Optical control of multi-stage thin film solar cell production

Title: Optical control of multi-stage thin film solar cell production

Embodiments include methods of depositing and controlling the deposition of a film in multiple stages. The disclosed deposition and deposition control methods include the optical monitoring of a deposition matrix to determine a time when at least one transition point occurs. In certain embodiments, the transition point or transition points are a stoichiometry point. Methods may also include controlling the length of time in which material is deposited during a deposition stage or controlling the amount of the first, second or subsequent materials deposited during any deposition stage in response to a determination of the time when a selected transition point occurs.

Inventors:: Li, Jian; Levi, Dean H.; Contreras, Miguel A.; Scharf, John

Issue Date:: 2016-05-17

OSTI Identifier:: 1253341

Assignee:: ALLIANCE FOR SUSTAINABLE ENERGY, LLC (Golden, CO) NREL

Patent Number(s):: 9,343,378

Application Number:: 14/204,795

Contract Number:: AC36-08GO28308

Resource Relation:: Patent File Date: 2014 Mar 11

Research Org:: National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

Sponsoring Org:: USDOE

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Subject:: 14 SOLAR ENERGY; 36 MATERIALS SCIENCE

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Works referenced in this record:

Method of fabricating high-efficiency Cu(In,Ga)(SeS)₂ thin films for solar cells
patent, August 1995

Noufi, Rommel; Gabor, Andrew; Tuttle, John
US Patent Document 5,441,897
URL: http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect2=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=/netahtml/PTO/search-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&d=PALL&RefSrch=yes&Query=PN/5441897

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