Self-organizing nanostructured solar cells
AssigneeThe Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University
InventorsStacey F. Bent, Bruce M. Clemens
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Abstract
A method of forming a self-organized nanostructured solar cell is provided. The method includes depositing a semiconductor film on a substrate, where the semiconductor film includes a mixture of at least two constituents, then activating the semiconductor film during or after the deposition. Here, the activated semiconductor film self-assembles into an organized nanostructure geometry on the substrate, where the organized nanostructure includes a first structure of the at least one constituent having a first polarity and a second structure of the at least one constituent having a second polarity opposite to the first polarity. Further, the invention includes depositing a contact on a top surface of the organized nanostructure geometry.
Claims10
A method of forming a self-organized nanostructured solar cell comprising:
- a. depositing a semiconductor film on a substrate, wherein said semiconductor film comprises a mixture of at least two constituents;
- b. controlling a deposition flux of said semiconductor mixture, wherein said deposition flux comprises an average composition corresponding to a two-phase region within said semiconductor mixture, wherein said deposition flux drives a growth-controlled phase segregation of said semiconductor mixture;
- c. activating said semiconductor film during or after said deposition using thermal or chemical activation, wherein said activated semiconductor film self-assembles according to an inherent anisotropy of said growth-controlled phase segregation into an organized nanostructure geometry comprising an interdigitated and vertically-connected region of said two phase region on said substrate, wherein said interdigitated and vertically-connected region comprises a first structure of said at least one constituent having a first polarity and a second structure of said at least one constituent having a second polarity opposite to said first polarity, wherein said first polarity and said second polarity form a p-n junction of a nanostructured solar cell;
- and
- d. depositing a contact on a top surface of said organized nanostructure geometry.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.