A thin-film solar cell is disclosed. The thin-film solar cell comprises a substrate on which a first conductive layer, a first alkaline element layer, a light absorption layer, a second alkaline element layer and a transparent conductive layer are sequentially disposed. According to the thin-film solar cell of the present disclosure, by disposing the second alkaline element layer, an alkali metal element in the second alkaline element layer reacts with elements in the light absorption layer to form a film layer containing the alkali metal element, thereby changing the composition of the surface of the light absorption layer, and further changing the electronic structure of the light absorption layer by ion exchange, reducing the surface recombination of charge carriers between the layers, so that an open-circuit voltage of the cell is increased in the post-preparation processing, thereby improving the photoelectric conversion efficiency of the cell.

A perovskite-based solar cell comprising a transparent electrode disposed on a buffer layer that protects the perovskite from damage during the deposition of the electrode is disclosed. The buffer material is deposited using either low-temperature atomic-layer deposition, chemical-vapor deposition, or pulsed chemical-vapor deposition. In some embodiments, the perovskite material is operative as an absorption layer in a multi-cell solar-cell structure. In some embodiments, the perovskite material is operative as an absorption layer in a single junction solar cell structure.

The present invention provides a kind of flexible transparent-semitransparent hybrid solar window membrane modules. A module comprises a series of thin film transparent organic polymer solar cells, semitransparent perovskite solar cells, or hybrid of them. Both types of the solar cells are deposited onto a flexible transparent polymer membrane substrate. Those visibly transparent polymer solar cells contain a UV- and/or NIR-sensitive polymer layer to allow most visible light transmitted and semitransparent perovskite solar cells allows some portion of visible light transmitting. The resultant modules obtain benefits of transparency from the polymer cells and high efficiency from the perovskite ones. Both groups of the solar cells on one module have to be interconnected respectively. Two interconnection methods, the 3P scribing process and conductive strip connection, have been utilized. The modules are encapsulated with transparent materials to increase their lifetimes. These flexible solar window membrane modules can be adhered onto the glass windows of commercial buildings and family houses through electrostatic adsorption as solar energy sources. The modules used outdoors may be interconnected one another wired or wireless via resonant inductive coupling technology.

A method for forming a high purity, copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) bulk material is disclosed. The method includes sealing precursor materials for forming the bulk material in a reaction vessel. The precursor materials include copper, at least one chalcogen selected from selenium, sulfur, and tellurium, and at least one element from group IIIA of the periodic table, which may be selected from gallium, indium, and aluminum. The sealed reaction vessel is heated to a temperature at which the precursor materials react to form the bulk material. The bulk material is cooled in the vessel to a temperature below the solidification temperature of the bulk material and opened to release the formed bulk material. A sputtering target formed by the method can have an oxygen content of 10 ppm by weight, or less.

A method for forming a photovoltaic device comprising the steps of: providing a first conductive material on a substrate; depositing a continuous layer of a dielectric material less than 10 nm thick on the first conductive material; annealing the first conductive material and the layer of dielectric material; forming a chalcogenide light-absorbing material on the layer of dielectric material; and depositing a second material on the light-absorbing material such that the second material is electrically coupled to the light-absorbing material; wherein the first conductive material and the dielectric material are selected such that, during the step of annealing, a portion of the first conductive material undergoes a chemical reaction to form: a layer of a metal chalcogenide material at the interface between first conductive material and the dielectric material; and a plurality of openings in the layer of dielectric material; the openings being such to allow electrical coupling between the light-absorbing material and the layer of a metal chalcogenide material. Additionally contemplated is a photovoltaic device formed by this method.

Thin-film photovoltaic devices and methods of their use and manufacture are disclosed. More particularly, polycrystalline CuIn.sub.(1-x)Ga.sub.xSe.sub.2 (CIGS) based thin-film photovoltaic devices having independently tunable sublayers are disclosed. Also provided are methods of producing an n-doped graphene.

Methods of and apparatuses for making a photovoltaic cell are provided. The photovoltaic cell is able to have a substrate made of a composite material. The composite material is able to be formed by mixing a binder and a physical property enhancing material to form a mixer. The binder is able to be pitch, such as mesophase pitch. The physical property enhancing material is able to be fiber glass. The substrate of the photovoltaic cell is able to be flexible, such that the photovoltaic cell is able to be applied on various surfaces.

The present disclosure provides a waste liquid recovery system, a chemical bath deposition device and a deposition method, the waste liquid recovery system comprises a waste liquid storage tank for storing the waste liquid generated by deposition of a cadmium sulfide deposition tank; a refrigeration device for refrigerating the stored waste liquid; a filtering device for filtering the waste liquid obtained after refrigerating; and a chemical liquid storage tank for storing the filtered waste liquid. The waste liquid recovery system, the chemical bath deposition device and the deposition method provided by the present disclosure provide a chemical liquid having the same concentration as an original liquid by refrigerating and filtering the waste liquid, and then replenishing the chemical raw material, thereby greatly improving the recycling of waste liquid and reducing a production cost.

This disclosure provides a method for preparing a CIGS thin film solar cell, including placing a substrate formed with a barrier layer into a sputtering chamber, and forming a doping layer on the barrier layer by sputtering, wherein the doping layer is sodium doped a hetero-molybdenum layer; detecting sodium ion content, and introducing water vapor into the sputtering chamber according to the sodium ion content when the doping layer is formed by sputtering. The method for preparing the CIGS thin film solar cell of the present disclosure introduces water vapor into the sputtering chamber according to the content of sodium ions. The water vapor may ensure the stability after sodium ion sputtering, and the content of water vapor is adjusted according to the sodium ion content.

Improved methods and apparatus for forming thin-film layers of semiconductor material absorber layers on a substrate web. According to the present teachings, a semiconductor layer may be formed in a multi-zone process whereby various layers are deposited sequentially onto a moving substrate web.