BACKGROUND

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to semiconductors of photovoltaic devices, and more particularly, to laser-textured thin-film semiconductors by melting and ablation.

Introduction

To harness energy from the Sun, a photovoltaic device may absorb light to produce electron-hole pairs, which are separated by an internal electric field of a junction to generate a voltage, thereby converting light energy to electric energy. To increase the absorption of light, manufactures have typically relied on increasing a thickness of one or more layers of the photovoltaic device, thereby increasing the overall thickness of the photovoltaic device. Another technique has been to texture an outer front surface of the photovoltaic device, particularly when the photovoltaic device comprises silicon material. While both of these methods may provide a longer optical path length within the photovoltaic device to increase absorption, these methods may be undesirable for some applications. Photovoltaic devices that have thicker layers may cost more to manufacture and may be more susceptible to degradation if the carrier diffusion length becomes shorter than the absorber thickness. Photovoltaic devices that have a textured front surface may be problematic if a textured layer absorbs light without contributing to power generation.

Accordingly, there exists a need for further improvements in the absorption of light in photovoltaic devices.

SUMMARY

The following presents a simplified summary of one or more aspects in order to provide a basic understanding of such aspects. This summary is not an extensive overview of all contemplated aspects, and is intended to neither identify key or critical elements of all aspects nor delineate the scope of any or all aspects. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

In an aspect, a method for texturing a layer in a photovoltaic device is disclosed. The method may include providing a semiconductor layer including a compound semiconductor material. The method may also include texturing a surface of the semiconductor layer by applying one or more laser pulses to the surface of the semiconductor to form a textured surface, each of the one or more laser pulses causing at least a partial melting of the surface of the semiconductor. The method may further include depositing one or more layers over the textured surface.

In another aspect, a photovoltaic device is disclosed. The photovoltaic device may include a semiconductor layer including a compound semiconductor material, wherein a surface of the semiconductor layer is textured by applying one or more laser pulses to the surface of the semiconductor to form a textured surface, each of the one or more laser pulses causing at least a partial melting of the surface of the semiconductor. The photovoltaic device may also include one or more layers deposited over the textured surface.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the one or more aspects comprise the features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims. The following description and the annexed drawings set forth in detail certain illustrative features of the one or more aspects. These features are indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles of various aspects may be employed, and this description is intended to include all such aspects and their equivalents.

