Integrated capacitor-like battery and associated method

Abstract

A method and system for fabricating solid-state energy-storage and energy-conversion devices including fabrication of films for devices without an anneal step, especially for the fabrication of supercapacitors and photovoltaic cells. A film is fabricated by depositing a first material layer to a location. Energy is supplied directly to the material forming the film. The energy can be in the form of energized ions of a second material. Supplying energy directly to the material and/or the film being deposited assists the growth of the crystalline structure of the film and controls stoichiometry.

1 . A method of fabricating a photovoltaic device, comprising: 
 providing a substrate;    forming an electrode first film on the substrate;    forming a semiconductor second film on the electrode first film;    forming a semiconductor third film on the semiconductor second film; and    forming an electrode fourth film on the semiconductor third, film    wherein one of forming the second film and forming the third film includes: 
 depositing semiconductor material using a deposition source; and  
   supplying focussed energy to the semiconductor material to deposit the semiconductor material into a highly ordered crystalline film structure.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein supplying energy includes supplying energized particles having energy of greater than about 5 eV and less than about 3000 eV.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein supplying energy includes supplying energized particles having energy in the range of about 5 eV to about 500 eV.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein supplying energy includes supplying energized particles having energy in the range of about 5 eV to about 250 eV.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein supplying energy includes supplying energized particles having energy in the range of about 10 eV to about 200 eV.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein supplying energy includes supplying energized particles having energy in the range of about 20 eV to about 40 eV.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein forming the second film includes depositing CdS.  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein forming the third film includes depositing CdTe.  
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein forming the second film includes the supplying energy, and wherein the supplying energy includes supplying ionized sulfur.  
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein forming the second film includes depositing the cadmium and reacting the cadmium with the ionized sulfur.  
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein forming the third film includes the supplying energy, and wherein the supplying energy includes supplying energized ions.  
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein supplying energy includes supplying ions simultaneously with depositing material from the deposition source.  
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein supplying energy includes supplying oxygen ions.  
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the substrate is not heated during forming the second film or the third film.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein forming the semiconductor third film on the semiconductor second film includes depositing a high quality first region and then depositing a second highly doped region on the first region.  
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the one of forming the second film and forming the third film includes providing energy to the semiconductor material being deposited by only means sending the semiconductor material toward the cell and by the means supplying energy.  
     
     
         17 . A photovoltaic cell made according to a method comprising: 
 providing a substrate;    forming a essentially transparent electrode first film on the substrate;    forming a semiconductor second film on the electrode first film;    forming a semiconductor third film on the semiconductor second film; and    forming an electrode fourth film on the semiconductor third, film    wherein one of forming the second film and forming the third film includes: 
 depositing semiconductor material using a deposition source; and  
 supplying focussed energy to the semiconductor material to deposit the semiconductor material into a highly ordered crystalline film structure.  
   
     
     
         18 . A photovoltaic cell made according to  claim 17 , further wherein 
 the substrate is essentially transparent; and    the semiconductor third film includes a high quality first region adjacent to the second film and a highly doped second region remote from the second film, and the first region and the second film form a PN junction of the photovoltaic cell.    
     
     
         19 . An apparatus for fabricating a photovoltaic device on a substrate, comprising: 
 means for forming an electrode first film on the substrate;    means for forming a high-quality semiconductor second film on the electrode first film;    means for forming a high-quality semiconductor third film on the semiconductor second film; and    means for forming an electrode fourth film on the semiconductor third, film    wherein one of the means for forming the second film and the means for forming the third film includes:    means for depositing semiconductor material using a deposition source and for supplying focused energy to the semiconductor material to deposit the semiconductor material into a highly ordered crystalline film structure.