US Patent 8168089 - Nanoparticle ink for CIGS photovoltaics

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/8168089.html

This patent from Nanosolar teaches using non-oxide nanoparticles in a photovoltaic ink solution to enable low temperature, higher volume manufacture on flexible substrates. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method for fabricating a liquid containing intermixed elements of groups IB and IIIA, comprising the steps of:

forming non-oxide nanoparticles containing elemental elements from group IB; IIIA; and VIA;

intermixing the non-oxide nanoparticles; and

mixing the non-oxide nanoparticles to form a liquid that serves as an ink, wherein forming a mixture of non-oxide nanoparticles includes reacting a single-source precursor to form nanoparticles of IB-IIIA-VIA material.