Methods and systems for forming a layer from a fluid mixture on a web are provided. The system includes a fluid delivery apparatus for delivering the fluid mixture onto the web. The fluid delivery apparatus includes a cascade device and a chemical dispenser device. The system also includes a fluid stirring apparatus comprising at least one fan positioned over the web and configured to generate a flow pattern that stirs the fluid mixture on the web while the layer is being formed, without the at least one fan contacting the fluid mixture. The system further includes a fluid removal apparatus having a rinsing device and a suction device. The rinsing device is configured to dispense a rinsing fluid onto the web. The suction device is configured to remove by suction the rinsing fluid and a remaining portion of the fluid mixture remaining on the web after formation of the layer.

According to the embodiments provided herein, a photovoltaic device can include a buffer layer adjacent to an absorber layer doped p-type with a group V dopant. The buffer layer can have a plurality of layers compatible with group V dopants.

The present invention relates to a glass composition that includes: 57 to 75 percent by weight of SiO.sub.2; 3 to 11 percent by weight of Al.sub.2O.sub.3; 6 to 11 percent by weight of Na.sub.2O; 16 to 21 percent by weight of CaO; 0.01 to 0.1 percent by weight of Li.sub.2O; and less than 0.05 percent by weight of K.sub.2O. Each percent by weight is based on total weight of the glass composition. Glass products are also provided that have a bulk glass composition as described above. The glass products, such as flat glass products and glass substrates, have a strain point of at least 590° C. and a thermal expansion of at least 7.4 ppm/° C. The present invention also relates to magnetic recording articles and photovoltaic cells that include a glass substrate that has a bulk glass composition as described above.

Methods and materials for growing TMD materials on substrates and making semiconductor devices are described. Metal contacts may be created prior to conducting a deposition process such as chemical vapor deposition (CVD) to grow a TMD material, such that the metal contacts serve as the seed/catalyst for TMD material growth. A method of making a semiconductor device may include conducting a lift-off lithography process on a substrate to produce a substrate having metal contacts deposited thereon in lithographically defined areas, and then growing a TMD material on the substrate by a deposition process to make a semiconductor device. Further described are semiconductor devices having a substrate with metal contacts deposited thereon in lithographically defined areas, and a TMD material on the substrate, where the TMD material is a continuous, substantially uniform monolayer film between and on the metal contacts, where the metal contacts are chemically bonded to the TMD material.

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.

According to embodiments provided herein, the performance of photovoltaic device can be improved by rapidly heating an absorber layer of a device in open-circuit to a high temperature for a short period of time followed by rapid quenching. The rapid heating may be accomplished by one or more pulses of high intensity electromagnetic energy. The energy may be visible light. The energy may be absorbed primarily in the absorber layer, such that the absorber layer is preferentially heated, promoting chemical reactions of dopant complexes. The dopant chemical reactions disrupt compensating defect complexes that have formed in the device, and regenerate active carriers.

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.

A thin film radiation detection device includes a photosensitive p-n diode, a polysilicon thin film transistor (TFT), a radiation detection layer, and a substrate. The photosensitive p-n diode and the TFT are formed on the substrate. The radiation detection layer is formed above the substrate and receives multiple radiations. The photosensitive p-n diode receives a conversion output signal from the radiation detection layer and generates a detector signal. The TFT generates an amplified signal based on the detector signal.

A photosensitive element includes a first film layer, a second film layer and a third film layer. The first film layer, the second film layer and the third film layer are in a sequentially stacked structure, the first film layer is a p-type copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) layer, the second film layer is an i-type CIGS layer, and the third film layer is an n-type film layer, and the first film layer, the second film layer and the third film layer form a PIN junction structure.

The present invention describes a method for producing CdTe thin-film solar cells, in which special parameters of different processing steps and a special sequence of processing steps result in improved characteristics of the produced CdTe solar cells.