WO1981001914A1 - Cellules solaires amorphes et procede - Google Patents

Cellules solaires amorphes et procede Download PDF

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Publication number
WO1981001914A1
WO1981001914A1 PCT/US1980/001689 US8001689W WO8101914A1 WO 1981001914 A1 WO1981001914 A1 WO 1981001914A1 US 8001689 W US8001689 W US 8001689W WO 8101914 A1 WO8101914 A1 WO 8101914A1
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WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
layer
amorphous
type
solar cell
layers
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US1980/001689
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English (en)
Inventor
J Gibbons
Original Assignee
J Gibbons
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by J Gibbons filed Critical J Gibbons
Publication of WO1981001914A1 publication Critical patent/WO1981001914A1/fr

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L31/00—Semiconductor devices sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation and specially adapted either for the conversion of the energy of such radiation into electrical energy or for the control of electrical energy by such radiation; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof
    • H01L31/0248—Semiconductor devices sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation and specially adapted either for the conversion of the energy of such radiation into electrical energy or for the control of electrical energy by such radiation; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof characterised by their semiconductor bodies
    • H01L31/036—Semiconductor devices sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation and specially adapted either for the conversion of the energy of such radiation into electrical energy or for the control of electrical energy by such radiation; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof characterised by their semiconductor bodies characterised by their crystalline structure or particular orientation of the crystalline planes
    • H01L31/0368—Semiconductor devices sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation and specially adapted either for the conversion of the energy of such radiation into electrical energy or for the control of electrical energy by such radiation; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof characterised by their semiconductor bodies characterised by their crystalline structure or particular orientation of the crystalline planes including polycrystalline semiconductors
    • H01L31/03682—Semiconductor devices sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation and specially adapted either for the conversion of the energy of such radiation into electrical energy or for the control of electrical energy by such radiation; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof characterised by their semiconductor bodies characterised by their crystalline structure or particular orientation of the crystalline planes including polycrystalline semiconductors including only elements of Group IV of the Periodic Table
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L31/00—Semiconductor devices sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation and specially adapted either for the conversion of the energy of such radiation into electrical energy or for the control of electrical energy by such radiation; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof
    • H01L31/04—Semiconductor devices sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation and specially adapted either for the conversion of the energy of such radiation into electrical energy or for the control of electrical energy by such radiation; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof adapted as photovoltaic [PV] conversion devices
    • H01L31/06—Semiconductor devices sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation and specially adapted either for the conversion of the energy of such radiation into electrical energy or for the control of electrical energy by such radiation; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof adapted as photovoltaic [PV] conversion devices characterised by potential barriers
    • H01L31/075—Semiconductor devices sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation and specially adapted either for the conversion of the energy of such radiation into electrical energy or for the control of electrical energy by such radiation; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof adapted as photovoltaic [PV] conversion devices characterised by potential barriers the potential barriers being only of the PIN type, e.g. amorphous silicon PIN solar cells
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • 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
    • Y02E10/00—Energy generation through renewable energy sources
    • Y02E10/50—Photovoltaic [PV] energy
    • Y02E10/546—Polycrystalline silicon PV cells
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • 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
    • Y02E10/00—Energy generation through renewable energy sources
    • Y02E10/50—Photovoltaic [PV] energy
    • Y02E10/548—Amorphous silicon PV cells

Definitions

  • This invention relates generally to solar cells made of semi ⁇ conductor material and more particularly to such cells in ⁇ cluding amorphous semiconductor material.
  • Amorphous (non-crystal) silicon is a material of great poten ⁇ tial interest for solar cell applications. This interest arises from the fact that amorphous silicon is a highly efficient absorber of light and is at the same time extremely easy and cheap to prepare.
  • the optical absorption charac- teristics are such that 0.5 ⁇ thic layer of amorphous silicon will absorb as much solar energy as a 250 ⁇ m thick layer of crystalline silicon.
  • the use of amorphous silicon as an optical absorber leads to the use of 500 times less material than that required' for a single crystal cell.
  • Amorphous silicon is also impressively inexpensive. It can be obtained by RF plasma deposition from a silane-based (SiCl.) gaseous source or by either sputtering or evaporation of silicon from either silicon powder or a charge of polycrystalline material.
  • the RF deposition process is of special interest because it is simple to add dopants during the deposition process.
  • p-type, n-type and intrinsic layers can be grown during one deposition run by appropriate control of the gases admitted to the plasma deposition chamber.
  • amorphous silicon cells made by any of the tech ⁇ niques described above are typically of very low efficienc The reason for this is that the carrier lifetime in the amorphous layer is very short and, hence, the collection o electrons and holes from such a layer is difficult.
  • a solar cell which includes n-type and p-type polycrystalline or crystalline layers separated by an amorphous layer of semiconductor material and to a method of making the solar cell.
  • Figure 1 is a perspective view of a solar cell in accordan with the present invention.
  • Figure 2 is a partial sectional view showing the accelerat voltage across the amorphous layer disposed between the cr talline or polycrystalline doped layers.
  • Figures 3A-E show the steps for one method of forming a so cell in accordance with the present invention.
  • Figures 4A-E show the steps for an alternate method of for ing a solar cell in accordance with the present invention.
  • the solar cell comprises a first la 11 spaced from a second layer 12 by a layer 13 of amorphou or ⁇ icrocrystalline material.
  • Layers 11 and 12 may, for example, be crystalline or polycrystalline semiconductor material.
  • One of the layers is p-type and the other n-type.
  • the amorphous layer may be an intrinsic layer.
  • Suitable con ⁇ tacts 14 may be formed on the upper surface.
  • the contacts may be in the form of a comb which with relatively narrow and long teeth 16 and a wide back 17 whereby to provide for maxi ⁇ mum penetration of solar energy into the cell, as shown by the rays 18.
  • the layer 12 includes the second contact where ⁇ by the voltage generated between the p-type and n-type layers by carriers formed by the impinging solar energy can be recovered.
  • the amorphous layer serves as the optically active region in which the carriers are generated.
  • the absorption properties of the amorphous layer are such that it will absorb substan- tially all of the carrier producing solar energy that strikes the cell.
  • the contact potential that normally develops across a p-n or a p-i-n junction is shown between the doped layers 11 and 12.
  • the holes that leave the p-type region to form the space charge layer in the p-type material recombine with the electrons in the amorphous layer, namely the electrons coming from the n-type region.
  • the amorphous layer is sandwiched between p-type and n-type semiconductive layers that are either single crystal or sufficiently large grain polycrystalline material to permit the development of space charge in the normal manner for a p-i-n junction.
  • Carriers generated in most of the amorphous layers cannot collected into the contact regions without the presence of the electric field.
  • the electric field offers a technique for most of the carriers generated in the amor ⁇ phous region to be collected even when the carrier lifetim is so short that diffusion transport cannot possibly provide an efficient means for transporting carriers to th collecting layers.
  • amorphous layer of one mater germanium and a collecting layer of another material, sil con.
  • dopant can be added to the amorphous la while it is being grown to produce a graded " impurity profi in the amorphous layer. This procedure provides an extend drift field in the amorphous layer according to U. S. Pate No. 4,001,864 which aids the transport of carriers along the amorphous layers in the manner therein described.
  • Figure 3 illustrates the steps in one process for forming solar cell in accordance with the present invention.
  • a graphite or other suitable substrate 21 an amorphous layer 22 is grown on the substrate by plasma deposition, Figure 3A.
  • the amorphous silicon may be doped. with arsenic to form n-type material.
  • a continuous wave laser or electron beam can be scanned over the layer 22 to recrystallize the layer into large polycry ⁇ stalline silicon illustrated schematically by the crystals 23, Figure 3B.
  • the laser beam may be generated by a Spectra Physics Model 171 argon ion laser with power output of 11 watts focused onto a 40 micrometer spot scanned over the amorphous silicon layer at a speed of 10 centimeters per second.
  • the recrystallized n-type layer is used as a base on which an amorphous layer 24 of intrinsic silicon can be grown.
  • the amorphous layer may be 0.50 ⁇ thick.
  • the layer may also be formed by plasma deposition as schematically illustrated in. Figure 3C. Plasma deposition is continued with boron doped silicon to deposit a final 0.25 ⁇ m layer 26, Figure 3D. Thereafter, a continuous wave laser operating at a power level of approxi- mately 5 watts with other conditions as described above melts only the top 0.25 ⁇ m layer of the deposited amorphous film. This recrystallizes the layer 26 that contains the n-type dopant to form crystals 27, Figure 3E.
  • n-type and p-type layers are formed with high quality large grain polycrystalline material with a layer of intrinsic amorphous silicon separating the polycrystalline layers.
  • Ohmic contacts can be made, for example, by forming comb ⁇ like contacts on the upper surface by masking .and evapora ⁇ tion or sputtering and by forming a lower contact layer by evaporation or sputtering.
  • a thin layer 31 of arsenic-doped amorphous sili ⁇ con is deposited on a steel or graphite substrate 32, Figure 4A.
  • the material is then recrystallized by scanning with laser beam as described above to produce large grain n-typ crystallites 33, Figure 4B.
  • the recrysallization may also be carried out with an electron beam or other suitable mea which produce crystals which extend between the two surface
  • a heavily doped p-type layer (p++) 34 is made directl in the n-type material by implanting boron, Figure 4C, and using a CW laser or electron beam to anneal the implantatio damage under conditions that produce substantially no diff sion of the implanted boron.
  • Figure 4D By an appropriate choice of implantation conditions, the (p++ -n) junction c be formed at approximately 0.1 ⁇ m beneath the surface.
  • fluorine or other light ions are implanted at a dose and energy that will produce a buried, amorphous layer 35, Figure 4E.
  • implantation of flourine .at a dose of 5 x lO ⁇ /CM at an energy of 100 keV followed by a second flourine implantation at a -dose of 5 x lO ⁇ /C ⁇ at an energy of 200 keV will succeed in amorphizing the poly ⁇ crystalline silicon.
  • the amorphous layer will start approx mately 0.1 ⁇ m and continue to a depth of approximately 0.4 In this way we obtain p+ and n+ polycrystalline layers sepa rated by an amorphous region as required in the present in ⁇ vention.
  • by implanting flourine we introduce species which tends to attach to silicon to reduce dangling bonds in the implantation-amorphized layer, thus improving the carrier lifetime in the amorphous layer.
  • a solar cell which includes a center region which is highly absorbent to the solar energy to thereby generate carriers which are quickly removed by the voltage between the n-type and p-type layers.
  • the amorphous layers include a gradient whereby to further enhance the collection of the generated carriers.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Condensed Matter Physics & Semiconductors (AREA)
  • Electromagnetism (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
  • Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
  • Power Engineering (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Crystallography & Structural Chemistry (AREA)
  • Photovoltaic Devices (AREA)
  • Recrystallisation Techniques (AREA)

Abstract

Une cellule solaire possede des couches du type n et p cristallines ou polycristallines (11, 12) separees par une couche amorphe (13).
PCT/US1980/001689 1979-12-26 1980-12-19 Cellules solaires amorphes et procede WO1981001914A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US06/107,437 US4270018A (en) 1979-12-26 1979-12-26 Amorphous solar cells
US107437 1998-11-06

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO1981001914A1 true WO1981001914A1 (fr) 1981-07-09

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Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/US1980/001689 WO1981001914A1 (fr) 1979-12-26 1980-12-19 Cellules solaires amorphes et procede

Country Status (4)

Country Link
US (1) US4270018A (fr)
EP (1) EP0042868A4 (fr)
JP (1) JPS56501821A (fr)
WO (1) WO1981001914A1 (fr)

Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0062471A2 (fr) * 1981-03-30 1982-10-13 Hitachi, Ltd. Cellule solaire à couche mince
FR2518318A1 (fr) * 1981-12-14 1983-06-17 Energy Conversion Devices Inc Dispositif photovoltaique a capacite de production de courant plus importante
GB2123606A (en) * 1982-05-24 1984-02-01 Semiconductor Energy Lab Pin type semiconductor photoelectric conversion device
EP0139487A1 (fr) * 1983-09-26 1985-05-02 Exxon Research And Engineering Company Procédé de pulvérisation cathodique d'un dispositif semi-conducteur amorphe de type pin ou nip avec des couches de type p ou n partiellement cristallisées
DE10042733A1 (de) * 2000-08-31 2002-03-28 Inst Physikalische Hochtech Ev Multikristalline laserkristallisierte Silicium-Dünnschicht-Solarzelle auf transparentem Substrat

Families Citing this family (14)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4490573A (en) * 1979-12-26 1984-12-25 Sera Solar Corporation Solar cells
JPS5713777A (en) 1980-06-30 1982-01-23 Shunpei Yamazaki Semiconductor device and manufacture thereof
USRE34658E (en) * 1980-06-30 1994-07-12 Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd. Semiconductor device of non-single crystal-structure
US5859443A (en) * 1980-06-30 1999-01-12 Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd. Semiconductor device
US6900463B1 (en) 1980-06-30 2005-05-31 Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd. Semiconductor device
US5262350A (en) * 1980-06-30 1993-11-16 Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd. Forming a non single crystal semiconductor layer by using an electric current
US4496788A (en) * 1982-12-29 1985-01-29 Osaka Transformer Co., Ltd. Photovoltaic device
US4923524A (en) * 1985-05-06 1990-05-08 Chronar Corp. Wide ranging photovoltaic laminates comprising particulate semiconductors
US4718074A (en) * 1986-03-25 1988-01-05 Sotas, Inc. Dejitterizer method and apparatus
JP2740284B2 (ja) * 1989-08-09 1998-04-15 三洋電機株式会社 光起電力素子
WO1997021251A1 (fr) * 1995-12-06 1997-06-12 Jury Anatolievich Malov Convertisseur d'energie lumineuse en energie electrique sur des porteurs balistiques chauds
CN101960618B (zh) * 2007-11-09 2013-05-01 森普雷姆有限公司 低成本的太阳能电池及其生产方法
US7951640B2 (en) * 2008-11-07 2011-05-31 Sunpreme, Ltd. Low-cost multi-junction solar cells and methods for their production
US8796066B2 (en) * 2008-11-07 2014-08-05 Sunpreme, Inc. Low-cost solar cells and methods for fabricating low cost substrates for solar cells

Citations (1)

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4024558A (en) * 1974-03-27 1977-05-17 Innotech Corporation Photovoltaic heterojunction device employing a glassy amorphous material as an active layer

Family Cites Families (3)

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2030766A (en) * 1978-09-02 1980-04-10 Plessey Co Ltd Laser treatment of semiconductor material
DE3032158A1 (de) * 1979-08-30 1981-04-02 Plessey Overseas Ltd., Ilford, Essex Solarzelle
DE2938260A1 (de) * 1979-09-21 1981-03-26 Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm GmbH, 8000 München Halbleiterbauelement fuer die umsetzung von licht in elektrische energie

Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4024558A (en) * 1974-03-27 1977-05-17 Innotech Corporation Photovoltaic heterojunction device employing a glassy amorphous material as an active layer

Non-Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
Int. Conf. Tetrahedrally Bonded Semiconductors, issued 1974 (Yorktown Heights, N. Y) W. FUHS et al, "Heterojunctions of Amorphous Silicon and Silicon Single Crystals". pages 345-350. *
Thin Solid Films, Volume 56, issued 1979 (Elsevier Sequoia, Lausanne), N. TOHGE et al, "The Electrical and Photovoltaic Properties of Heterojunctions Between an Amorphous GE-TE-SE Film and Crystalline Silicon", pages 377-382. *
Thin Solid Films, Volume 64, issued 1979 (Elsevier Sequoia, Lausanne), B.K. BHAGAVAT et al, "Semiconducting Amorphous Carbon Films and Carbon-Single-Crystal Silicon Heterojunctions", pages 57-62. *

Cited By (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0062471A2 (fr) * 1981-03-30 1982-10-13 Hitachi, Ltd. Cellule solaire à couche mince
EP0062471A3 (en) * 1981-03-30 1984-05-02 Hitachi, Ltd. Thin film solar cell
FR2518318A1 (fr) * 1981-12-14 1983-06-17 Energy Conversion Devices Inc Dispositif photovoltaique a capacite de production de courant plus importante
GB2123606A (en) * 1982-05-24 1984-02-01 Semiconductor Energy Lab Pin type semiconductor photoelectric conversion device
EP0139487A1 (fr) * 1983-09-26 1985-05-02 Exxon Research And Engineering Company Procédé de pulvérisation cathodique d'un dispositif semi-conducteur amorphe de type pin ou nip avec des couches de type p ou n partiellement cristallisées
DE10042733A1 (de) * 2000-08-31 2002-03-28 Inst Physikalische Hochtech Ev Multikristalline laserkristallisierte Silicium-Dünnschicht-Solarzelle auf transparentem Substrat
US7091411B2 (en) 2000-08-31 2006-08-15 Institut Fur Physikalische Hochtechnologie E.V. Multicrystalline laser-crystallized silicon thin layer solar cell deposited on a glass substrate and method of producing

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP0042868A1 (fr) 1982-01-06
US4270018A (en) 1981-05-26
JPS56501821A (fr) 1981-12-10
EP0042868A4 (fr) 1982-02-05

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