Granted Patent B2

US 12,672,418 · App. 18/433,078 · Granted Jun 30, 2026

Inventors: Tomas Leijtens (Redwood City, CA); Giles Eperon (Arvada, CO); Daniel Martinez (Wheat Ridge, CO)

Assignee: Swift Solar Inc.

H10K30/40H10F71/00H10F10/172

Abstract

Claims (29)

1 . A solar cell comprising:

a substrate;

a first transport layer over the substrate;

an absorber layer over the first transport layer; and

a second transport layer over the absorber layer;

wherein the second transport layer comprises fullerene-containing transport clusters and an alumina gap fill layer that is grown between the fullerene-containing transport clusters and over a portion of the fullerene-containing transport clusters such that the alumina gap fill layer is thicker between the fullerene-containing transport clusters than over the fullerene-containing transport clusters.

2 . The solar cell of claim 1 , wherein the substrate comprises a silicon subcell.

3 . The solar cell of claim 1 , wherein the absorber layer comprises perovskite.

4 . The solar cell of claim 1 , wherein some of the fullerene-containing transport clusters are characterized by a height that is greater than an average layer thickness of the alumina gap fill layer.

5 . The solar cell of claim 1 , wherein the fullerene-containing transport clusters comprise fullerene blended with a metal halide.

6 . The solar cell of claim 1 , wherein a buffer layer is formed over the second transport layer.

7 . The solar cell of claim 6 , wherein the buffer layer comprises a metal oxide.

8 . The solar cell of claim 7 , wherein the fullerene-containing transport clusters provide a charge path between the absorber layer and the buffer layer.

9 . The solar cell of claim 1 , wherein a top portion of the fullerene-containing transport clusters is not completely covered by the gap fill material.

10 . The solar cell of claim 9 , further comprising a buffer layer over the second transport layer, wherein the buffer layer is in direct contact with the top portion of the fullerene-containing transport clusters.

11 . The solar cell of claim 1 , wherein the fullerene-containing transport clusters and the alumina gap fill layer, in combination, provide complete coverage of a top surface of the absorber layer.

12 . A method for processing a solar cell comprising:

forming a first transport layer over a substrate;

forming an absorber layer over the first transport layer; and

forming a second transport layer over the absorber layer, wherein forming the second transport layer includes:

depositing a fullerene-containing transport material on a top surface of the absorber layer, the fullerene-containing transport material forming fullerene-containing transport clusters along the top surface of the absorber layer; and

growing an alumina gap fill layer between the fullerene-containing transport clusters and over a portion of the fullerene-containing transport clusters such that the alumina gap fill layer is thicker between the fullerene-containing transport clusters than over the fullerene-containing transport clusters.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the substrate comprises a silicon subcell.

14 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the absorber layer comprises perovskite.

15 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the fullerene-containing transport material is deposited with a thermal evaporation technique.

16 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the alumina gap fill layer is grown with atomic layer deposition.

17 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the fullerene-containing transport clusters and the alumina gap fill layer, in combination, provide complete coverage of the top surface of the absorber layer.

18 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising forming a buffer layer over the second transport layer, the buffer layer comprising a metal oxide.

19 . The method of claim 18 , where the transport clusters provide a charge path between the absorber layer and the buffer layer.

Assignments (1)

Continuity (1)

References Cited (37)