IP Library Granted Patent US 11,575,096
Granted Patent B2
US 11,575,096 · App. 17/649,440 · Granted Feb 7, 2023

Visually undistorted thin film electronic devices

Inventors: Scott R. Hammond (Wheat Ridge, CO); Marinus Franciscus Antonius Maria van Hest (Golden, CO); John A. Conklin (Apalachin, NY)
Assignees: SolarWindow Technologies, Inc.; Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC
H01L51/44H01L27/301H01L31/0465H01L51/0001
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,575,096
App. No.
17/649,440
Granted
Feb 7, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

Visually undistorted thin film electronic devices are provided. In one embodiment, a method for producing a thin-film electronic device comprises: opening a scribe in a stack of thin film material layers deposited on a substrate to define an active region and an inactive region of the thin-film electronic device, the stack comprising at least one active semiconductor layer. The active region comprises a non-scribed area of the stack and the inactive region comprises a region of the stack where thin film material was removed by the scribe. The method further comprises depositing at least one scribe fill material into a gap opened by the scribe. The scribe fill material has embedded therein one or more coloring elements that alter an optical characteristics spectrum of the inactive region to obtain an optical characteristics spectrum of the active region within a minimum perceptible difference for an industry defined standard observer.

Claims (32)

1. A thin film semiconductor device, the device comprising:

a stack of thin film material layers deposited onto a substrate, the stack of thin film material layers subdivided into a plurality of semiconductor device cells divided by one or more scribes into an active region and an inactive region, wherein the stack of thin film material layers comprise at least one active semiconductor layer, wherein a first semiconductor device cell of the plurality of semiconductor device cells defines an active region of the thin film semiconductor device, wherein the active region comprises a color characteristic defined by a first optical characteristics spectrum; and

wherein the inactive region is formed on the substrate adjacent to the active region, the inactive region comprising at least one scribe fill material embedded with at least one coloring element, the inactive region having a color characteristic defined by a second optical characteristics spectrum;

wherein the first optical characteristics spectrum and the second optical characteristics spectrum match within a minimum perceptible difference for an industry defined standard observer.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one active semiconductor layer comprises an organic photovoltaic semiconductor absorber layer.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the second optical characteristics spectrum of the inactive region obtains the first optical characteristics spectrum of the active region within a <5% deviation across the visual light spectrum and <2% deviation for at least one wavelength within the visual light spectrum.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the second optical characteristics spectrum of the inactive region obtains the first optical characteristics spectrum of the active region within a ΔE2000<3.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one scribe fill material comprises either an electrically insulating material or an electrically conducing material; and

the at least one coloring element comprises either a pigment material or a dye material.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one coloring element comprises a sample of a same semiconductor material as comprised in the at least one active semiconductor layer.

7. The device of claim 1 , wherein the substrate is opaque in the visual spectrum.

8. The device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one scribe fill material comprises a ceramic.

9. The device of claim 1 , wherein the inactive region comprises one of:

at least a portion of an electrical monolithic interconnect, or

at least a portion of an edge isolation seal.

10. A method for producing a thin film semiconductor device, the method comprising:

depositing a stack of thin film material layers onto a substrate, the stack of thin film material layers subdivided into a plurality of semiconductor device cells divided by one or more scribes into an active region and an inactive region, wherein the stack of thin film material layers comprise at least one active semiconductor layer, wherein a first semiconductor device cell of the plurality of semiconductor device cells defines an active region of the thin film semiconductor device, wherein the active region comprises a color characteristic defined by a first optical characteristics spectrum; and

forming the inactive region on the substrate adjacent to the active region, the inactive region comprising at least one scribe fill material embedded with at least one coloring element, the inactive region having a color characteristic defined by a second optical characteristics spectrum, wherein the first optical characteristics spectrum and the second optical characteristics spectrum match within a minimum perceptible difference for an industry defined standard observer.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

applying a post deposition process after forming the inactive region, wherein the post deposition process causes changes to spectral qualities of the at least one scribe fill material to obtain the minimum perceptible difference.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the at least one active semiconductor layer comprises an organic photovoltaic semiconductor absorber layer.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the second optical characteristics spectrum of the inactive region obtains the first optical characteristics spectrum of the active region within a <5% deviation across the visual light spectrum and <2% deviation for at least one wavelength within the visual light spectrum.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the second optical characteristics spectrum of the inactive region obtains the first optical characteristics spectrum of the active region within a ΔE2000<3.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein the at least one scribe fill material comprises either an electrically insulating material or an electrically conducting material; and

the at least one coloring element comprises either a pigment material or a dye material.

16. The method of claim 10 , wherein the at least one coloring element comprises a sample of a same semiconductor material as comprised in the at least one active semiconductor layer.

17. The method of claim 10 , wherein the substrate is opaque in the visual spectrum.

18. The method of claim 10 , wherein the at least one scribe fill material comprises a ceramic.

19. The method of claim 10 , wherein the inactive region comprises one of:

at least a portion of an electrical monolithic interconnect, or

at least a portion of an edge isolation seal.

20. The method of claim 10 , wherein forming the inactive region includes depositing a scribe fill material ink.

Assignments (4)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Dec 16, 2025
From: ALLIANCE FOR SUSTAINABLE ENERGY, LLC
To: ALLIANCE FOR ENERGY INNOVATION, LLC
Reel/Frame 073993/0276 →
CONFIRMATORY LICENSE Recorded May 17, 2022
From: NATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY LABORATORY
To: UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Reel/Frame 059933/0240 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 15, 2022
From: VAN HEST, MARINUS FRANCISCUS ANTONIUS MARIA
To: ALLIANCE FOR SUSTAINABLE ENERGY, LLC
Reel/Frame 059012/0778 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 15, 2022
From: HAMMOND, SCOTT R.; CONKLIN, JOHN A.
To: SOLARWINDOW TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Reel/Frame 059012/0963 →
Cited By (1)
US 12,581,750