Title: Light scattering structures for thin-film solar cells and methods of making the same

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a method that includes contacting a surface of a first layer that includes a Group III element and a Group V element with a gas that includes HCl, where the first layer is positioned in thermal contact with a wafer positioned in a chamber of a reactor, and the contacting results in a roughening of the surface.

Inventors:

Ptak, Aaron Joseph; Schulte, Kevin Louis; Simon, John David

Issue Date:

2021-11-16

Research Org.:

National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:

USDOE

OSTI Identifier:

1860078

Patent Number(s):

11177402

Application Number:

16/565,827

Assignee:

Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC (Golden, CO)

Patent Classifications (CPCs):

H - ELECTRICITY H01 - BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS H01L - SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES

Y - NEW / CROSS SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES Y02 - TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE Y02E - REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION

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H - ELECTRICITY H01 - BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS H01L - SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES

H01L31/02363 - {of the semiconductor body itself, e.g. textured active layers}
H01L31/02366 - {of the substrate or of a layer on the substrate, e.g. textured ITO/glass substrate or superstrate, textured polymer layer on glass substrate}
H01L31/0445 - including thin film solar cells, e.g. single thin film a-Si, CIS or CdTe solar cells
H01L31/0547 - {comprising light concentrating means of the reflecting type, e.g. parabolic mirrors, concentrators using total internal reflection}
H01L31/056 - the light-reflecting means being of the back surface reflector [BSR] type
H01L31/0735 - comprising only AIIIBV compound semiconductors, e.g. GaAs/AlGaAs or InP/GaInAs solar cells
H01L31/184 - {the active layers comprising only AIIIBV compounds, e.g. GaAs, InP}
H01L31/1844 - {comprising ternary or quaternary compounds, e.g. Ga Al As, In Ga As P}
H01L31/186 - {Particular post-treatment for the devices, e.g. annealing, impurity gettering, short-circuit elimination, recrystallisation}
H01L31/1892 - {methods involving the use of temporary, removable substrates}

Y - NEW / CROSS SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES Y02 - TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE Y02E - REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION

Y02E10/52 - PV systems with concentrators
Y02E10/544 - Solar cells from Group III-V materials

Y - NEW / CROSS SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES Y02 - TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE Y02P - CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS

Y02P70/50 - Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

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DOE Contract Number:  

AC36-08GO28308

Resource Type:

Patent

Resource Relation:

Patent File Date: 09/10/2019

Country of Publication:

United States

Language:

English