A method includes placing at least two substrates on a substrate carrier at a distance from one another, placing the substrate carrier in a reaction chamber, depositing a precursor on the at least two substrates, and performing a first annealing process on the at least two substrates. The at least two substrates include a first content of a first material. The distance between the at least two substrates is based on the first content of the first material and at least one processing parameter. The disclosed method advantageously provides for improved Na-dosing control.

A method for fabricating a photovoltaic device includes forming a polycrystalline absorber layer including CuZnSnS(Se) (CZTSSe) over a substrate. The absorber layer is rapid thermal annealed in a sealed chamber having elemental sulfur within the chamber. A sulfur content profile is graded in the absorber layer in accordance with a size of the elemental sulfur and an anneal temperature to provide a graduated bandgap profile for the absorber layer. Additional layers are formed on the absorber layer to complete the photovoltaic device.

A hybrid vapor phase-solution phase CZT(S,Se) growth technique is provided. In one aspect, a method of forming a kesterite absorber material on a substrate includes the steps of: depositing a layer of a first kesterite material on the substrate using a vapor phase deposition process, wherein the first kesterite material includes Cu, Zn, Sn, and at least one of S and Se; annealing the first kesterite material to crystallize the first kesterite material; and depositing a layer of a second kesterite material on a side of the first kesterite material opposite the substrate using a solution phase deposition process, wherein the second kesterite material includes Cu, Zn, Sn, and at least one of S and Se, wherein the first kesterite material and the second kesterite material form a multi-layer stack of the absorber material on the substrate. A photovoltaic device and method of formation thereof are also provided.

An integration method of fabricating optical sensor device and thin film transistor device includes the follow steps. A substrate is provided, and a gate electrode and a bottom electrode are formed on the substrate. A first insulating layer is formed on the gate electrode and the bottom electrode, and the first insulating layer at least partially exposes the bottom electrode. An optical sensing pattern is formed on the bottom electrode. A patterned transparent semiconductor layer is formed on the first insulating layer, wherein the patterned transparent semiconductor layer includes a first transparent semiconductor pattern covering the gate electrode, and a second transparent semiconductor pattern covering the optical sensing pattern. A source electrode and a drain electrode are formed on the first transparent semiconductor pattern. A modification process including introducing at least one gas is performed on the second transparent semiconductor pattern to transfer the second transparent semiconductor pattern into a conductive transparent top electrode.

Techniques for improved kesterite film production through annealing chamber conditioning to achieve solar cells with a power conversion efficiency of greater than 12% are provided. In one aspect, a method of conditioning an annealing chamber for forming a kesterite film is provided. The method includes the step of: coating one or more inner surfaces of the annealing chamber with a film containing Sn and at least one of S and Se. A method for forming a kesterite film, a method for forming a solar cell, and a solar cell are also provided.

There is disclosed an ultraviolet (UV) photo sensing element comprising a GaN substrate and a Ta.sub.2O.sub.5 thin film layer, forming a GaN (gallium-nitride) and Ta.sub.2O.sub.5 (tantalum pentoxide) based heterojunction wherein the formed heterojunction receives and converts UV light into electrical signals/in the photovoltaic mode (at 0 V) or in a self-driven mode. Also disclosed is a method of fabrication of an ultraviolet (UV) photodetector (PD) device, the method comprising growing silicon-doped n-type GaN epitaxial layers on a stack of un-doped GaN/sapphire samples, cleaning the GaN samples, pelletizing and depositing tantalum pentoxide (Ta.sub.2O.sub.5) powder on the n-type GaN samples, forming Ta.sub.2O.sub.5/GaN stacks, post-annealing the formed Ta.sub.2O.sub.5/GaN stacks; and depositing high purity Au on the Ta.sub.2O.sub.5/GaN stacks. The photodetector (PD) device is a heterojunction ultraviolet (UV) photodetector (PD) device.

According to the embodiments provided herein, a method for forming a photovoltaic device can include depositing a plurality of semiconductor layers. The plurality of semiconductor layers can include a doped layer that is doped with a group V dopant. The doped layer can include cadmium selenide or cadmium telluride. The method can include annealing the plurality of semiconductor layers to form an absorber layer.

A solar cell according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a first passivation layer including a first aluminum oxide layer positioned on a first conductivity-type region composed of a polycrystalline silicon layer having an n-type conductivity and having hydrogen, and a first dielectric layer positioned on the first aluminum oxide layer and including a material different from the first aluminum oxide layer.

Methods of fabricating solar cells using UV-curing of light-receiving surfaces of the solar cells, and the resulting solar cells, are described herein. In an example, a method of fabricating a solar cell includes forming a passivating dielectric layer on a light-receiving surface of a silicon substrate. The method also includes forming an anti-reflective coating (ARC) layer below the passivating dielectric layer. The method also includes exposing the ARC layer to ultra-violet (UV) radiation. The method also includes, subsequent to exposing the ARC layer to ultra-violet (UV) radiation, thermally annealing the ARC layer.

Described is an active layer having a first surface region and a bulk region, the active layer comprising a small molecule component and a polymer component, wherein the relative concentration of the small molecule component is lower in the first surface than in the bulk region. Also described is a method of producing a surface-modified active layer comprising the steps of providing a pristine active layer comprising a small molecule component and a polymer component; applying an adhesive to the exposed surface of the pristine active layer to produce an adhesive-bound active layer; and removing the adhesive from the adhesive-bound active layer, and a method of producing electrical energy from sunlight, such as sunlight deposited over bodies of water.