Photovoltaic devices and semiconductor layers with group V dopants and methods for forming the same

US11502212B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• First Solar, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Hongbo Cao · Cohoes, US
• Sachit Grover · Campbell, US
• William Hullinger Huber · Scotia, US
• Xiaoping Li · Lo Wu, CN
• Dingyuan Lu · San Jose, US
• Roger Malik · Summit, US
• Hongying Peng · Niskayuna, US
• Joseph John Shiang · Niskayuna, US
• Qianqian Xin · Shanghai, CN
• Gang Xiong · Beaverton, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Dec 7, 2017
• Grant date: Nov 15, 2022
• Expiry date: Dec 7, 2037

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y02E10/543

Abstract

A photovoltaic device (100) can include an absorber layer (160). The absorber layer (160) can be doped p-type with a Group V dopant and can have a carrier concentration of the Group V dopant greater than 4×1015 cm−3. The absorber layer (160) can include oxygen in a central region of the absorber layer (160). The absorber layer (160) can include an alkali metal in the central region of the absorber layer (160). Methods for carrier activation can include exposing an absorber layer (160) to an annealing compound in a reducing environment (220). The annealing compound (224) can include cadmium chloride and an alkali metal chloride.