# US 8,772,080 B2 · Photovoltaic cell and methods for producing a photovoltaic cell

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- Number: US 8,772,080 B2
- Document ID: US8772080B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/156,533
- Filed: 2011-06-09
- Published: 2012-02-09
- Granted: 2014-07-08
- Earliest claimed: 2010-06-15
- Assignees: Tel Solar AG; Fyzikalni Ustave AV CR, V.V.I.
- Applicants: Milan Vanecek; Neda Neykova; Karel Hruska; Ales Poruba; Zdenek Remes; Jakub Holovsky; Adam Purkrt; Oleg Babchenko; Johannes Meier; Ulrich Kroll
- Inventors: Milan Vanecek; Neda Neykova; Karel Hruska; Ales Poruba; Zdenek Remes; Jakub Holovsky; Adam Purkrt; Oleg Babchenko; Johannes Meier; Ulrich Kroll
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8772080B2

## CPC

- H10F 77/1692: {the films including only Group IV materials}
- H10F 10/17: Photovoltaic cells having only PIN junction potential barriers
- H10F 71/138: {Manufacture of transparent electrodes, e.g. transparent conductive oxides [TCO] or indium tin oxide [ITO] electrodes}
- H10F 77/1437: {Quantum wires or nanorods}
- H10F 77/148: {Shapes of potential barriers}
- H10F 77/251: {comprising zinc oxide [ZnO]}
- Y02E 10/548: Amorphous silicon PV cells
- H10F: INORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES SENSITIVE TO INFRARED RADIATION, LIGHT, ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION OF SHORTER WAVELENGTH OR CORPUSCULAR RADIATION
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION

## Abstract

A photovoltaic device is provided that includes a substrate, a first transparent conductive layer positioned on the substrate, a plurality of transparent conductive rods positioned on the first transparent conductive layer and having a growth direction, the growth direction extending in a direction away from the substrate, a photovoltaically active layer covering the plurality of transparent conductive rods rods and a conductive layer positioned on the photovoltaically active layer.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method comprising:
providing a substrate comprising a first transparent conductive layer,
depositing a seed layer onto the first transparent conductive layer using a mask to produce a structured seed layer,
building up a plurality of transparent conductive rods on the structured seed layer,
depositing a photovoltaically active layer onto the transparent conductive rods,
depositing a conductive layer onto the photovoltaically active layer.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein
a closed seed layer is deposited and portions of the closed seed layer are removed.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein
the seed layer is deposited by depositing a solution comprising zinc acetate dehydrate and ethanol onto the substrate and heat treating.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein
the transparent conductive rods are built up using a hydrothermal synthesis technique.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein
the transparent conductive rods are built up by immersing the substrate in a solution comprising zinc nitrate hexahydrate and hexamethylenetetramine at a temperature T for a time t.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method according to claim 5, wherein
the temperature T lies in the range 60 to 120° C.

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

The method according to claim 5, wherein
the time t lies in the range of 20 minutes to 100 minutes for a temperature T of 95° C.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein
the photovoltaically active layer is a silicon layer comprising a charge separating junction.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The method according to claim 8, wherein
the silicon layer is deposited by chemical vapour deposition.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The method according to claim 8, wherein
the silicon layer is deposited by plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein
the conductive layer is transparent.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The method according to claim 10, wherein
the conductive layer is deposited by chemical vapour deposition.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein
the first transparent conductive layer is deposited by low pressure chemical vapour deposition.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein
the photovoltaically active layer is deposited conformally onto the transparent conductive rods.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein
the conductive layer is deposited conformally onto the photovoltaically active layer.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the structured seed layer comprises a plurality of discrete seed regions, the seed regions having a diameter in a range of about 100 nm to about 150 nm, and
wherein the building up of the transparent conductive rods occurs on the seed regions.