| US 7,517,465 B2 | ||
| Ultra lightweight photovoltaic device and method for its manufacture | ||
| Subhendu Guha, Bloomfield Hills, Mich. (US); Arindam Banerjee, Bloomfield Hills, Mich. (US); Kevin Beernink, Clarkston, Mich. (US); Todd Johnson, Royal Oak, Mich. (US); Ginger Pietka, Harrison Township, Mich. (US); Gregory DeMaggio, Ann Arbor, Mich. (US); Shengzhong (Frank) Liu, Rochester Hills, Mich. (US); and Jeffrey Yang, Troy, Mich. (US) | ||
| Assigned to United Solar Ovonic LLC, Auburn Hills, Mich. (US) | ||
| Filed on Oct. 20, 2005, as Appl. No. 11/254,838. | ||
| Claims priority of provisional application 60/620808, filed on Oct. 21, 2004. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2009/0075483 A1, Mar. 19, 2009 | ||
| Int. Cl. B29D 11/00 (2006.01); H01L 31/06 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 216—24 [216/41; 216/83; 438/745; 136/243; 136/245; 136/251; 136/261; 136/262] | 10 Claims |
| 1. A method of making a lightweight photovoltaic device, said method comprising the steps of:
providing a substrate comprised of a ferrous alloy material which is etchable by an acidic etchant composition;
disposing a barrier layer on said substrate, said barrier layer comprised of a material which is not etchable by said etchant
said material being selected from the group consisting of titanium, molybdenum and combinations thereof;
disposing a body of photovoltaically active material, which includes at least one thin film layer of an alloy of silicon and
hydrogen, which optionally includes at least one doping element, on said barrier layer; and
etching away at least a portion of the thickness of the substrate by contacting said substrate with said etchant.
|