Compositions, thin films, devices, and methods involving doped oxide semiconductor materials are described. Indium gallium doped zinc oxide (IGZO) with advantageous properties that may be useful as a transparent conductive oxide (TCO) is described. Methods of digital doping to create doped oxide semiconductor materials are described.

A photoconductive transducer intended to generate or detect waves in the terahertz frequency domain or in the picosecond pulse domain is provided. The transducer comprises a three-dimensional structure that includes, in this order, a first planar electrode, an array of nano-columns embedded in a layer of resist and a second planar electrode parallel to the first planar electrode. The design of the transducer increases the optical-to-terahertz conversion efficiency by means of photonic and plasmonic resonances and by means of high and homogeneous electric fields. The height of the nano-columns as well as the thickness of the resist range between 100 nanometres and 400 nanometres. The width of the nano-columns is between 100 nanometres and 400 nanometres, the distance between two adjacent nano-columns is between 300 nanometres and 500 nanometres, the nano-columns are made of a III-V semiconductor. The second electrode is transparent, so as to allow the transmission of a laser source towards the photo-absorbing nano-columns.

Provided are a conductive film which is excellent in hygrothermal characteristics and has excellent bending performance, and an electronic device having such a conductive film. A conductive film is obtained by forming, on one surface or both surfaces of a substrate, a zinc tin oxide (ZTO) layer and a transparent conductive film that is formed of zinc oxide other than zinc tin oxide sequentially from the substrate side, in which a thickness of the zinc tin oxide layer is 5 to 500 nm, a thickness of the zinc oxide-based transparent conductive film is 5 to 1000 nm, and a water-vapor transmittance rate of the zinc tin oxide (ZTO) layer is 0.1 g/(m.sup.2.Math.day) or less.

A method for manufacturing a display device includes forming a plurality of light blocking patterns on a first surface of a transparent substrate, wherein a first light blocking pattern of the plurality of light blocking patterns has a different line width than a second light blocking pattern of the plurality of light blocking patterns. An insulating layer is formed on the first surface of the transparent substrate and the light blocking patterns. A conductive layer is formed on the insulating layer. A photo-resist layer is formed on the conductive layer. The photo-resist layer is exposed with ultraviolet rays through a second surface of the transparent substrate, wherein the first and second surfaces of the transparent substrate are opposite to each other. The photo-resist layer is developed. The conductive layer is etched using the photo-resist layer as a mask. The photo-resist layer is removed.

One embodiment of the invention can provide a system for fabricating a photovoltaic structure. During fabrication, the system can form a sacrificial layer on a first side of a Si substrate; load the Si substrate into a chemical vapor deposition tool, with the sacrificial layer in contact with a wafer carrier; and form a first doped Si layer on a second side of the Si substrate. The system subsequently can remove the sacrificial layer; load the Si substrate into a chemical vapor deposition tool, with the first doped Si layer facing a wafer carrier; and form a second doped Si layer on the first side of the Si substrate.

An energy conversion device comprises at least two thin film photovoltaic cells fabricated separately and joined by wafer bonding. The cells are arranged in a hierarchical stack of decreasing order of their energy bandgap from top to bottom. Each of the thin film cells has a thickness in the range from about 0.5 m to about 10 m. The photovoltaic cell stack is mounted upon a thick substrate composed of a material selected from silicon, glass, quartz, silica, alumina, ceramic, metal, graphite, and plastic. Each of the interfaces between the cells comprises a structure selected from a tunnel junction, a heterojunction, a transparent conducting oxide, and an alloying metal grid; and the top surface and/or the lower surface of the energy conversion device may contain light-trapping means.

One embodiment of the present invention can provide a system for fabrication of a photovoltaic structure. The system can include a physical vapor deposition tool configured to sequentially deposit a transparent conductive oxide layer and a metallic layer on an emitter layer formed in a first surface of a Si substrate, without requiring the Si substrate to be removed from the physical vapor deposition tool after depositing the transparent conductive oxide layer. The system can further include an electroplating tool configured to plate a metallic grid on the metallic layer and a thermal annealing tool configured to anneal the transparent conductive oxide layer.

Manufacture for an improved stacked-layered thin film solar cell. Solar cell has reduced absorber thickness and an improved back contact for Copper Indium Gallium Selenide solar cells. The back contact provides improved reflectance particularly for infrared wavelengths while still maintaining ohmic contact to the semiconductor absorber. This reflectance is achieved by producing a back contact having a highly reflecting metal separated from an absorbing layer with a dielectric layer.

Photovoltaic devices and methods for fabricating a photovoltaic devices. The method includes applying a coating layer that surrounds each of a plurality of silicon particles. The method also includes implanting the plurality of silicon particles into a substrate layer such that an exposed portion of each of the plurality of silicon particles extends away from a surface of the substrate layer. The method further includes removing a portion of the coating layer that is positioned around the exposed portion of each of the plurality of silicon particles. The method also includes placing an insulator layer on the surface of the substrate layer. The method further includes placing a selective carrier transport layer on the exposed portion of each of the plurality of silicon particles.

In various embodiments, photovoltaic devices incorporate discontinuous passivation layers (i) disposed between a thin-film absorber layer and a partner layer, (ii) disposed between the partner layer and a front contact layer, and/or (iii) disposed between a back contact layer and the thin-film absorber layer.