US 9,478,695 B2Granted

Interface between a I/III/VI2 layer and a back contact layer in a photovoltaic cell

AssigneeNexcis

InventorsStephanie Angle, Ludovic Parissi

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Abstract

The invention relates to a method of manufacturing a I-III-VI2 layer with photovoltaic properties, comprising: deposition of a metal on a substrate to form a contact layer, deposition of a precursor of the photovoltaic layer, on the contact layer, and heat treatment of the precursor with an addition of element VI to form the I-III-VI2 layer. The element VI usually diffuses into the contact layer (MO) during the heat treatment and combines with the metal to form a superficial layer (SUP) on the contact layer. In the method of the invention, the metal deposition comprises a step during which an additional element is added to the metal to form a compound (MO-EA), in the contact layer, acting as a barrier to the diffusion of the element VI, which allows precisely controlling the properties of the superficial layer, particularly its thickness.

Claims9

Dependent claims

Method for fabricating a I-III-VI2 layer having photovoltaic properties, comprising:

deposition of molybdenum on a substrate to form a contact layer comprising a first sublayer and a second sublayer, said deposition comprising a first step during which the molybdenum is deposited to form said first sublayer and a second step during which the molybdenum and an additional element which is absent from the first sublayer are deposited to form said second sublayer and to form a compound, in the contact layer, acting as a barrier to the diffusion of an element VI,
deposition of a precursor of the I-III-VI2 layer on the contact layer, and
heat treatment of the precursor with an addition of the element VI to form the I-III-VI2 layer from said precursor,
wherein, said heat treatment comprises forming a superficial layer between the second sublayer of the contact layer and the I-III-VI2 layer, said superficial layer comprising a compound combining the molybdenum of said contact layer and the element VI added during said heat treatment.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 14/358,185Filed 22 Nov 2012
Priority: FR 11 611725 Dec 2011
Published: US 2014/0315346 A123 Oct 2014
Granted: 25 Oct 2016
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification17 codes

H10F 71/128
Manufacture or treatment of devices covered by this subclass: annealing
H10F 10/167
Photovoltaic cells having only PN heterojunction potential barriers: comprising Group I-III-VI materials, e.g. CdS/CuInSe2 [CIS] heterojunction…
H10F 77/123
Active materials: comprising only Group II-VI materials, e.g. CdS, ZnS or HgCdTe
H10F 77/126
Active materials: comprising only Group I-III-VI chalcopyrite materials, e.g. CuInSe2, CuGaSe2 or CuInGaSe2 [CIGS]