COPPER-INDIUM BASED THIN FILM PHOTOVOLTAIC DEVICES AND METHODS OF MAKING THE SAME

摘要

A method of fabricating a copper-indium based thin film photovoltaic device comprises the steps of: (a) using electrodeposition, depositing a front window layer of a semiconductor material on a suitably configured electrically conductive substrate; (b) doping the window layer to obtain optimum electrical conductivity in the window layer; and following steps (a) and (b), (c) successively electrochemically depositing a plurality of adjacent copper-indium based semiconductor absorber layers on the window layer wherein each absorber layer has a different band gap energy value to an adjacent absorber layer. Thus a copper-indium based thin film photovoltaic device made according to this method comprises; an electrically conductive front substrate upon which is comprised an electrodeposited window layer of a doped semiconductor material; and having been successively deposited on top of said deposited window layer, a plurality of electrochemically deposited adjacent copper-indium based semiconductor absorber layers, wherein each absorber layer has a different band gap energy value to an adjacent absorber layer.