Metal plating composition and method for the deposition of Copper-Zinc-Tin suitable for manufacturing thin film solar cell

• Main Authors: SCHULZE, JOERG, KUEHNLEIN, HOLGER, VOS, TORSTEN
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 15.02.2012
• Subjects: APPARATUS THEREFOR; BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; CHEMISTRY; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATIONOR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY IONIMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; ELECTRIC SOLID STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRICITY; ELECTROFORMING; ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION INGENERAL; METALLURGY; PROCESSES FOR THE ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PRODUCTIONOF COATINGS; SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THESURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION

To be able to form a copper-zinc-tin alloy which optionally comprises at least one chalcogenide and thus forms a semiconductor without the use of toxic substances a metal plating composition for the deposition of a copper-zinc-tin alloy is disclosed, wherein said metal plating composition comprises at least one copper plating species, at least one zinc plating species, at least one tin plating species and at least one complexing agent and further, if the alloy contains at least one chalcogen, at least one chalcogen plating species. The metal plating composition additionally comprises at least one additive, selected from the group comprising disubstituted benzene compounds having general chemical formula I, wherein R 1 and R 2 are the same or different, are selected independently from the group comprising OH, SH, NR 3 R 4 , CO-R 5 , COOR 5 , CONR 3 R 4 , COSR 5 , SO 2 OR 5 SO 2 R 5 , SO 2 NR 3 R 4 and the salts thereof or have the aforementioned meanings and form a common condensation chain; with R 3 and R 4 being the same or different, being selected independently from the group comprising H and alkyl; and with R 5 being selected from the group comprising H, alkyl and hydroxyalkyl. Such alloys comprising at least one of sulfur and selenium may be used as an absorber in a thin film solar cell, which comprises a substrate (a) being coated with a back contact (b), the absorber layer (c), a buffer layer (d), a TCO / window layer (e) and a front grid (f).