Fusion formable silica and sodium containing glasses

• Main Authors: Dickinson, Jr. James Edward, Aitken Bruce Gardiner, Kiczenski Timothy J
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 27.12.2016
• Subjects: BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF GLASSES, GLAZES, OR VITREOUSENAMELS; CHEMISTRY; ELECTRIC SOLID STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRICITY; GLASS; JOINING GLASS TO GLASS OR OTHER MATERIALS; METALLURGY; MINERAL OR SLAG WOOL; SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; SURFACE TREATMENT OF FIBRES OR FILAMENTS MADE FROM GLASS,MINERALS OR SLAGS; SURFACE TREATMENT OF GLASS

Sodium containing aluminosilicate and boroaluminosilicate glasses are described herein. The glasses can be used as substrates or superstrates for photovoltaic devices, for example, thin film photovoltaic devices such as CIGS photovoltaic devices. These glasses can be characterized as having strain points ≧535° C., for example, ≧570° C., thermal expansion coefficients of from 8 to 9 ppm/° C., as well as liquidus viscosities in excess of 50,000 poise. As such they are ideally suited for being formed into sheet by the fusion process.