Method of providing chloride treatment for a photovoltaic device and a chloride treated photovoltaic device
View Patent ↗A method of manufacturing a photovoltaic device including depositing a cadmium telluride layer onto a substrate; treating the cadmium telluride layer with a compound comprising chlorine and an element from Groups 1-11, zinc, mercury, or copernicium or a combination thereof; and annealing the cadmium telluride layer. A chloride-treated photovoltaic device.
1. A method of manufacturing a photovoltaic device, the method comprising:
depositing a cadmium telluride layer over a substrate;
treating the cadmium telluride layer with a chloride compound comprising chlorine and one or more elements selected from the group consisting of an element from Groups 1-11, zinc, mercury and copernicium, wherein the cadmium telluride layer is treated during at least a portion of cadmium telluride deposition;
annealing the cadmium telluride layer; and
following cadmium telluride deposition, depositing a semiconductor reflector layer over the cadmium telluride layer.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the chloride compound reduces erosion of the semiconductor reflector layer compared to a cadmium chloride treatment of the cadmium telluride layer.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the semiconductor reflector layer comprises zinc telluride.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cadmium telluride layer is annealed after the cadmium telluride layer is treated.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cadmium telluride layer is annealed during at least a portion of the treatment step.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the chloride compound comprises manganese chloride.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the chloride compound comprises magnesium chloride.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cadmium telluride layer is annealed at a temperature from about 350° C. to about 750° C.
9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the cadmium telluride layer annealed at a temperature from about 400° C. to about 460° C.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the cadmium telluride layer is annealed at a temperature from about 415° C. to about 455° C.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the cadmium telluride layer is annealed at a temperature from about 435° C. to about 445° C.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the chloride compound comprises from about a 0.14 molar to about a 2.18 molar aqueous solution.
13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the chloride compound comprises from about a 0.5 molar to about a 1.2 molar aqueous solution.
14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cadmium telluride layer is annealed for about 7 minutes to about 12 minutes.