In accordance with an embodiment, a diode comprises a substrate, a dielectric material including an opening that exposes a portion of the substrate, the opening having an aspect ratio of at least 1, a bottom diode material including a lower region disposed at least partly in the opening and an upper region extending above the opening, the bottom diode material comprising a semiconductor material that is lattice mismatched to the substrate, a top diode material proximate the upper region of the bottom diode material, and an active diode region between the top and bottom diode materials, the active diode region including a surface extending away from the top surface of the substrate.

A photovoltaic cell can include a substrate having a copper-doped semiconductor layer. The doping can be mediated with a salt.

An electrical device that includes a first semiconductor device positioned on a first portion of a substrate and a second semiconductor device positioned on a third portion of the substrate, wherein the first and third portions of the substrate are separated by a second portion of the substrate. An interlevel dielectric layer is present on the first, second and third portions of the substrate. The interlevel dielectric layer is present over the first and second semiconductor devices. An optical interconnect is positioned over the second portion of the semiconductor substrate. At least one material layer of the optical interconnect includes an epitaxial material that is in direct contact with a seed surface within the second portion of the substrate through a via extending through the least one interlevel dielectric layer.

An electrical device that includes a first semiconductor device positioned on a first portion of a substrate and a second semiconductor device positioned on a third portion of the substrate, wherein the first and third portions of the substrate are separated by a second portion of the substrate. An interlevel dielectric layer is present on the first, second and third portions of the substrate. The interlevel dielectric layer is present over the first and second semiconductor devices. An optical interconnect is positioned over the second portion of the semiconductor substrate. At least one material layer of the optical interconnect includes an epitaxial material that is in direct contact with a seed surface within the second portion of the substrate through a via extending through the least one interlevel dielectric layer.

The present invention refers to a method for producing CdTe thin-film solar cells, respectively a semi-finished CdTe thin-film solar cell, where in an additional temperature step is carried out after applying the CdTe layer on to a substrate. In particular, the temperature step is performed after activating the CdTe layer using a suitable activation agent and removing the residual activation agent from the CdTe layer. The temperature treatment is performed under vacuum or in a heating chamber filled with either air or inert gas, during which treatment the substrate is exposed to a temperature between 180 C. and 380 C. for a time between 5 minutes and 60 minutes. Due to the inventive additional temperature step, the number and extension of crystal defects in the CdTe layer is reduced and the electric efficiency of the solar cell is further improved.

In accordance with an embodiment, a diode comprises a substrate, a dielectric material including an opening that exposes a portion of the substrate, the opening having an aspect ratio of at least 1, a bottom diode material including a lower region disposed at least partly in the opening and an upper region extending above the opening, the bottom diode material comprising a semiconductor material that is lattice mismatched to the substrate, a top diode material proximate the upper region of the bottom diode material, and an active diode region between the top and bottom diode materials, the active diode region including a surface extending away from the top surface of the substrate.

A photovoltaic device is presented. The photovoltaic device includes a layer stack; and an absorber layer is disposed on the layer stack. The absorber layer comprises selenium, wherein an atomic concentration of selenium varies across a thickness of the absorber layer. The photovoltaic device is substantially free of a cadmium sulfide layer.

The present application discloses a zinc oxide-crystalline silicon laminated solar cell and a preparation method thereof, relates to the technical field of solar cells, and aims to solve the technical problem of low photoelectric conversion rate of existing solar cells. The zinc oxide-crystalline silicon laminated solar cell includes: a P-type silicon substrate layer; a front surface of the P-type silicon substrate layer being sequentially formed with, from bottom to top, a diffusion layer, an N-type zinc oxide layer, a first passivation layer, and a first antireflection layer; wherein the N-type zinc oxide layer is made of tetrapod-like N-type zinc oxide whisker powder as a raw material; and a back surface of the P-type silicon substrate layer being sequentially formed with, from top to bottom, a second passivation layer and a second antireflection layer; and an electrode, the electrode including a front electrode and a back electrode.

A photovoltaic device is presented. The photovoltaic device includes a layer stack; and an absorber layer is disposed on the layer stack. The absorber layer comprises selenium, wherein an atomic concentration of selenium varies across a thickness of the absorber layer. The photovoltaic device is substantially free of a cadmium sulfide layer.

A method of manufacturing a cadmium (Cd) alloy transmissive solar cell is provided. The method includes pumping a vacuum chamber to a base pressure and pumping the vacuum chamber to a sputtering pressure. The method includes providing into the vacuum chamber a first gas at a rate that balances a flow of the first gas in and out of the vacuum chamber with respect to the sputtering pressure and heating a surface of a partially manufactured cadmium (Cd) alloy transmissive solar cell within the vacuum chamber to a calibrated deposition temperature. The method includes providing into the vacuum chamber a second gas including at least a hydrogen gas (H.sub.2) at a proportional rate to achieve a target gas mix while maintaining the sputtering pressure and depositing a target material onto the surface to form a back contact section of the cadmium (Cd) alloy transmissive solar cell.