Method for producing single crystal silicon solar cell and single crystal silicon solar cell

• US 20080121275A1
• Filed: 10/19/2007
• Published: 05/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Shin-Etsu Chemical Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Shin-Etsu Chemical Company Limited
• Inventors: TANAKA, Koichi, AKIYAMA, Shoji, KUBOTA, Yoshihiro, ITO, Atsuo, TOBISAKA, Yuuji, KAWAI, Makoto
• Granted Patent: US 8,227,289 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 136/255
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0682 back-junction, i.e. rearside emitter, solar cells, e.g. interdigitated base-emitter regions back-junction cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/1804 comprising only elements of Group IV of the Periodic Table
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/186 Particular post-treatment for the devices, e.g. annealing, impurity gettering, short-circuit elimination, recrystallisation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/1896 for thin-film semiconductors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/547 Monocrystalline silicon PV cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

Abstract

There is disclosed a method for producing a single crystal silicon solar cell comprising the steps of: implanting hydrogen ions or rare gas ions into a single crystal silicon substrate through an ion implanting surface thereof to form an ion implanted layer in the single crystal silicon substrate; conducting a surface activating treatment for at least one of: the ion implanting surface of the single crystal silicon substrate; and a surface of the transparent insulator substrate; bonding the ion implanting surface of the single crystal silicon substrate and the transparent insulator substrate to each other, in a manner that the surface(s) subjected to the surface activating treatment is/are used as a bonding surface(s); applying an impact to the ion implanted layer to mechanically delaminate the single crystal silicon substrate thereat to leave a single crystal silicon layer; and forming a plurality of diffusion regions having a second conductivity type at the delaminated surface side of the single crystal silicon layer, in a manner that a plurality of first conductivity-type regions and a plurality of second conductivity-type regions are present at the delaminated surface of the single crystal silicon layer. There can be provided a single crystal silicon solar cell as a see-through type solar cell, including a thin-film light conversion layer made of single crystal silicon having a higher crystallinity.

Claims

1. A method for producing a single crystal silicon solar cell, the solar cell including a transparent insulator substrate and a single crystal silicon layer arranged over the transparent insulator substrate and acting as a light conversion layer, the method comprising at least the steps of:

preparing the transparent insulator substrate and a single crystal silicon substrate having a first conductivity type;

implanting at least one of hydrogen ions and rare gas ions into the single crystal silicon substrate through an ion implanting surface thereof to form an ion implanted layer in the single crystal silicon substrate;

conducting a surface activating treatment for at least one of;

the ion implanting surface of the single crystal silicon substrate; and

at least one surface of the transparent insulator substrate;

bonding the ion implanting surface of the single crystal silicon substrate and the transparent insulator substrate to each other, in a manner that the surface(s) subjected to the surface activating treatment is/are used as a bonding surface(s);

applying an impact to the ion implanted layer to mechanically delaminate the single crystal silicon substrate thereat to leave a single crystal silicon layer;

forming a plurality of diffusion regions having a second conductivity type at the delaminated surface side of the single crystal silicon layer, which conductivity type is different from the first conductivity type, in a manner that a plurality of p-n junctions are formed at least in the plane direction, and that the plurality of first conductivity-type regions and the plurality of second conductivity-type regions are present at the delaminated surface of the single crystal silicon layer;

forming a plurality of first individual electrodes on the plurality of first conductivity-type regions of the single crystal silicon layer, respectively, and a plurality of second individual electrodes on the plurality of second conductivity-type regions, respectively; and

forming a first collector electrode for connecting the plurality of first individual electrodes to one another and a second collector electrode for connecting the plurality of second individual electrodes to one another.

2. The method for producing a single crystal silicon solar cell according to claim 1, wherein the surface activating treatment is at least one of a plasma treatment and an ozone treatment.

3. The method for producing a single crystal silicon solar cell according to claim 1, wherein the transparent insulator substrate is made of any one of quartz glass, crystallized glass, borosilicate glass, and soda-lime glass.

4. The method for producing a single crystal silicon solar cell according to claim 2, wherein the transparent insulator substrate is made of any one of quartz glass, crystallized glass, borosilicate glass, and soda-lime glass.

5. The method for producing a single crystal silicon solar cell according to claim 1, wherein the ion implantation is conducted at a depth between 0.1 μ

m inclusive and 5 μ

m inclusive from the ion implanting surface.

6. The method for producing a single crystal silicon solar cell according to claim 2, wherein the ion implantation is conducted at a depth between 0.1 μ

m inclusive and 5 μ

m inclusive from the ion implanting surface.

7. The method for producing a single crystal silicon solar cell according to claim 3, wherein the ion implantation is conducted at a depth between 0.1 μ

m inclusive and 5 μ

m inclusive from the ion implanting surface.

8. The method for producing a single crystal silicon solar cell according to claim 4, wherein the ion implantation is conducted at a depth between 0.1 μ

m inclusive and 5 μ

m inclusive from the ion implanting surface.

9. A single crystal silicon solar cell produced by the method for producing a single crystal silicon solar cell according to claim 1.

10. A single crystal silicon solar cell produced by the method for producing a single crystal silicon solar cell according to claim 8.

15. The single crystal silicon solar cell according to claim 9, wherein the single crystal silicon solar cell can be seen through from one surface side toward the other surface side.

16. The single crystal silicon solar cell according to claim 10, wherein the single crystal silicon solar cell can be seen through from one surface side toward the other surface side.

11. A single crystal silicon solar cell comprising:

at least, a transparent insulator substrate, and a single crystal silicon layer, which are laminated to each other;

a plurality of first conductivity-type regions and a plurality of second conductivity-type regions formed in the single crystal silicon layer at a surface side thereof opposite to the transparent insulator substrate side;

a plurality of p-n junctions formed at least in the plane direction of the single crystal silicon layer;

a plurality of first individual electrodes formed on the plurality of first conductivity-type regions of the single crystal silicon layer, respectively, and a plurality of second individual electrodes formed on the plurality of second conductivity-type regions of the single crystal silicon layer, respectively; and

a first collector electrode for connecting the plurality of first individual electrodes to one another, and a second collector electrode for connecting the plurality of second individual electrodes to one another.

12. The single crystal silicon solar cell according to claim 11, wherein the transparent insulator substrate is made of any one of quartz glass, crystallized glass, borosilicate glass, and soda-lime glass.

13. The single crystal silicon solar cell according to claim 11, wherein the single crystal silicon layer has a thickness between 0.1 μ

m inclusive and 5 μ

m inclusive.

14. The single crystal silicon solar cell according to claim 12, wherein the single crystal silicon layer has a thickness between 0.1 μ

m inclusive and 5 μ

m inclusive.

17. The single crystal silicon solar cell according to claim 11, wherein the single crystal silicon solar cell can be seen through from one surface side toward the other surface side.

18. The single crystal silicon solar cell according to claim 12, wherein the single crystal silicon solar cell can be seen through from one surface side toward the other surface side.

19. The single crystal silicon solar cell according to claim 13, wherein the single crystal silicon solar cell can be seen through from one surface side toward the other surface side.

20. The single crystal silicon solar cell according to claim 14, wherein the single crystal silicon solar cell can be seen through from one surface side toward the other surface side.