JP2013098190A - Photoelectric conversion device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a highly reliable photoelectric conversion device which reduces occurrence of leakage.SOLUTION: The photoelectric conversion device comprises a substrate 1, a first electrode layer provided on the substrate 1, and a photoelectric conversion layer 3 provided on the first electrode layer. The photoelectric conversion device also comprises a second electrode layer provided on the photoelectric conversion layer 3 and a linear conductive part 5 provided on the second electrode layer. In the photoelectric conversion device, the first electrode layer has an insulating part 2A, and the insulating part 2A is located at a position overlapping the linear conductive part 5 in a plan view.

Description

  The present invention relates to a photoelectric conversion device.

  As a photoelectric conversion device used for solar power generation or the like, there is one in which a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements are provided on an insulating substrate (for example, Patent Document 1). In each photoelectric conversion element, a lower electrode layer, a semiconductor layer, and a transparent electrode layer are laminated in this order. In each photoelectric conversion element, the semiconductor layer is irradiated with light that passes through the transparent electrode layer, so that charges generated by photoelectric conversion in the semiconductor layer are extracted by the lower electrode layer and the transparent electrode layer.

  Moreover, in each photoelectric conversion element, a linear electrode part is provided on the transparent electrode layer, whereby the transparent electrode layer can be made thin to some extent. Thereby, the transmittance | permeability of the light in a transparent electrode layer increases, and the conversion efficiency in each photoelectric conversion element can increase. Furthermore, the linear electrode part provided in each photoelectric conversion element is electrically connected to the lower electrode layer of an adjacent photoelectric conversion element, and adjacent photoelectric conversion elements are electrically connected in series. . Thereby, the voltage output from the photoelectric conversion device can be increased.

JP 63-88868 A

  By the way, in the said photoelectric conversion apparatus, the linear electrode part is formed by screen-printing silver paste. Each member of the transparent electrode layer and the semiconductor layer may have a defect such as a crack due to a manufacturing defect or the like. In such a case, at the time of the screen printing, a part of the silver paste passes through the defect and reaches the lower electrode layer, thereby increasing the possibility of leakage.

  One object of the present invention is to provide a photoelectric conversion device that reduces the occurrence of leakage and has high reliability.

  In order to solve the above problem, a photoelectric conversion device according to one embodiment includes a substrate, a first electrode layer provided over the substrate, and a photoelectric conversion layer provided over the first electrode layer. ing. Furthermore, this aspect includes a second electrode layer provided on the photoelectric conversion layer, and a linear conductive portion provided on the second electrode layer. In this aspect, the first electrode layer has an insulating portion. At this time, the insulating part is in a position overlapping the linear conductive part when viewed in plan.

  According to the photoelectric conversion device according to the above aspect, the reliability of the photoelectric conversion device is improved by reducing the occurrence of leakage that may be caused by electrical connection between the first electrode layer and the linear conductive portion.

It is a top view which shows typically the structure of the photoelectric conversion apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the XZ cross section in the position shown with the dashed-dotted line II-II in FIG. It is a figure which shows XZ cross section in the position shown with the dashed-dotted line III-III in FIG. It is a figure which shows the YZ cross section in the position shown with the dashed-dotted line IV-IV in FIG. It is a figure which shows the modification of the photoelectric conversion apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the manufacturing flow of a photoelectric conversion apparatus. It is a figure which shows the photoelectric conversion apparatus which concerns on other embodiment, and shows typically the structure of the XZ cross section in the same position as FIG. It is a top view which shows typically the structure of the photoelectric conversion apparatus which concerns on other embodiment.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, parts having the same configuration and function are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted in the following description. Further, the drawings are schematically shown, and the sizes and positional relationships of various structures in the drawings are not accurately illustrated. 1 to 5, 6, and 7 are provided with a right-handed XYZ coordinate system in which the arrangement direction of photoelectric conversion cells 10 (the horizontal direction in the drawing in FIG. 1) is the X-axis direction.

<(1) Configuration of photoelectric conversion device>
<(1-1) Schematic configuration of photoelectric conversion device>
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the photoelectric conversion device 100 includes a substrate 1 and a plurality of photoelectric conversion cells 10 arranged in a plane on the substrate 1. Adjacent photoelectric conversion cells 10 are separated by a groove P3. 1 to 3, only a part of the two photoelectric conversion cells 10 is shown for convenience of illustration. In the photoelectric conversion apparatus 100, a predetermined number of photoelectric conversion cells 10 can be arranged in a plane in the left-right direction of the drawing. Here, the predetermined number may be eight, for example. For example, electrodes for obtaining a voltage and a current by power generation can be arranged at both ends in the X-axis direction of the photoelectric conversion device 100. In the photoelectric conversion device 100, for example, a large number of photoelectric conversion cells 10 may be arranged in a matrix.

  In the photoelectric conversion device 100, the conversion efficiency is improved if a large number of the photoelectric conversion cells 10 are arranged in a high density plane. The conversion efficiency indicates a rate at which sunlight energy is converted into electric energy in the photoelectric conversion device 100. For example, the conversion efficiency can be derived by dividing the value of the electric energy output from the photoelectric conversion device 100 by the value of the energy of sunlight incident on the photoelectric conversion device 100 and multiplying by 100.

<(1-2) Basic configuration of photoelectric conversion cell>
Each photoelectric conversion cell 10 includes a lower electrode layer 2 as a first electrode layer, a photoelectric conversion layer 3, an upper electrode layer 4 as a second electrode layer, and a linear conductive portion 5. Each photoelectric conversion cell 10 is provided with a groove part P1 and a groove part P2. In the photoelectric conversion device 100, the main surface on the side where the upper electrode layer 4 is disposed is a light receiving surface.

  The substrate 1 supports a plurality of photoelectric conversion cells 10. As main materials included in the substrate 1, for example, glass, ceramics, resin, metal, and the like can be employed. In the present embodiment, an example in which the substrate 1 is blue plate glass (soda lime glass) is shown. Moreover, the thickness of the board | substrate 1 should just be about 1 mm or more and 3 mm or less. Furthermore, for example, the shape of the substrate 1 may be a flat plate shape, and the main surface (also referred to as an upper surface) on the + Z side of the substrate 1 may be substantially flat.

  The lower electrode layer 2 is a conductive layer disposed on the upper surface of the substrate 1. As the main material included in the lower electrode layer 2, various conductive metals such as molybdenum, aluminum, titanium, tantalum, and gold can be employed. Moreover, the thickness of the lower electrode layer 2 should just be about 0.2 micrometer or more and about 1 micrometer or less, for example. The lower electrode layer 2 can be formed by, for example, a sputtering method or an evaporation method.

  The photoelectric conversion layer 3 is disposed on the lower electrode layer 2. The photoelectric conversion layer 3 includes a light absorption layer 31 and a buffer layer 32. The light absorption layer 31 and the buffer layer 32 are laminated on the lower electrode layer 2 in this order.

  The light absorption layer 31 is disposed on the main surface (also referred to as the upper surface) on the + Z side of the lower electrode layer 2. The light absorption layer 31 mainly includes a semiconductor having the first conductivity type, and absorbs light to generate charges. Here, as the semiconductor having the first conductivity type, for example, an I-III-VI group compound semiconductor which is a chalcopyrite compound semiconductor can be applied. The first conductivity type may be a p-type conductivity, for example.

  The I-III-VI group compound semiconductor is a semiconductor mainly containing an I-III-VI group compound. Note that the semiconductor mainly containing the I-III-VI group compound means that the semiconductor contains 70 mol% or more of the I-III-VI group compound. Also in the following description, “mainly included” means “70 mol% or more included”. I-III-VI group compounds mainly consist of group IB elements (also referred to as group 11 elements), group III-B elements (also referred to as group 13 elements), and group VI-B elements (also referred to as group 16 elements). It is a compound contained in.

Examples of the I-III-VI group compound include Cu (In, Ga) Se ₂ (also referred to as CIGS), Cu (In, Ga) (Se, S) ₂ (also referred to as CIGSS), and CuInSe ₂ (also referred to as CIS). Say) can be employed. Cu (In, Ga) Se ₂ is a compound mainly containing Cu, In, Ga, and Se. Cu (In, Ga) (Se, S) ₂ is a compound mainly containing Cu, In, Ga, Se, and S. Here, the light absorption layer 31 shall mainly contain CIGS.

  If the light absorption layer 31 mainly contains an I-III-VI group compound semiconductor, the efficiency of photoelectric conversion by the light absorption layer 31 can be improved even if the thickness of the light absorption layer 31 is 10 μm or less. obtain. For this reason, the thickness of the light absorption layer 31 should just be about 1 micrometer or more and about 3 micrometers or less, for example.

  The light absorption layer 31 can be formed by a vacuum process such as a sputtering method or an evaporation method. The light absorption layer 31 can also be formed by a process called a coating method or a printing method. In the coating method or the printing method, for example, a solution containing a metal element mainly contained in the light absorption layer 31 is applied on the lower electrode layer 2, and then drying and heat treatment are performed. By using a process called a coating method or a printing method, the cost required for manufacturing the photoelectric conversion device 100 can be reduced.

  The buffer layer 32 is disposed on the main surface (also referred to as an upper surface) on the + Z side of the light absorption layer 31 and mainly includes a semiconductor having a second conductivity type different from the first conductivity type of the light absorption layer 31. Including. Here, semiconductors having different conductivity types are semiconductors having different conductive carriers. The second conductivity type may be an n-type conductivity type, for example. The conductivity type of the light absorption layer 31 may be n-type, and the conductivity type of the buffer layer 32 may be p-type. Here, a heterojunction region is formed between the light absorption layer 31 and the buffer layer 32. For this reason, in the photoelectric conversion cell 10, photoelectric conversion can occur in the light absorption layer 31 and the buffer layer 32 that form the heterojunction region.

The buffer layer 32 mainly includes a compound semiconductor. Examples of compound semiconductors included in the buffer layer 32 include CdS, In ₂ S ₃ , ZnS, ZnO, In ₂ Se ₃ , In (OH, S), (Zn, In) (Se, OH), and (Zn, Mg) O or the like can be employed. If the buffer layer 32 has a resistivity of 1 Ω · cm or more, the generation of leakage current can be suppressed. The buffer layer 32 can be formed by, for example, a chemical bath deposition (CBD) method.

  The buffer layer 32 has a thickness in the normal direction of the upper surface of the light absorption layer 31. The thickness of the buffer layer 32 may be, for example, 10 nm or more and 200 nm or less. If the thickness of the buffer layer 32 is not less than 100 nm and not more than 200 nm, the buffer layer 32 is less likely to be damaged when the upper electrode layer 4 is formed on the buffer layer 32 by sputtering or the like.

  The upper electrode layer 4 is provided on the main surface (also referred to as the upper surface) on the + Z side of the photoelectric conversion layer 3. The upper electrode layer 4 is, for example, a transparent conductive layer (also referred to as a transparent conductive layer) having an n-type conductivity. The upper electrode layer 4 serves as an electrode for extracting charges generated in the photoelectric conversion layer 3. The upper electrode layer 4 only needs to mainly contain a material having a lower resistivity than the buffer layer 32. The upper electrode layer 4 may include what is called a window layer, and may include a window layer and a transparent conductive layer.

The upper electrode layer 4 mainly includes a transparent and low resistance material having a wide forbidden band width. As such a material, for example, ZnO, a compound of ZnO, a metal oxide semiconductor such as ITO containing Sn and SnO ₂ can be adopted. The ZnO compound only needs to contain any one element of Al, B, Ga, In, and F.

  The upper electrode layer 4 can be formed by sputtering, vapor deposition, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), or the like. The thickness of the upper electrode layer 4 may be, for example, about 0.1 μm or more and about 2.0 μm or less. Here, if the upper electrode layer 4 has a resistivity of less than 1 Ω · cm and a sheet resistance of 50 Ω / □ or less, electric charges are favorably extracted from the photoelectric conversion layer 3 through the upper electrode layer 4. Can be.

  Here, if the buffer layer 32 and the upper electrode layer 4 have a property of easily transmitting light with respect to the wavelength band of light that can be absorbed by the light absorption layer 31 (also referred to as light transmittance), A decrease in light absorption efficiency in the absorption layer 31 can be suppressed. In addition, when the thickness of the upper electrode layer 4 is 0.05 μm or more and 0.5 μm or less, the light transmittance in the upper electrode layer 4 is enhanced, and the current generated by the photoelectric conversion is improved by the upper electrode layer 4. Can be transmitted. Further, if the absolute refractive index of the upper electrode layer 4 and the absolute refractive index of the buffer layer 32 are substantially the same, the incident light loss caused by the reflection of light at the interface between the upper electrode layer 4 and the buffer layer 32 is reduced. Can be reduced.

  The linear conductive portion 5 is disposed on the upper surface of the upper electrode layer 4. When a plurality of linear conductive portions 5 are provided, the linear conductive portions 5 are separated in the Y-axis direction, and each linear conductive portion 5 extends in the X-axis direction. The linear conductive portion 5 can be formed by, for example, applying a metal paste on the upper surface of the upper electrode layer 4 and then drying and solidifying the metal paste. The metal paste can be produced, for example, by adding particles having high light reflectivity and conductivity to a binder such as a light-transmitting resin. Here, as the resin having translucency, for example, an epoxy resin or the like may be employed. Moreover, as particles contained in the metal paste, for example, metal particles such as copper, aluminum, nickel, and an alloy of zinc and silver can be employed. In this case, the linear conductive portion 5 includes a large number of conductive particles, and the large number of particles are in contact with each other, thereby ensuring good conductivity in the linear conductive portion 5. obtain.

The linear conductive portion 5 plays a role of collecting charges generated in the photoelectric conversion layer 3 and taken out in the upper electrode layer 4. Since the linear conductive portion 5 is arranged, the conductivity of the upper electrode layer 4 is supplemented, so that the upper electrode layer 4 can be thinned. As a result, it is possible to achieve both the securing of charge extraction efficiency and the improvement of light transmittance in the upper electrode layer 4. In addition, when the width of the linear conductive portion 5 is 50 μm or more and 400 μm or less, good conduction between the adjacent photoelectric conversion cells 10 is ensured, and a decrease in the amount of light incident on the light absorption layer 31 is suppressed. Can be done. The interval in the Y direction of the plurality of linear conductive portions 5 arranged in one photoelectric conversion cell 10 may be about 2.5 mm, for example.

  The current collector 6 includes a connecting part 6a and a hanging part 6c. The connecting portion 6a extends in the Y-axis direction. And each linear conductive part 5 is electrically connected to the connection part 6a. As shown in FIG. 3, the drooping portion 6c is connected to the lower portion of the connecting portion 6a, and can be connected to the lower electrode layer 2 extending from the adjacent photoelectric conversion cell 10 through the groove portion P2.

  The charges collected by the upper electrode layer 4 and the plurality of linear conductive portions 5 are transmitted to the adjacent photoelectric conversion cell 10 through the hanging portion 6c. Thereby, in the photoelectric conversion apparatus 100, the adjacent photoelectric conversion cells 10 are electrically connected in series.

<(1-3) Arrangement of groove and its role>
The groove part P1 extends linearly in the Y-axis direction. Since the one or more groove portions P1 are arranged, the plurality of lower electrode layers 2 are separated in the X-axis direction. In FIG. 2, two lower electrode layers 2 are shown. The extending part of the light absorption layer 31 arranged immediately above is embedded in the groove part P1. Thereby, in the adjacent photoelectric conversion cell 10, the lower electrode layer 2 of one photoelectric conversion cell 10 and the lower electrode layer 2 of the other photoelectric conversion cell 10 are electrically separated. The width of the groove portion P1 may be, for example, about 50 μm or more and about 400 μm or less, which is about the same as the width of the linear conductive portion 5.

  The groove part P2 extends linearly in the Y-axis direction. The groove portion P2 is disposed from the upper surface of the upper electrode layer 4 to the upper surface of the lower electrode layer 2. For this reason, the groove part P <b> 2 separates, in one photoelectric conversion cell 10, a stacked part in which the photoelectric conversion layer 3 and the upper electrode layer 4 are stacked in the X-axis direction.

  The groove part P3 extends in the Y-axis direction between the adjacent photoelectric conversion cells 10. The groove P3 is arranged from the main surface (also referred to as the upper surface) on the + Z side of the photoelectric conversion cell 10 to the upper surface of the lower electrode layer 2. That is, the groove part P3 is an area that separates adjacent photoelectric conversion cells 10. The width of the groove P3 may be, for example, about 40 μm or more and about 1000 μm or less. In addition, when the photoelectric conversion device 100 is modularized, for example, an insulating material such as resin enters the groove portions P3.

  Further, when each photoelectric conversion cell 10 is seen through from above the light receiving surface (here, + Z side), each photoelectric conversion cell 10 is provided with a groove portion P1, a groove portion P2, and a groove portion P3 in this order in the + X direction. Yes. For this reason, in each photoelectric conversion cell 10, the photoelectric conversion layer 3 is disposed from above the lower electrode layer 2 to the upper part of the adjacent lower electrode layer 2 over the groove P <b> 1. Here, the adjacent lower electrode layer 2 is the lower electrode layer 2 extending from the adjacent photoelectric conversion cell 10.

  Further, when each photoelectric conversion cell 10 is seen through from above the light receiving surface (here, + Z side), each photoelectric conversion cell 10 includes a region sandwiched between the groove portion P1 and the groove portion P3 including the groove portion P2. There are a region where the groove portion P1 is disposed and a remaining region. The remaining area is an area contributing to power generation.

  In the present embodiment, in each photoelectric conversion cell 10, the photoelectric conversion layer 3 is arranged from above the lower electrode layer 2 to the adjacent lower electrode layer 2, but is not limited thereto. For example, the photoelectric conversion layer 3 should just be distribute | arranged from the upper part of the lower electrode layer 2 to the inside of the groove part P1.

<(1-4) Configuration and Arrangement of Insulating Portion of Lower Electrode Layer>
As shown in FIG. 4, the lower electrode layer 2 has an insulating portion 2A. Note that the insulating part 2A shown in FIG. 4 is a gap 2Aa obtained by removing a part of the lower electrode layer 2. In the gap 2Aa, since the lower electrode layer 2 is removed, the upper surface of the substrate 1 is exposed. Such an insulating portion 2A is provided at a position overlapping the linear conductive portion 5 when viewed in plan on the XY plane. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the insulating portion 2 </ b> A is disposed so as to be located immediately below the linear conductive portion 5 with the photoelectric conversion layer 3 and the upper electrode layer 4 interposed therebetween. As a result, even when a defect that vertically cuts in the Z direction occurs in the photoelectric conversion layer 3 and the upper electrode layer 4, the metal paste that can be the linear conductive portion 5 is applied to the upper electrode layer 4. It becomes difficult for the paste to be electrically connected to the lower electrode layer 2 through the defect. This is because the metal paste flowing out from the defects existing in the photoelectric conversion layer 3 and the upper electrode layer 4 toward the lower electrode layer 2 stays on the insulating portion 2A. As shown in FIG. 4, when the insulating portion 2A is configured with the gap 2Aa, the metal paste stays on the upper surface of the substrate 1 provided with the gap 2Aa. Such an event is because the insulating part 2A is arranged according to the position where the metal paste is applied, that is, the position where the linear conductive part 5 is arranged. This makes it difficult for the metal paste to be electrically connected to the lower electrode layer 2 through the defects. As a result, the leakage due to the electrical connection between the linear conductive portion 5 and the lower electrode layer 2 is reduced, so that the reliability of the photoelectric conversion device 100 is improved.

  The size of the gap 2 </ b> Aa as shown in FIG. 4 may be the same size as the linear conductive portion 5. Thereby, the increase in resistance of the lower electrode layer 2 can be reduced. Further, the gap 2Aa can be formed in the lower electrode layer 2 by the same method as the method for forming the groove P1.

  Further, when the insulating portion 2A is configured with the gap 2Aa, as shown in FIG. 5, even if the alkali barrier layer 7 is provided on the upper surface of the substrate 1 exposed toward the gap 2Aa. Good. That is, the alkali barrier layer 7 is provided so as to fill the gap 2Aa. Thereby, when the substrate 1 contains an alkali metal element such as potassium or sodium, excessive diffusion of the alkali metal element into the photoelectric conversion layer 3 can be reduced. Therefore, the alkali barrier layer 7 has a function of controlling the diffusion of the alkali metal element.

Examples of the alkali barrier layer 7 include SiO ₂ , Ai ₂ O _{3, and} Si ₃ N ₄ . Moreover, the thickness in the Z direction of the alkali barrier layer 7 should just be 100-400 nm.

<(2) Manufacturing process of photoelectric conversion device>
Here, an example of a manufacturing process of the photoelectric conversion device 100 having the above configuration will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the manufacturing flow of the photoelectric conversion apparatus 100.

  First, in step Sp1, a flat substrate 1 having a substantially rectangular board surface is prepared.

  In step Sp2, the lower electrode layer 2 is formed on substantially the entire main surface of the cleaned substrate 1 by using a sputtering method or a vapor deposition method.

  In step Sp3, a straight line extends in one direction (in this case, the Y-axis direction shown in FIG. 1 and the like) from a predetermined formation target position on the upper surface of the lower electrode layer 2 to the upper surface of the substrate 1 immediately below it. The existing groove part P1 is formed. The groove P1 can be formed, for example, by irradiating a predetermined formation target position while scanning with a YAG laser or other laser light.

In step Sp4, a straight line extends in one direction (in this case, the X-axis direction shown in FIG. 1 and the like) from a predetermined formation target position on the upper surface of the lower electrode layer 2 to the upper surface of the substrate 1 immediately below it. The existing insulating portion 2A (gap 2Aa) is formed. The gap 2Aa can be formed by, for example, irradiating a predetermined formation target position while scanning with the light of a YAG laser or other laser. The formation target position of the insulating portion 2A can be determined in accordance with the pattern of the linear conductive portion 5 that can be formed in step Sp10. Note that in the insulating portion 2A, the lower electrode layer 2 may be formed in advance by a sputtering method so as to have a pattern having a gap 2Aa. At this time, the groove part P1 can also be formed by the same method. On the other hand, when the alkali barrier layer 7 is formed in the gap 2Aa, for example, the SiO ₂ layer may be formed using a sputtering method or a CVD method.

  In step Sp <b> 5, a film containing a metal element mainly contained in the light absorption layer 31 is formed on the lower electrode layer 2. The film can be formed, for example, by performing a drying process after a solution containing a metal element mainly contained in the light absorption layer 31 is applied on the lower electrode layer 2.

  In step Sp6, the heat treatment is performed on the film, so that the crystallization of the compound semiconductor in the film proceeds and the light absorption layer 31 is formed.

  In Step Sp7, the buffer layer 32 is formed on the light absorption layer 31. Thereby, the photoelectric conversion layer 3 in which the light absorption layer 31 and the buffer layer 32 are laminated is formed. The buffer layer 32 may be formed by, for example, a chemical bath deposition (CBD) method. Specifically, for example, the buffer layer 32 mainly containing CdS can be formed by immersing the light absorption layer 31 in a solution prepared by dissolving cadmium acetate and thiourea in ammonia.

  In Step Sp8, the upper electrode layer 4 is formed on the photoelectric conversion layer 3. The upper electrode layer 4 can be formed by, for example, a sputtering method, a vapor deposition method, a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method, or the like. Specifically, for example, the transparent upper electrode layer 4 mainly including ZnO added with Al is formed on the buffer layer 32.

  In step Sp9, in a region extending from a predetermined formation target position to the upper surface of the lower electrode layer 2 on the upper surface of the upper electrode layer 4, a linear shape is formed in one direction (here, the Y axis direction shown in FIG. 1 and the like). A groove portion P2 extending in the direction is formed. The groove part P2 can be formed by mechanical scribing using a scribe needle.

  In Step Sp10, the linear conductive portion 5 and the current collecting portion 6 (the connecting portion 6a and the hanging portion 6c) are formed from a predetermined formation target position on the upper surface of the upper electrode layer 4 to the inside of the groove portion P2. The linear conductive part 5 can be formed by, for example, printing so that the metal paste has a predetermined pattern, and solidifying the printed metal paste by drying.

  In step Sp11, in a region extending from a predetermined formation target position to the upper surface of the lower electrode layer 2 in the upper surface of the upper electrode layer 4, a linear shape is formed in one direction (here, the Y axis direction shown in FIG. 1 and the like). A groove portion P3 (see FIGS. 1 to 3) extending to is formed. Thereby, the photoelectric conversion apparatus 100 in which a plurality of photoelectric conversion cells 10 are arranged on the substrate 1 is obtained. The groove part P3 can be formed, for example, by mechanical scribing using a scribe needle or the like, similarly to the groove part P2.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various changes and improvements can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the photoelectric conversion device 100 includes the plurality of photoelectric conversion cells 10 connected in series. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the photoelectric conversion device 100 only needs to include one or more photoelectric conversion cells 10.

Moreover, in the said one Embodiment, although the light absorption layer 31 gave the example which mainly contains the I-III-VI group compound semiconductor which is a chalcopyrite type compound semiconductor, it is not restricted to this. For example, the semiconductor mainly contained in the light absorption layer 31 may be a compound semiconductor containing other chalcogen elements. As other compound semiconductors containing chalcogen elements, for example, I-II-IV-VI group compound semiconductors (CZTS) mainly containing four elements of Cu, Zn, Sn, and S and two elements of Cd and Te are mainly used. Including II-VI group compound semiconductors may be employed. The semiconductor mainly included in the light absorption layer 31 may be amorphous silicon, for example.

In the above embodiment, the insulating portion 2A may be replaced with the insulating layer 2Ab from the gap 2Aa. At this time, the insulating layer 2Ab is provided on the conductive portion 2B of the lower electrode layer 2 as shown in FIG. That is, the insulating layer 2Ab is located closer to the photoelectric conversion layer 3 than the conductive portion 2B of the lower electrode layer 2. Thereby, even if the photoelectric conversion layer 3 and the upper electrode layer 4 are defective, the metal paste that can reach the conductive portion 2B of the lower electrode layer 2 via the defect is likely to stay on the insulating layer 2Ab. Therefore, occurrence of leakage due to electrical connection between the conductive portion 2B of the lower electrode layer 2 and the linear conductive portion 5 can be reduced. Examples of such an insulating layer 2Ab include glass. An example of such glass is quartz glass. Such glass may be saw lime glass containing aluminum oxide (Al ₂ O ₃ ). The thickness of the insulating layer 2Ab in the Z direction may be 100 nm or more and 500 nm. Thereby, the insulation resistance of insulating layer 2Ab is easy to be ensured. Such an insulating layer 2Ab can be formed to have a desired pattern shape by using, for example, a sputtering method. Alternatively, the insulating layer 2Ab may be formed by applying a glass material to the entire upper surface of the conductive portion 2B of the lower electrode layer 2 by a sputtering method and then performing an etching process so as to have a desired pattern shape.

  On the other hand, the insulating part 2A (insulating layer 2Ab) may have a larger area than the linear conductive part 5 when viewed in plan on the XY plane, as shown in FIG. In FIG. 8, the insulating layer 2Ab that can be seen through on the XY plane is shown as a portion surrounded by a dotted line. Thereby, when the metal paste is applied, the metal paste is easily retained on the insulating layer 2Ab even if the metal paste spreads from a desired position due to bleeding or the like. As a result, leaks are less likely to occur. At this time, the size of the insulating layer 2 </ b> Ab located immediately below one linear conductive portion 5 may be 1.1 to 2 times the area of the linear conductive portion 5. Thereby, generation | occurrence | production of the leak mentioned above can be reduced, making the excessive fall of the current collection effect | action of the upper electrode layer 4 small. In addition, although the form shown by FIG. 8 is illustrated by insulating layer 2Ab, gap 2Aa may be sufficient. That is, a gap 2Aa having a larger area than the linear conductive portion 5 may be formed when the photoelectric conversion device 100 is viewed in plan on the XY plane.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Board | substrate 2 Lower electrode layer 2A Insulation part 2Aa Crevice 2Ab Insulation layer 2B Conductive part 3 Photoelectric conversion layer 31 Light absorption layer 32 Buffer layer 4 Upper electrode layer 5 Linear conductive part 6 Current collection part 6a Connection part 6b Hanging part 7 Alkali barrier Layer 10 Photoelectric conversion cell 100 Photoelectric conversion device

Claims (6)

A substrate,
A first electrode layer provided on the substrate;
A photoelectric conversion layer provided on the first electrode layer;
A second electrode layer provided on the photoelectric conversion layer;
A linear conductive portion provided on the second electrode layer,
The first electrode layer has an insulating portion;
The insulating part is a photoelectric conversion device in a position overlapping the linear conductive part when viewed in plan.   The photoelectric conversion device according to claim 1, wherein the insulating portion is a gap.   The photoelectric conversion device according to claim 2, further comprising an alkali barrier layer on the substrate on which the insulating portion is located.   The photoelectric conversion device according to claim 1, wherein the insulating portion is an insulating layer positioned on the photoelectric conversion layer side.   The photoelectric conversion device according to claim 4, wherein the insulating layer is made of glass.   The photoelectric conversion device according to claim 1, wherein the insulating portion has a larger area than the linear conductive portion when viewed in plan.

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