Patent ID: 8519435

Claim:
A method of making a photovoltaic cell comprising: providing a superstrate layer comprising a polyimide material having a first light transmission characteristic, as measured in light transparency; depositing a transparent conductive oxide (TCO) layer having a first sheet resistance characteristic, as measured in ohms, onto the superstrate layer; depositing a highly resistive transparent (HRT) material onto the TCO layer under process conditions that substantially avoid degradation of the TCO layer, in which the TCO layer has a first electrical sheet resistance between about 5 and 8 ohms and a transparency of visible light greater than about 85%; depositing a semiconductor junction having at least an n-type layer and at least a p-type layer onto the HRT material under process conditions that avoid substantial degradation of the HRT material; exposing the semiconductor junction to a CdCl 2 treatment sufficient to i) cause the superstrate layer to take on a second light transmission characteristic, and ii) cause the TCO layer to take on a second sheet resistance characteristic; the at least one of the second light transmission characteristic and the second sheet resistance characteristic permitting a photovoltaic cell efficiency of at least about 9%; and applying a back electrode coating layer.