SOLAR CELL AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME, AND SOLAR CELL MODULE

• US 20100224228A1
• Filed: 03/02/2010
• Published: 09/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Choi, Minho, Yun, Juhwan, Kim, Jonghwan, Kim, Sungjin, KIM, Jinah, Lee, Seongeun, Jung, Ilhyoung, Lee, Younghyun, Nam, Jeongbeom
• Application Number:
  US12/715,886
• Publication Number:
  US 20100224228A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 136/244
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/02168 the coatings being antireflective or having enhancing optical properties for the solar cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/022425 for solar cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/022433 Particular geometry of the grid contacts
• 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: Y02E 10/547 Monocrystalline silicon PV cells

Abstract

A charge transferor of a solar cell, which collects and transfer charges generated from a semiconductor substrate, includes at least one electrode collecting the charges; and at least one collector transferring the charges collected by the at least one electrode, the at least one collector being included in at least one collector region on the substrate, wherein the at least one collector region in a first direction comprises at least one deletion portion where the at least one collector is not formed.

Claims

1. A charge transferor of a solar cell, which collects and transfer charges generated from a semiconductor substrate, the charge transferor comprising:

a plurality of electrodes which collects the charges and are disposed on the semiconductor substrate and extending generally in a first direction; and

at least one collector which transfers the charges collected by the plurality of electrodes, the at least one collector being included in at least one collector region disposed on the semiconductor substrate and extending generally in a second direction that crosses the first direction,

wherein the at least one collector region further includes at least one deletion portion where a portion of the at least one collector is not formed.

2. The charge transferor of claim 1, wherein the plurality of electrodes includes a first electrode and a second electrode, the at least one collector includes a first collector and a second collector, and the at least one collector region has an area defined by a width in the first direction and a length in the second direction,

the width including a first point on the first electrode that contacts a first peripheral point of the first collector and a second point on the first electrode that contacts a second peripheral point of the first collector, and

the length including the first point on the first electrode that contacts the first peripheral point of the first collector and a first point on the second electrode that contacts a first peripheral point of the second collector.

3. The charge transferor of claim 1, wherein the at least one collector region comprises a plurality of the collectors positioned between pairs of the plurality of electrodes and connected to the pairs of the plurality of electrodes.

4. The charge transferor of claim 3, wherein the at least one collector region further comprises at least one connecting region positioned between a neighboring pair of the plurality of the collectors and connected to the neighboring pair of the plurality of the collectors.

5. The charge transferor of claim 4, wherein a width of the at least one connecting region in the first direction and a width of the plurality of the collectors in the first direction are different from each other.

6. The charge transferor of claim 3, wherein at least one of two lateral sides of the at least one collector region comprises a corrugated portion.

7. The charge transferor of claim 6, wherein the corrugated portion has a triangular saw-toothed shape.

8. The charge transferor of claim 6, wherein the corrugated portion has a rectangular saw-toothed shape.

9. The charge transferor of claim 3, wherein the plurality of the collectors have the same shape.

10. The charge transferor of claim 3, wherein the plurality of the collectors in the at least one collector region includes at least one metal strip extending in the second direction.

11. The charge transferor of claim 10, wherein a width of the at least one metal strip is greater than or equal to a width of the plurality of collectors.

12. The charge transferor of claim 1, wherein the plurality of electrodes comprises a plurality of point contacts positioned on the semiconductor substrate to be spaced apart from each other so as to collect the charges.

13. The charge transferor of claim 12, wherein the at least one collector is formed as a strip positioned on the semiconductor substrate and on the plurality of point contacts.

14. The charge transferor of claim 13, wherein the strip is made of at least one of a metal and a transparent conductive material.

17. The charge transferor of claim 14, wherein the strip is made of at least one of a metal and a transparent conductive material.

15. A charge transferor of a solar cell, which collects and transfer charges generated from a semiconductor substrate, the charge transferor comprising:

at least one electrode to collect the charges; and

at least one collector to transfer the charges collected by the at least one electrode,

wherein the at least one electrode comprises a plurality of contact points positioned on the semiconductor substrate to be spaced apart from each other so as to collect the charges.

16. The charge transferor of claim 15, wherein the at least one electrode comprises a strip positioned on and along the plurality of point contacts.

18. A solar cell, comprising:

a substrate of a first conductive type;

an emitter layer of a second conductive type, which is opposite to the first conductive type, and positioned on the substrate;

a plurality of first electrodes electrically connected to the emitter layer;

at least one first collector connected to the plurality of first electrodes, the at least one first collector being included in at least one first collector region on the substrate;

a second electrode electrically connected to the substrate; and

at least one second collector connected to the second electrode, the at least one second collector being included in at least one second collector region on the substrate,

wherein at least one of the at least one first collector region and the at least one second collector region comprises at least one deletion portion where the at least one first collector or the at least one second collector is not formed.

19. The solar cell of claim 18, wherein the at least one collector region comprises a plurality of the first collectors connected to the plurality of first electrodes, or the at least one second collector region comprises a plurality of the second collectors connected to the second electrode, or both.

20. The solar cell of claim 19, wherein the at least one collector region comprises at least one connection region positioned between a neighboring pair of the plurality of first collectors and connected thereto, or the at least one second collector region comprises at least one connecting region positioned between a neighboring pair of the plurality of the second collectors and connected thereto, or both.

21. The solar cell of claim 20, wherein at least one of the at least one first collector region and the at least one second collector region comprises a corrugated portion on at least one of two lateral sides.

22. The solar cell of claim 21, wherein the corrugated portion has a triangular saw-toothed shape.

23. The solar cell of claim 21, wherein the corrugated portion has a rectangular saw-toothed shape.

24. The solar cell of claim 19, wherein the at least one first collector region comprises the plurality of the first collectors, and the plurality of the first collectors is positioned between each pair of the plurality of first electrodes.

25. The solar cell of claim 19, wherein at least one of the at least one first collector and the second collector is a metal film extending in the at least one of the at least one first collector region and the second collector region.

26. The solar cell of claim 19, wherein the plurality of first electrodes comprises a plurality of conductors that is spaced apart from each other and is positioned to be electrically connected to the emitter layer.

27. The solar cell of claim 26, wherein each of the plurality of first electrodes comprises a strip positioned on and along the plurality of conductors.

28. The solar cell of claim 27, wherein the strip is made of at least one of a metal and a transparent conductive material.

29. A solar cell, comprising:

a substrate of a first conductive type;

an emitter layer of a second conductive type, which is opposite to the first conductive type, and positioned on the substrate;

a plurality of first electrodes electrically connected to the emitter layer;

at least one first collector connected to the plurality of first electrodes;

a second electrode electrically connected to the substrate; and

at least one second collector connected to the second electrode,

wherein the plurality of first electrodes is a plurality of point contacts spaced apart from one another and electrically connected to the emitter layer.

30. The solar cell of claim 29, wherein each of the plurality of first electrodes comprises a strip positioned on the plurality of point contacts and which contacts the plurality of point contacts.

31. The solar cell of claim 29, wherein the strip is made of at least one of a metal and a transparent conductive material.

32. A method for manufacturing a solar cell, the method comprising:

forming an emitter layer of a second conductive type on a substrate of a first conductive type, the second conductive type being opposite to the first conductive type;

applying a first paste on a first surface of the substrate to form a plurality of point contact patterns;

forming a second paste on a second surface of the substrate positioned on the opposite side of the first surface to form a first electrode pattern;

thermally treating the substrate provided with the plurality of point contact patterns and the first electrode pattern at a first temperature to form a plurality of point contacts connected to the emitter layer and a first electrode electrically connected to the substrate;

forming a first metal film pattern extending in a first direction on exposed parts of the emitter layer of the first surface; and

thermally treating the substrate provided with the first metal film pattern at a second temperature to form a plurality of first metal films electrically connected to the plurality of point contacts and extending in the first direction.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the first temperature is higher than the second temperature.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein, in the forming of the first metal film pattern, when the first metal film pattern is formed, a second metal film pattern is formed positioned on the plurality of point contacts and is extended in a second direction different from the first direction of the first metal film pattern, and

in the forming of the plurality of first metal films, the second metal film pattern is thermally treated along with the first metal film pattern to further form a plurality of second metal films extending in the second direction different from the first direction of the plurality of first metal films.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the first and second metal film patterns contain a transparent conductive material.

36. A solar cell module, comprising:

a plurality of solar cells, each solar cell comprising an emitter layer positioned on a substrate and having a conductive type opposite to that of the substrate, a plurality of first electrodes electrically connected to the emitter layer, at least one first collector connected to the plurality of first electrodes, the at least one first collector being included in at least one first collector region on the substrate, a second electrode electrically connected to the substrate, and at least one second collector electrically connected to the second electrode, the at least one second collector being included in at least one second collector region on the substrate; and

at least one conductive connecting portion positioned on the at least one first collector region and the at least one second collector region respectively positioned at neighboring solar cells among the plurality of solar cells, and electrically connecting the at least one first collector region and the at least one second collector region,

wherein of at least one of the first collector region and the second collector region comprises at least one deletion portion where the at least one first collector or the at least one second collector is not formed.

37. The solar cell module of claim 36, wherein each of the plurality of first electrodes comprises a plurality of conductors which discontinuously extend in a second direction different from a first direction of the at least one first collector region to be spaced apart from one another and are positioned to be electrically connected to the emitter layer.

38. The solar cell module of claim 37, wherein each of the plurality of first electrodes includes a strip positioned on and along the plurality of conductors.

39. A solar cell module, comprising:

a plurality of solar cells, each solar cell comprising an emitter layer positioned on a substrate and having a conductive type opposite to that of the substrate, a plurality of first electrodes electrically connected to the emitter layer, at least one first collector connected to the plurality of first electrodes, the at least one first collector being included in at least one first collector region on the substrate, a second electrode electrically connected to the substrate, and at least one second collector electrically connected to the second electrode, the at least one second collector being included in at least one second collector region on the substrate; and

at least one conductive connecting portion positioned on the at least one first collector region and the at least one second collector region respectively positioned at neighboring solar cells among the plurality of solar cells, and electrically connecting the at least one first collector region and the at least one second collector region,

wherein the plurality of first electrodes is a plurality of point contacts spaced apart from one another and electrically connected to the emitter layer.

40. The solar cell module of claim 39, wherein each of the plurality of first electrodes includes a strip positioned on the plurality of point contacts and contacting the plurality of point contacts.

41. The solar cell module of claim 39, wherein the strip is made of at least one of a metal and a transparent conductive material.