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Solar Thin Film Photovoltaics


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Search All Applications in Solar Thin Film Photovoltaics


Application US20190157482


Published 2019-05-23

Method For Thin-film Via Segments In Photovoltaic Device

A method for vias and monolithic interconnects in thin-film optoelectronic devices in which at least one line segment via hole is formed by laser drilling and passes through front-contact layers and semiconductive active layer, and in which laser drilling causes forming a CIGS-type wall of electrically conductive permanently metalized copper-rich CIGS-type alloy at the inner surface of the via hole, forming a conductive path between at least a portion of front-contact and a portion of back-contact layers, forming a bump-shaped raised portion at the surface of the front-contact layer, forming a raised portion of the back-contact layer, and optionally forming a raised portion of copper-rich CIGS-type alloy covering a portion of the front-contact layer. A thin-film CIGS device includes at least one line segment via hole obtainable by the method.



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4 Independent Claims

  • 1-20. (canceled)

  • 21. A photovoltaic cell comprising: a front-contact layer; a back-contact layer; an absorber layer disposed between the front-contact layer and the back-contact layer, wherein the absorber layer comprises Cu(In,Ga)Se2; and a copper-containing structure forming an electrically conductive path between the front-contact layer and the back-contact layer, wherein the back-contact layer comprises a gutter-shaped structure extending around a first portion of the copper-containing structure.

  • 28. A photovoltaic device comprising a plurality of photovoltaic cells, each photovoltaic cell comprising: a front-contact layer; a back-contact layer; an absorber layer disposed between the front-contact layer and the back-contact layer, wherein the absorber layer comprises Cu(In,Ga)Se2; and a copper-containing structure forming an electrically conductive path between the front-contact layer and the back-contact layer, wherein the back-contact layer comprises a gutter-shaped structure extending around a first portion of the copper-containing structure.

  • 36. A photovoltaic device comprising a plurality of photovoltaic cells including a first photovoltaic cell and a second photovoltaic cell, each photovoltaic cell comprising: a front-contact layer; a back-contact layer; an absorber layer disposed between the front-contact layer and the back-contact layer, wherein the absorber layer comprises Cu(In,Ga)Se2; and a copper-containing structure forming an electrically conductive path between the front-contact layer and the back-contact layer, wherein the back-contact layer comprises a gutter-shaped structure extending around a first portion of the copper-containing structure, and wherein the front-contact layer of the first photovoltaic cell is electrically connected to the back-contact layer of the second photovoltaic cell through a path that includes the copper-containing structure of the first photovoltaic cell and the copper-containing structure of the second photovoltaic cell, and the gutter-shaped structure of the first photovoltaic cell has a different shape than the gutter-shaped structure of the second photovoltaic cell.