IP Library Granted Patent US 12,660,368
Granted Patent B2
US 12,660,368 · App. 16/852,737 · Granted Jun 16, 2026

Article with transparent conductive oxide coating

Inventors: James W. McCamy (Export, PA); Cheng-Hung Hung (Wexford, PA); Benjamin Kabagambe (Pittsburgh, PA); Kwaku K. Koram (Wexford, PA); Zhixun Ma (Pittsburgh, PA); Gary J. Nelis (Pittsburgh, PA)
Assignee: Vitro Flat Glass LLC
H10F77/244C03C17/3411C03C17/3417C03C17/36C03C17/3631C03C17/3668C03C17/3678C23C16/40C23C16/407C23C16/45595C23C16/54H10F10/167H10F71/00H10F77/1694H10F77/211H10F77/413H10K30/50H10K30/82H10K77/10C03C2217/94C03C2217/948H10K50/816H10K50/854H10K50/86Y02E10/541Y02E10/549Y02P70/50
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,660,368
App. No.
16/852,737
Granted
Jun 16, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A solar cell includes a first substrate having a first surface and a second surface. An underlayer is located over the second surface. A first conductive layer is located over the underlayer. An overlayer is located over the first conductive layer. A semiconductor layer is located over the conductive oxide layer. A second conductive layer is located over the semiconductor layer. The first conductive layer includes a conductive oxide and at least one dopant selected from the group consisting of tungsten, molybdenum, niobium, and/or fluorine.

Claims (27)

1 . A method of making a coated article for a solar cell comprising:

supplying a glass substrate having a first surface and a second surface;

applying a first coating over the first surface of the glass substrate;

forming a second coating over the second surface of the glass substrate, wherein the second coating is formed by:

applying an underlayer over the second surface of the glass substrate;

forming a first conductive oxide layer over the underlayer by a chemical vapor deposition process by applying a first metal precursor material comprising a metal to form a first film, and applying a second metal precursor material comprising a metal to form a second film, wherein the first film comprises tin oxide and tungsten and wherein the first film is formed using a tin precursor material and a tungsten precursor material selected from tungsten tetrachloride, and a second film formed over the first film, the second film comprising tin oxide and fluorine;

applying an overlayer over the first conductive oxide layer;

applying a semiconductor layer over the overlayer; and

applying a second conductive layer over the semiconductor layer; and

forming a functional layer over the first surface of the substrate, the functional layer comprising a layer having an average surface roughness in the range of 5 nm to 500 nm and a thickness in the range of 10 nm to 500 nm.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the tin precursor material comprises monobutyltin trichloride.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the forming the first conductive oxide layer step further comprises applying a first dopant precursor material comprising a first dopant with the first metal precursor material.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the first dopant comprises tungsten, and wherein the first film comprises less than 2 wt. % tungsten.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the forming the first conductive oxide layer step further comprises applying a second dopant precursor material comprising a second dopant with the second metal precursor material.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the second dopant comprises fluorine.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the second metal precursor material comprises tin tetrachloride.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the applying the first metal precursor material step is performed before the applying the second metal precursor material step.

9 . The method of making the coated article of claim 1 , wherein the second metal precursor material is different from the first metal precursor material and wherein the first region has a lower haze compared to the second region.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first film comprises less than 1 wt. % tungsten.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the second film has a lower sheet resistance compared to the first film.

12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the functional layer comprises a metal oxide selected from silica, alumina, zinc oxide, titania, zirconia, tin oxide, or mixtures thereof.

13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the functional layer has a root mean square roughness in the range of 100 nm to 250 nm.

14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the functional layer further comprises an antireflective layer comprising a metal oxide, oxide of metal alloy, nitrides, oxynitrides, or mixtures thereof.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the antireflective layer has a thickness in the range of 5 nm to 600 nm.

16 . The method of claim 1 , further including a light scattering region in and/or on the second surface of the substrate.

17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the light scattering region comprises nanoparticles.

18 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first metal precursor material comprises an organo-tin material.

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 20, 2020
From: MCCAMY, JAMES W.; MA, ZHIXUN; KABAGAMBE, BENJAMIN; KORAM, KWAKU K.; HUNG, CHENG-HUNG; NELIS, GARY J.
To: PPG INDUSTRIES OHIO, INC.
Reel/Frame 052439/0602 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 20, 2020
From: PPG INDUSTRIES OHIO, INC.
To: VITRO, S.A.B. DE C.V.
Reel/Frame 052439/0709 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 20, 2020
From: VITRO, S.A.B. DE C.V.
To: VITRO FLAT GLASS LLC
Reel/Frame 052439/0867 →
Continuity (3)
Continuation 14963778 · Dec 9, 2015
Provisional Application 62131938 · Mar 12, 2015
Related Publication 20200295204A1 · Sep 17, 2020
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