TECHNIQUES FOR MANUFACTURING SOLAR CELLS

• US 20100059362A1
• Filed: 09/09/2009
• Published: 03/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates Incorporated (Applied Materials Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates Incorporated (Applied Materials Incorporated)
• Inventors: Anella, Steven
• Granted Patent: US 8,354,653 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 204/192.110
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/042 using masks
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/48 Ion implantation
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/31711 using mask
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3171 for ion implantation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24273 including aperture
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24298 Noncircular aperture [e.g., slit, diamond, rectangular, etc.]

Abstract

Techniques for manufacturing solar cells are disclosed. In one particular exemplary embodiment, the technique may be comprise disposing the solar cell downstream of an ion source; disposing a mask between the ion source and the solar cell, the mask including a front surface, a back surface, and at least one aperture extending in an aperture direction from the front surface to the back surface; and directing ions from the ion source to the solar cell along an ion beam path and through the at least one aperture of the mask, where the ion beam path may be non-parallel relative to the aperture direction.

Claims

1. A method of processing a solar cell, the method comprising:

disposing the solar cell downstream of an ion source;

disposing a mask between the ion source and the solar cell, the mask including a front surface, a back surface, and at least one aperture extending in an aperture direction from the front surface to the back surface; and

directing ions from the ion source to the solar cell along an ion beam path and through the at least one aperture of the mask, wherein the ion beam path is non-parallel relative to the aperture direction.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the aperture direction is non-perpendicular relative to the solar cell.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the aperture direction is substantially perpendicular relative to the solar cell.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising disposing the mask in a substantially parallel orientation with respect to the solar cell.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising

disposing the mask in a non-parallel orientation with respect to the solar cell.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the ion beam path is substantially perpendicular to the solar cell.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the ions contains one or more elements selected from a group consisting of:

hydrogen (H), boron (B), aluminum (Al), gallium (Ga), indium (In), thallium (Tl), carbon (C), silicon (Si), germanium (Ge), tin (Sn), lead (Pb), nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), arsenic (As), antimony (Sb), bismuth (Bi) oxygen, tellurium (Te), fluorine (F), chlorine (Cl), helium (He), neon (Ne), krypton (Kr), argon (Ar), and xenon (Xe).

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the mask comprises one or more materials selected from a group consisting of:

graphite, silicon, quartz, and SiC.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the aperture has one or more shapes selected from a group consisting of:

a circular shape, a rectangular shape, an oval shape, and a square shape.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising

contacting at least a portion of the mask to at least a portion of the solar cell.

11. An ion implanter for processing a solar cell, the ion implanter comprising:

an ion source for generating ions;

a target support disposed downstream of the ion source for supporting the solar cell in a target plane;

a mask disposed between the ion source and the target support, the mask including a front surface, a back surface, and at least one aperture extending from the front surface to the back surface and along an aperture direction; and

a beam-line component for directing ions to the solar cell along an ion beam path, wherein the ion beam path is non-parallel relative to the aperture direction.

12. The ion implanter according to claim 11, wherein the aperture direction is non-perpendicular relative to the solar cell.

13. The ion implanter according to claim 11, wherein the aperture direction is substantially perpendicular relative to the solar cell.

14. The ion implanter according to claim 11, wherein the mask is in a substantially parallel orientation with respect to the solar cell.

15. The ion implanter according to claim 11, wherein the mask is in a non-parallel orientation with respect to the solar cell.

16. The ion implanter of claim 11, wherein the ion beam path is non-perpendicular relative to the solar cell.

17. The ion implanter of claim 11, wherein the at least one aperture extends in a direction that is non-perpendicular to at least one of the front and back surface of the mask.

18. The ion implanter of claim 11, wherein the at least one aperture extends in a direction that is substantially perpendicular to the at least one of the front and back surface of the mask.

19. The ion implanter of claim 11, wherein the ions contains one or more elements selected from a group consisting of:

hydrogen (H), boron (B), aluminum (Al), gallium (Ga), indium (In), thallium (Tl), carbon (C), silicon (Si), germanium (Ge), tin (Sn), lead (Pb), nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), arsenic (As), antimony (Sb), bismuth (Bi) oxygen, tellurium (Te), fluorine (F), chlorine (Cl), helium (He), neon (Ne), krypton (Kr), argon (Ar), and xenon (Xe).

20. The ion implanter of claim 11, wherein the mask comprises one or more materials selected from a group consisting of:

graphite, silicon, quartz, and SiC.

21. The ion implanter of claim 11, wherein the aperture has one or more shapes selected from a group consisting of:

a circular shape, a rectangular shape, an oval shape, and a square shape.

22. The ion implanter of claim 11, further comprising:

a mask holder configured to support the mask in a mask plane, the mask plane being non-parallel to the target plane.

23. A mask for processing a solar cell, the mask comprising:

a front surface;

a back surface;

a first and second aperture side extending from the front surface to the back surface to define an aperture extending along an aperture direction and,

wherein at least a portion of the first aperture side surface is non-perpendicular to at least one of the front and back surfaces.

24. The mask according to claim 23, wherein the aperture has one or more shapes selected from a group consisting of:

a circular shape, a rectangular shape, an oval shape, and a square shape.

25. The mask according to claim 23, wherein the mask comprises one or more materials selected from a group consisting of:

graphite, silicon, quartz, and SiC.