Manufacture of photovoltaic devices
View Patent ↗A method and apparatus for depositing a film on a substrate includes subjecting material to an energy beam.
1. A method for manufacturing a photovoltaic device comprising:
exposing a starting material to an energy beam; and
forming a copper indium diselenide layer on a surface of a substrate at substantially atmospheric pressure, wherein the substrate includes glass.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the energy beam has a power of between 50 and 500 watts.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising depositing a transparent conducting layer onto the substrate.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the transparent conducting layer includes a zinc oxide.
5. The method of claim 3 , further comprising depositing a cadmium sulfide layer onto the transparent conducting layer.
6. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
depositing at least one additional semiconductor layer onto the surface of the substrate before forming the layer of copper indium diselenide.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the copper indium diselenide includes copper indium gallium diselenide.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the energy beam is a radio frequency beam.
9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the radio frequency beam includes microwave radiation.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the forming step occurs at a pressure between about 0.5 atmospheres and about 1.5 atmospheres.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the forming step occurs at a pressure between about 0.8 atmospheres and about 1.2 atmospheres.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the forming step occurs at a pressure between about 0.9 atmospheres and about 1.1 atmospheres.
13. A system for manufacturing a photovoltaic device, comprising:
a source material; and
an energy beam configured to vaporize the source material at substantially atmospheric pressure and deposit a copper indium diselenide layer on a surface of a substrate at substantially atmospheric pressure, wherein the substrate includes glass.
14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the energy beam has a power of between 50 and 500 watts.
15. The system of claim 13 , wherein the source material includes copper indium gallium diselenide.
16. The system of claim 13 , wherein the substrate includes a transparent conducting layer.
17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the transparent conducting layer is zinc oxide.
18. The system of claim 13 , wherein the energy beam is a radio frequency beam.
19. The system of claim 18 , wherein the radio frequency beam includes microwave radiation.
20. The system of claim 13 , wherein the substantially atmospheric pressure is between about 0.5 atmospheres and about 1.5 atmospheres.