The present invention provides a CIGS film substantially free from oxidation of a front surface thereof and a CIGS solar cell employing the CIGS film and substantially free from reduction and variation in conversion efficiency. The CIGS film, which is used as a light absorbing layer for the CIGS solar cell, includes: a first region having a Ga/(In+Ga) ratio progressively reduced along its thickness toward a predetermined first thickness position from a back surface of the CIGS film; a second region having a Ga/(In+Ga) ratio progressively increased along its thickness toward a predetermined second thickness position from the first region; and a third region provided on the second region and having a Ga/(In+Ga) ratio progressively reduced along its thickness toward the front surface of the CIGS film.

An apparatus for deposition of a plurality of elements onto a solar cell substrate that comprises: a housing; a transporting apparatus to transport the substrate in and out of the housing; a first tubing apparatus to deliver powders of a first elements to the housing; a first source material tube located outside of the housing and joined to a feeder tube of the tubing apparatus; a valve located inside of the first source material tube sufficient to block access between the first source material tube and the first feeder tube; a first heating tube located inside of the housing and connected to the first feeder tube; a similar second tubing apparatus to deliver powders of a second elements to the housing; a loading station for loading the substrate onto the transporting apparatus; one or more thermal sources to heat the housing and the first and second heating tube.

The invention provides a laminate of an inorganic layer, a resin layer, and a coupling agent treatment layer interposed therebetween, which different delamination strengths between the inorganic layer and the resin layer to form a prescribed pattern. The invention also provides a production method comprising (1) treating an inorganic layer with a coupling agent; (2) performing a patterning process to form strong adhesion sections and easily separated sections; and (3) forming a resin layer by drying and heat-treating a coated solution layer obtained by coating a resin solution or a resin precursor solution onto the surface of the inorganic layer that was treated with a coupling agent and then patterned.

In pixels that are two-dimensionally arranged in a matrix fashion in the pixel array unit of a solid-state imaging element, a photoelectric conversion film having a light shielding film buried therein is formed and stacked on the light incident side of the photodiode. The present technique can be applied to a CMOS image sensor compatible with the global shutter system, for example.

The invention claims a three dimensional sputter target comprising CuZnSn material, CuZn material or CuSn material. Exemplary has a CuZnSn material a Cu content ranging from 40 atomic percent to 60 atomic percent; a Zn content ranging from 20 atomic percent to 30 atomic percent; and a Sn content ranging from 20 atomic percent to 30 atomic percent, wherein the three dimensional sputter target has at least one principal axis dimension greater than 500 mm and the CuZnSn material has a grain size ranging from 0.005 mm to 5 mm. Additional to that claims the invention a method of producing the three dimensional sputter target.

Embodiments of the invention related to a method for manufacturing a thin film solar cell backside contact. Prior to application of materials, a planar substrate is provided and an associated backside of the substrate is modified to form one or more pedestals. The modified substrate is layered with multiple layers of material, including a conducting layer, a reflective layer, and a passivation layer. The layered backside substrate is polished to expose portions of the conducting layer at discrete locations on the backside of the substrate. The exposed portions of the conducting layer maintain direct electrical communication between an absorber layer deposited on the layered backside substrate and the conducting layer.

The present invention relates to a substrate for a thin film photovoltaic module, characterized in that it is a cementitious product with average surface roughness Ra not higher than 500 nm. The invention also relates to the cementitious product as such, the thin film photovoltaic module comprising it, and a method of molding both of them.

Embodiments relate to a thin film solar cell backside contact. A planar substrate is provided and an associated backside of the substrate is modified to form one or more pedestals. The modified substrate is layered with multiple layers of material, including a conducting layer, a reflective layer, and a passivation layer. The layered backside substrate is polished to expose portions of the conducting layer at discrete locations on the backside of the substrate. The exposed portions of the conducting layer maintain direct electrical communication between an absorber layer deposited on the layered backside substrate and the conducting layer.

Disclosed are a solar cell and a method of fabricating the same. The solar cell includes a molybdenum layer on a support substrate; an ohmic layer on the molybdenum layer; a light absorbing layer on the ohmic layer; and a front electrode layer on the light absorbing layer, wherein the ohmic layer comprises a first ohmic layer and a second ohmic layer having crystal structures different from each other.

The present disclosure generally provides a method for forming a photovoltaic device including evaporating a source material to form a large molecule processing gas and flowing the large molecule processing gas through a gas distribution showerhead and into a processing area of a processing chamber having a substrate therein. The method includes generating a small molecule processing gas, and reacting the small molecule processing gas with a film already deposited on a substrate surface to form a semiconductor film. Additionally, apparatuses that may use the methods are also provided to enable continuous inline CIGS type solar cell formation.