PATTERNED ASSEMBLY FOR MANUFACTURING A SOLAR CELL AND A METHOD THEREOF

• US 20100041176A1
• Filed: 10/22/2009
• Published: 02/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates Incorporated (Applied Materials Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates Incorporated (Applied Materials Incorporated)
• Inventors: Nunan, Peter, Walther, Steven R., SULLIVAN, Paul
• Granted Patent: US 8,222,053 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 438/72
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/022425 for solar cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/03529 Shape of the potential jump barrier or surface barrier
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/068 the potential barriers being only of the PN homojunction type, e.g. bulk silicon PN homojunction solar cells or thin film polycrystalline silicon PN homojunction solar cells
• 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: Y02E 10/547 Monocrystalline silicon PV cells

Abstract

Apparatuses and methods for manufacturing a solar cell are disclosed. In a particular embodiment, the solar cell may be manufactured by disposing a solar cell in a chamber having a particle source; disposing a patterned assembly comprising an aperture and an assembly segment between the particle source and the solar cell; and selectively implanting first type dopants traveling through the aperture into a first region of the solar cell while minimizing introduction of the first type dopants into a region outside of the first region.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a solar cell, comprising:

introducing a first dopant to a first region of said solar cell;

implanting a second region of said solar cell with a second dopant using a patterned assembly;

annealing said solar cell; and

depositing an anti-reflective coating on said solar cell.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said second region is smaller than said first region.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said introducing is selected from the group consisting of diffusion and ion implantation.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said first dopant and said second dopant are the same.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said first dopant and said second dopant are selected from the group consisting of B and P.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said second region is interior to said first region.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said second region is a contact region.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising applying a wire to said second region.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said applying comprises a screen print lithographic process.

10. A method for manufacturing a solar cell, comprising:

implanting a first region of said solar cell with a first dopant;

implanting a second region of said solar cell with a second dopant using a patterned assembly, said second region being inside said first region;

annealing said solar cell;

forming an oxide layer on said solar cell; and

depositing an anti-reflective coating on said solar cell.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said first dopant and said second dopant are selected from the group consisting of B and P.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein said second region is a contact region.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising applying a wire to said second region.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said applying comprises a screen print lithographic process.

15. A method for manufacturing a solar cell, comprising:

implanting a first region of said solar cell with a first dopant using a patterned assembly;

implanting a second region of said solar cell with a second dopant using said patterned assembly, said second region adjacent said first region; and

annealing said solar cell.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said first dopant and said second dopant are selected from the group consisting of B and P.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising applying at least one wire to said first region and said second region.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said applying comprises a screen print lithographic process.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising implanting a first contact region of said first region with said first dopant and implanting a second contact region of said second region with said second dopant.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising forming an oxide layer on said solar cell.