non-oxygen group VIA material into the absorber layer without damaging or destroying the metal substrate while continuously moving the substrate through the furnace, wherein the elongate flexible metal substrate comprises a bulk portion comprised of aluminum and a first electrically conductive diffusion barrier on a top surface of the aluminum and a second diffusion barrier layer on a bottom surface of the substrate, wherein the first diffusion barrier layer is between the substrate and an electrode layer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.