Patent ID: 8003432

Claim:
A method for forming a thin film photovoltaic device, the method comprising: providing a transparent substrate having a surface region; forming a first electrode layer over the surface region of the transparent substrate; moving the transparent substrate from a first station to a second station, the second station including an indium target; using the indium target, forming a thin layer of indium material over the first electrode layer to act as an intermediary glue layer to facilitate attachment to the first electrode layer; forming a copper material over the thin layer of indium material; forming an indium layer over the copper material to provide a multi layered structure having a first thickness; subjecting the multi-layered structure to a thermal treatment process in an environment containing a sulfur bearing species to form a copper indium disulfide alloy material while consuming substantially all of the indium layer by the treatment process, the copper indium disulfide alloy material having an atomic ratio of copper indium ranging from about 1.35:1 to about 3:1, the copper indium disulfide alloy material having a second thickness of more than two times the first thickness; forming a copper sulfide material over the copper indium disulfide alloy material during the thermal treatment process; selectively removing the copper sulfide material from the copper indium disulfide alloy material; and forming a window layer overlying the copper indium disulfide material.