Abstract: An apparatus for extracting a bell jar chamber from a processing station of a thin film photovoltaic material is provided. The apparatus includes a rack fixture coupled to a robot loader. The rack fixture is configured to support the bell jar chamber to be moved using the robot loader in a horizontal direction and in a vertical direction. The apparatus further includes at least two support members configured within a vicinity of an upper region of the rack fixture.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a thin-film photovoltaic device includes providing a glass substrate contained sodium species. The glass substrate comprising a surface region and a peripheral edge region surround the surface region. The method further includes forming a barrier material overlying the surface region and partially overlying the peripheral edge region and forming a conductor material overlying the barrier material. Additionally, the method includes forming at least a first trench in a vicinity of the peripheral edge region to remove substantially the conductor material therein and forming precursor materials overlying the patterned conductor material. Furthermore, the method includes thermally treating the precursor materials to transform the precursor materials into a film of photovoltaic absorber. The first trench is configured to maintain the film of photovoltaic absorber substantially free from peeling off the conductor material.

Abstract: A method for laser separation of a thin film structure with multi junction photovoltaic materials. The method includes providing an optically transparent substrate having a thickness, a back surface region, and a front surface region including an edge region. The method further includes forming a thin film structure including a conductive layer on the optical transparent substrate. The conductive layer immediately overlies the front surface region. Additionally, the method includes aligning a laser beam with a beam spot on a first portion of the edge region from the back surface region through the thickness of the optically transparent substrate. The method further includes subjecting at least partially the conductive layer overlying the first portion via absorbed energy from the laser beam to separate an edge portion of the thin film structure from the first portion of the edge region.

Abstract: A structure for a single junction solar cell. The structure includes a substrate member having a surface region. The structure includes a first electrode structure overlying the surface region of the substrate member. A P absorber layer is formed overlying the first electrode structure. In a specific embodiment, the P absorber layer has a P? type impurity characteristics and a first optical absorption coefficient greater than 104 cm?1 in a wavelength range comprising 400 nm to 800 nm. An N+ layer is provided overlying the P absorber layer and an interface region formed within a vicinity of the P layer and the N+ layer. The structure also includes a high resistivity buffer layer overlying the N+ layer and a second electrode structure overlying the buffer layer.

Abstract: A method for fabricating a thin film photovoltaic device. The method includes providing a substrate comprising an absorber layer and an overlying window layer. The substrate is loaded into a chamber and subjected to a vacuum environment. The vacuum environment is at a pressure ranging from 0.1 Torr to about 0.02 Torr. In a specific embodiment, a mixture of reactant species derived from diethylzinc species, water species and a carrier gas is introduced into the chamber. The method further introduces a diborane species using a selected flow rate into the mixture of reactant species. A zinc oxide film is formed overlying the window layer to define a transparent conductive oxide using the selected flow rate to provide a resistivity of about 2.

Abstract: A method for fabricating a thin film solar cell includes providing a soda lime glass substrate comprising a surface region, treating the surface region with one or more cleaning process including an aqueous solution to remove one or more contaminants and/or particulates, and forming a lower electrode layer overlying the surface region. The method also includes performing a thermal treatment process to remove any residual water species to substantially less than a monolayer of water species from the lower electrode layer and soda lime glass substrate. The thermal treatment process changes a temperature of the soda lime glass substrate from a first temperature to a second temperature to pre-heat the soda lime glass substrate. Additionally, the method includes transferring the soda lime glass substrate, which has been preheated, to a deposition chamber and forming a layer of photovoltaic material overlying the lower electrode layer within the deposition chamber.

Abstract: A method of supporting a plurality of planar substrates in a tube shaped furnace for conducting a thermal treatment process is disclosed. The method uses a boat fixture having a base frame including two length portions and a first width portion, a second width portion, and one or more middle members connected between the two length portions. Additionally, the method includes mounting a removable first grooved rod respectively on the first width portion, the second width portion, and each of the one or more middle members, each first grooved rod having a first plurality of grooves characterized by a first spatial configuration. The method further includes inserting one or two substrates of a plurality of planar substrates into each groove in the boat fixture separated by a distance.

Abstract: A system for recycling a work gas used in a thermal reactor for treating sample materials includes a thermal reactor using a work gas from a first source mixed with carrier gases. The work gas has a boiling point higher than the carrier gases. The system includes a pump, a condenser which converts the work gas into a liquid, and a scrubber.

Abstract: A method of processing a thin-film absorber material with enhanced photovoltaic efficiency. The method includes providing a soda-lime glass substrate having a surface region and forming a barrier material overlying the surface region, followed by formation of a stack structure including a first thickness of a first precursor, a second thickness of a second precursor, and a third thickness of a third precursor. The first thickness of the first precursor is sputtered with a first target device including a first mixture of copper, gallium, and a first sodium species. The method further includes subjecting the soda-lime glass substrate having the stack structure in a thermal treatment process with at least H2Se gas species at a temperature above 400° C. to cause formation of an absorber material. Moreover, the method includes transferring a second sodium species from a portion of the soda-lime glass substrate via gas-phase diffusion during the thermal treatment process.

Abstract: A thin film material structure for solar cell devices. The thin film material structure includes a thickness of material comprises a plurality of single crystal structures. In a specific embodiment, each of the single crystal structure is configured in a column like shape. The column like shape has a dimension of about 0.01 micron to about 10 microns characterizes a first end and a second end. An optical absorption coefficient of greater than 104 cm?1 for light in a wavelength range comprising about 400 cm?1 to about 700 cm?1 characterizes the thickness of material.

Abstract: A method for forming a thin film photovoltaic device. The method includes providing a transparent substrate including a surface region. A first electrode layer is formed overlying the surface region. A copper layer is formed overlying the first electrode layer and an indium layer overlying the copper layer to form a multi-layered structure. The method subjects at least the multi-layered structure to a thermal treatment process in an environment containing a sulfur bearing species and form a copper indium disulfide material. The copper indium disulfide material includes a thickness of substantially copper sulfide material. The thickness of the copper sulfide material is removed to expose a surface region having a copper poor surface characterized by a copper to indium atomic ratio of less than about 0.95:1. The method subjects the copper poor surface to a metal cation species to convert the copper poor surface from an n-type semiconductor characteristic to a p-type semiconductor characteristic.

Abstract: A method for processing a thin film photovoltaic module. The method includes providing a plurality of substrates, each of the substrates having a first electrode layer and an overlying absorber layer composed of copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) or copper indium selenide (CIS) material. The absorber material comprises a plurality of sodium bearing species. The method maintains the plurality of substrates in a controlled environment after formation of at least the absorber layer through one or more processes up to a lamination process. The controlled environment has a relative humidity of less than 10% and a temperature ranging from about 10 degrees Celsius to about 40 degrees Celsius. The method subjects the plurality of substrates to a liquid comprising water at a temperature from about 10 degrees Celsius to about 80 degrees Celsius to process the plurality of substrates after formation of the absorber layer.

Abstract: A method for forming a thin film photovoltaic device. The method includes providing a transparent substrate comprising a surface region and forming a first electrode layer overlying the surface region of the transparent substrate. The first electrode layer has an electrode surface region. In a specific embodiment, the method includes masking one or more portions of the electrode surface region using a masking layer to form an exposed region and a blocked region. The method includes forming an absorber layer comprising a sulfur entity overlying the exposed region and removing the mask layer. In a specific embodiment, the method causing formation of a plurality of metal disulfide species overlying the blocked region. In a specific embodiment, the metal disulfide species has a semiconductor characteristic. The method includes subjecting the plurality of metal disulfide species to electromagnetic radiation from a laser beam to substantially remove the metal disulfide species.

Abstract: A method for large scale manufacture of photovoltaic devices includes loading a substrate into a load lock station and transferring the substrate in a controlled ambient to a first process station. The method includes using a first physical deposition process in the first process station to cause formation of a first conductor layer overlying the surface region of the substrate. The method includes transferring the substrate to a second process station, and using a second physical deposition process in the second process station to cause formation of a second layer overlying the surface region of the substrate. The method further includes repeating the transferring and processing until all thin film materials of the photovoltaic devices are formed. In an embodiment, the invention also provides a method for large scale manufacture of photovoltaic devices including feed forward control.

Abstract: A method of fabricating a thin film photovoltaic device is provided. The method subjects a soda lime glass substrate having a front side, backside, and edges to a first cleaning process and forms a first coating of silicon dioxide overlying the backside and the edges. The method further subjects the substrate to a second cleaning process and forms a second coating of silicon dioxide overlying the front side and the edges of the substrate. Furthermore, the method includes causing a barrier layer comprising the first coating and the second coating to encapsulate entirely the front side, backside, and edges. The barrier layer includes at least a thickness of oxygen rich silicon dioxide to contain any sodium bearing material within the substrate. Moreover, the method includes forming a thickness of metal material overlying the second coating on the front side followed by an absorber material and window material plus a top electrode.

Abstract: A method for fabricating a thin film photovoltaic device is provided. The method includes providing a substrate comprising a thin film photovoltaic absorber which has a surface including copper, indium, gallium, selenium, and sulfur. The method further includes subjecting the surface to a material containing at least a zinc species substantially free of any cadmium. The surface is heated to cause formation of a zinc doped material. The zinc doped material is free from cadmium. Furthermore the method includes forming a zinc oxide material overlying the zinc doped material and forming a transparent conductive material overlying the zinc oxide material.

Abstract: A method for large scale manufacture of photovoltaic devices includes loading a substrate into a load lock station and transferring the substrate in a controlled ambient to a first process station. The method includes using a first physical deposition process in the first process station to cause formation of a first conductor layer overlying the surface region of the substrate. The method includes transferring the substrate to a second process station, and using a second physical deposition process in the second process station to cause formation of a second layer overlying the surface region of the substrate. The method further includes repeating the transferring and processing until all thin film materials of the photovoltaic devices are formed. In an embodiment, the invention also provides a method for large scale manufacture of photovoltaic devices including feed forward control.

Abstract: A method for forming a thin film photovoltaic device may include providing a transparent substrate and forming a multi layered structure including at least a thin layer of indium material, copper material, and another layer of indium. A heat treatment may be performed that consumes substantially all of the thin layer of indium material into a portion of a copper indium disulfide alloy material. The method causes formation of a copper sulfide material overlying the copper indium disulfide alloy material during at least the thermal treatment process.

Abstract: A method for processing iron disilicide for manufacture photovoltaic devices. The method includes providing a first sample of iron disilicide comprising at least an alpha phase entity, a beta phase entity, and an epsilon phase entity. The method includes maintaining the first sample of iron disilicide in an inert environment and subjects the first sample of iron disilicide to a thermal process to form a second sample of iron disilicide. The second sample of iron disilicide comprises substantially beta phase iron disilicide and is characterized by a first particle size. The method includes introducing an organic solvent to the second sample of iron disilicide, forming a first mixture of material comprising the second sample of iron disilicide and the organic solvent. The method processed the first mixture of material including the second sample of iron disilicide using a grinding process.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a thin-film photovoltaic device includes providing a glass substrate contained sodium species. The glass substrate comprising a surface region and a peripheral edge region surround the surface region. The method further includes forming a barrier material overlying the surface region and partially overlying the peripheral edge region and forming a conductor material overlying the barrier material. Additionally, the method includes forming at least a first trench in a vicinity of the peripheral edge region to remove substantially the conductor material therein and forming precursor materials overlying the patterned conductor material. Furthermore, the method includes thermally treating the precursor materials to transform the precursor materials into a film of photovoltaic absorber. The first trench is configured to maintain the film of photovoltaic absorber substantially free from peeling off the conductor material.