High efficiency low cost thin film silicon solar cell design and method for making
Abstract
A semiconductor device having a substrate, a conductive intermediate layer deposited onto said substrate, wherein the intermediate layer serves as a back electrode, an optical reflector, and an interface for impurity gettering, and a semiconductor layer deposited onto said intermediate layer, wherein the semiconductor layer has a grain size at least as large as the layer thickness, and preferably about ten times the layer thickness. The device is formed by depositing a metal layer on a substrate, depositing a semiconductive material on the metal-coated substrate to produce a composite structure, and then optically processing the composite structure by illuminating it with infrared electromagnetic radiation according to a unique time-energy profile that first produces pits in the backside surface of the semiconductor material, then produces a thin, highly reflective, low resistivity alloy layer over the entire area of the interface between the semiconductor material and the metal layer, and finally produces a grain-enhanced semiconductor layer. The time-energy profile includes increasing the energy to a first energy level to initiate pit formation and create the desired pit size and density, then ramping up to a second energy level in which the entire device is heated to produce an interfacial melt, and finallymore »
- Inventors:
-
- Denver, CO
- Issue Date:
- Research Org.:
- Midwest Research Institute, Kansas City, MO (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE
- OSTI Identifier:
- 872261
- Patent Number(s):
- 5897331
- Assignee:
- Midwest Research Institute (Kansas City, MO)
- 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
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC02-83CH10093
- Resource Type:
- Patent
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- efficiency; cost; film; silicon; solar; cell; design; method; semiconductor; device; substrate; conductive; intermediate; layer; deposited; serves; electrode; optical; reflector; interface; impurity; gettering; grain; size; thickness; preferably; times; formed; depositing; metal; semiconductive; material; metal-coated; produce; composite; structure; optically; processing; illuminating; infrared; electromagnetic; radiation; according; unique; time-energy; profile; produces; pits; backside; surface; highly; reflective; resistivity; alloy; entire; finally; grain-enhanced; increasing; energy; level; initiate; pit; formation; create; desired; density; ramping; heated; interfacial; melt; reducing; third; holding; period; time; allow; enhancement; semiconductive material; time-energy profile; impurity gettering; layer serves; highly reflective; energy level; composite structure; metal layer; electromagnetic radiation; conductive material; solar cell; semiconductor material; semiconductor layer; silicon solar; grain size; semiconductor device; intermediate layer; layer deposited; alloy layer; coated substrate; cell design; layer thickness; resistivity alloy; backside surface; produces pits; pit size; optically processing; film silicon; entire device; desired pit; unique time; conductive intermediate; /438/136/
Citation Formats
Sopori, Bhushan L. High efficiency low cost thin film silicon solar cell design and method for making. United States: N. p., 1999.
Web.
Sopori, Bhushan L. High efficiency low cost thin film silicon solar cell design and method for making. United States.
Sopori, Bhushan L. Fri .
"High efficiency low cost thin film silicon solar cell design and method for making". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/872261.
@article{osti_872261,
title = {High efficiency low cost thin film silicon solar cell design and method for making},
author = {Sopori, Bhushan L},
abstractNote = {A semiconductor device having a substrate, a conductive intermediate layer deposited onto said substrate, wherein the intermediate layer serves as a back electrode, an optical reflector, and an interface for impurity gettering, and a semiconductor layer deposited onto said intermediate layer, wherein the semiconductor layer has a grain size at least as large as the layer thickness, and preferably about ten times the layer thickness. The device is formed by depositing a metal layer on a substrate, depositing a semiconductive material on the metal-coated substrate to produce a composite structure, and then optically processing the composite structure by illuminating it with infrared electromagnetic radiation according to a unique time-energy profile that first produces pits in the backside surface of the semiconductor material, then produces a thin, highly reflective, low resistivity alloy layer over the entire area of the interface between the semiconductor material and the metal layer, and finally produces a grain-enhanced semiconductor layer. The time-energy profile includes increasing the energy to a first energy level to initiate pit formation and create the desired pit size and density, then ramping up to a second energy level in which the entire device is heated to produce an interfacial melt, and finally reducing the energy to a third energy level and holding for a period of time to allow enhancement in the grain size of the semiconductor layer.},
doi = {},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {1999},
month = {1}
}