An indium tin oxide film containing by weight about 90% In.sub.2O.sub.3 and about 10% SnO.sub.2 is prepared using a low-energy deposition sputter process on a substrate. The indium tin oxide film thus obtained has a carrier concentration on the order of 10.sup.20/cm.sup.3 and a carrier mobility greater than 30 cm.sup.2/Vs. The low carrier concentration results in an increased transmission in the near infra-red region, while the high carrier mobility results in good conductive properties.

A composition of matter, in particular a photovoltaic cell, comprising: at least one core semiconductor nanowire on a graphitic substrate, said at least one core nanowire having been grown epitaxially on said substrate wherein said nanowire comprises at least one group III-V compound or at least one group II-VI compound or at least one group IV element; a semiconductor shell surrounding said core nanowire, said shell comprising at least one group III-V compound or at least one group II-VI compound or at least one group IV element such that said core nanowire and said shell form a n-type semiconductor and a p-type semiconductor respectively or vice versa; and an outer conducting coating surrounding said shell which forms an electrode contact.

The present invention relates to a method for modifying the surface of a substrate made of electrically conductive metal oxide and notably made of ITO, comprising the following steps consisting in: (i) bringing into contact said surface with a solution containing copper ions (Cu.sup.2+) and ammonia then washing and optionally drying the surface thus obtained; and (ii) bringing into contact the surface obtained following step (i) with a solution containing sodium tetraborohydride then washing and optionally drying the surface of said conductive metal oxide substrate. The present invention relates to the use of such a method within the scope of the metallisation by copper of a conductive metal oxide substrate as well as the surfaces of a modified and metallised conductive metal oxide substrate thus obtained.

One embodiment can provide a current-collecting mechanism of a photovoltaic structure. The current-collecting mechanism can include a top metallic grid positioned on a top surface of the photovoltaic structure and a bottom metallic grid positioned on the bottom surface of the photovoltaic structure. The top metallic grid can include a top busbar positioned near an edge of the photovoltaic structure, and the bottom metallic grid can include a bottom busbar positioned near an opposite edge. The top busbar and the bottom busbar can have complementary topology profiles such that, when the edge of the photovoltaic structure overlaps with an opposite edge of an adjacent photovoltaic structure, the top busbar of the photovoltaic structure and the bottom busbar of the adjacent photovoltaic structure interlock with each other.

A solar cell apparatus 100 and a method for forming said solar cell apparatus 100, comprising a substrate 101, a n-type transparent conductive oxide (TCO) layer 102 deposited atop said substrate 101, a p-i-n structure 200 that includes a p-type layer 103, an i-type layer 104, a n-type layer 105, a metal back layer 106 deposited atop said n-type layer 105 of the p-i-n structure 200. The n-type layer 105 comprises n-type donors 115 including phosphorus atoms. The n-type donors 115 include oxygen atoms at an atomic concentration comprised between 5% and 25% of the overall atomic composition of the n-type layer 105.

Provided is a light receiving device including a transparent electrode and a method of manufacturing the light receiving device. A transparent electrode is formed so as to be in contact with a photoelectric conversion layer which absorbs light to generate electric energy, and the transparent electrode is formed by using a resistance change material which has high transmittance with respect to light in the entire wavelength range and of which resistance state is to be changed from a high resistance state into a low resistance state if a voltage exceeding a threshold voltage inherent in the resistance change material so that conducting filaments are formed in the transparent electrode. Accordingly, since the transparent electrode has high transmittance characteristic with respect to the light in the entire wavelength range and high conductivity characteristic, the light receiving device also has high photoelectric conversion efficiency and good electric characteristics.

The present invention relates to a microcrystalline silicon thin film solar cell and the manufacturing method thereof, using which not only the crystallinity of a microcrystalline silicon thin film that is to be formed by the manufacturing method can be controlled and adjusted at will and the defects in the microcrystalline silicon thin film can be fixed, but also the device characteristic degradation due to chamber contamination happening in the manufacturing process, such as plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), can be eliminated effectively.

A process that anneals a surface of a substrate bearing a coating includes running the substrate under a flash lamp emitting intense pulsed light and irradiating the coating with the pulsed light through a mask located between the flash lamp and the coating. A frequency of the flash lamp and a run speed of the substrate are adjusted so that each point of the coating to be annealed receives at least one light pulse. A distance between a lower face of the mask and the surface of the coating to be annealed is at most equal to 1 mm. A shape and extent of a slit in the mask are such that the mask occults the coating to be annealed in all zones where the light intensity that, in an absence of the mask, would arrive at the coating to be annealed is lower than a threshold light intensity.

In a method of manufacturing a solar cell, a groove is formed on a first surface of an n-type semiconductor substrate. A p-side transparent conductive film layer is formed on the first surface of the n-type semiconductor substrate formed with the groove. A non-deposition area, where the p-side transparent conductive film layer is not formed, is formed in at least a part of a side surface of the groove formed on the first surface of the n-type semiconductor substrate.

According to the embodiment, there is provided a solar cell including: a back electrode layer; a light absorbing layer on the back electrode layer; a buffer layer on the light absorbing layer; and a front electrode layer on the buffer layer, wherein the front electrode layer comprises an intrinsic region and a doping region having a conductive dopant, and a concentration of the conductive dopant is gradually lowered in upward and downward directions from an excess doping region of the doping region.