Thin film solar cell

US6124545A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Angewandte Solarenergie-Ase GmbH · DE

Inventors

• Stefan Bauer · Alzey, DE
• Wolfgang Herbst · Konstanz, DE
• Bernd Schroeder · Eßlingen, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Apr 30, 1998
• Grant date: Sep 26, 2000
• Expiry date: Apr 30, 2018

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y02P70/50

Abstract

In a thin-film solar cell having at least a p-type layer, an intrinsic layer of amorphous silicon and an n-type layer (p-i-n structure), the intrinsic layer has on the interface with the p-type layer an intrinsic interlayer with lower hydrogen content and greater density than the remaining intrinsic layer. The intrinsic layer is deposited on the p-type layer thermocatalytically by the hot wire method, the temperature of the filament being adjusted for controlling the layer properties, and the temperature of the substrate being less than 300.degree. C. The hot wire method can be conducted with an evacuable chamber in which a tantalum wire subjected to at least one weight is mounted in a meander shape at a distance from the substrate holder.