Patent · US Active

Method of manufacturing light absorbing layer for solar cell using selenization process under element selenium vapor ambience and thermal treatment apparatus for manufacturing light absorbing layer

US8993371B2 · kind B2 · utility

0Cited by
3References
8Claims
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Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateAug 4, 2011
Grant dateMar 31, 2015
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 4, 2031

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY02P70/50
  • WIPO fieldSemiconductors
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

The method of manufacturing a light absorbing layer for a solar cell by performing thermal treatment on a specimen configured to include thin films of one or more of copper, indium, and gallium on a substrate and element selenium, includes steps of: (a) heating a wall of a chamber up to a predefined thin film formation temperature in order to maintain a selenium vapor pressure; (b) mounting the specimen and the element selenium on the susceptor at the room temperature and loading the susceptor in the chamber; and (c) heating the specimen in the lower portion of the susceptor and, at the same time, heating the element selenium in the upper portion of the susceptor, wherein, in the step (c), in order for liquefied selenium not to be condensed on the specimen which is loaded at the room temperature and is not yet heated, the temperature of the element selenium and the specimen loaded in the chamber are individually controlled, so that the selenium vapor pressure of an inner space of the chamber does not exceed a saturation vapor pressure corresponding to the temperature of the specimen.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.