Solar Cells and Methods for Manufacturing Same
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
This invention relates to a method for contacting solar wafers containing one or more layers of temperature sensitive passivation layers by first creating local openings in the passivation layer(s) and then fill the openings with an electric conducting material. In this way, it becomes possible to avoid the relatively high temperatures needed in the conventional method for contacting solar wafers containing one or more passivation layer(s), and thus maintain the excellent passivation properties of newly developed temperature sensitive passivation layer(s) during and after the contacting.
-
Citations
38 Claims
-
1-19. -19. (canceled)
-
20. A method for contacting a metallic semiconductor wafer,
where the wafer has at least one thin diffused layer of one type of conductivity (p- or n-type) on one side of the wafer, and the bulk wafer has the other type of conductivity (n- or p-type), and at least one deposited surface passivation layer/film on at least one of the first (light receiving side) or second (back side) surface, wherein forming a contact site by creating at least one opening in the at least one passivation layer by locally removing the at least one passivation layer to expose the underlying surface of the semiconductor wafer, and then establishing electric contact with the semiconductor wafer by filling the at least one opening in the at least one passivation layer with an electrically conducting material that is UV-light resistant and functional at temperatures up to at least about 150 to 250° - C. by employing one of the following techniques;
electroless plating or electroplating, or ink-jet printing or screen-printing of a paste containing the electricity conducting material followed by a gentle annealing up to 550°
C. or less, depending on the heat sensitivity of the passivation layer(s). - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
- C. by employing one of the following techniques;
-
35. A solar cell comprising
a silicon semiconductor wafer of one type of conductivity (p- or n-type) having a at least one thin diffused layer of the other type conductivity (n- or p-type), and at least one deposited surface passivation layer/film on at least one of the first (light receiving side) or second (back side) surface, at least one contact site point at the first and second surface establishing electric contact with the wafer, and at least one electric contact on both sides of the wafer, wherein the at least one passivation layer(s) is formed by using at least one hydrogen containing precursor gas in a plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition chamber (PECVD-chamber) followed by a gentle annealing such that at least a portion of the free bonds in the surface region of the silicon semiconductor wafer is satisfied by in-diffusion of hydrogen atoms.
Specification