Passivation method

1. A method of passivating an absorber layer of a solar cell module, comprising the steps of:

providing an absorber layer formed over a substrate, the absorber layer having a planar upper surface; and

forming a porous alumina passivation layer on the upper surface of the absorber layer, wherein the porous alumina passivation layer has a passivating region directly over and in contact with the upper surface of the absorber layer operating to passivate the absorber layer and wherein in the passivating region the passivation layer has pore dimensions sufficient to provide a non-planar, textured upper surface;

conformably forming a buffer layer over the passivating region of the passivation layer; and

conformably forming a transparent conducting oxide layer over the buffer layer, thereby providing the buffer layer and transparent conducting oxide layer each with a non-planar, textured upper surface over the passivating region of the passivation layer,

wherein the non-planar, textured upper surfaces of the porous alumina passivation layer, buffer layer and transparent conducting oxide layer provide the solar cell with increased light scattering effect, as compared to planar, non-textured upper surfaces, as light passes through the textured upper surfaces to an area of the upper surface of the absorber layer in contact with and passivated by the passivating region of the porous alumina passivation layer.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the absorber layer is a CIGS layer.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of forming the porous alumina passivation layer comprises directly depositing an alumina film on the absorber layer.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the alumina film is deposited via sputtering.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the sputtering occurs in an oxygen gas environment, the method further comprising the step of controlling the deposition pressure and oxygen gas ratio to control a pore size of alumina passivation layer.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the absorber layer is a CIGS layer.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of forming the porous alumina passivation layer comprises:

depositing an aluminum (Al) film on the absorber layer; and

oxidizing the aluminum film to form the alumina passivation layer.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the oxidizing step comprises disposing the aluminum film in an oxidizing bath for a first period of time at a first bias voltage to oxidize the aluminum film, thereby providing an alumina template layer, and then disposing the alumina template layer in the oxidizing bath for a second period of time at a second bias voltage, the second bias voltage being greater than the first bias voltage and the first bias voltage being greater than 0V.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the second period of time is greater than the first period of time.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein a temperature of the oxidizing bath during the second period of time is less than a temperature of the oxidizing bath during the first period of time.

11. The method of claim 7 , wherein the absorber layer is a CIGS layer.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the absorber layer is a CIGS layer, the method further comprising the step of after forming the alumina layer performing an annealing step to form a Cu(In, Al)Se 2 region at the upper surface of the CIGS layer under the functional passivating region of the passivation layer.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the porous alumina passivation layer forming step comprises:

depositing an aluminum (Al) film on the upper surface of the absorber layer;

disposing the deposited aluminum film in an oxidizing bath at a first bias voltage and first temperature for a first duration of time to form a porous alumina layer; and

after the disposing step, opening pores of the porous alumina layer by disposing the alumina layer in the oxidizing bath and controlling the bias voltage, temperature and duration of time the alumina layer is disposed in the oxidizing bath.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the absorber layer is a crystalline silicon absorber layer.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein the Cu(In, Al)Se 2 region at the upper surface of the absorber has a bandgap between about 1.09-1.57.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the absorber layer is a thin film absorber layer.