Semiconductor solar energy device
First Claim
1. A semiconductor solar energy device comprising, in combination, a silicon substrate of one type conductivity having a doped region of the opposte type conductivity, said doped region being beneath and extending to a first surface of said substrate, metal ohmic contacts in electrical contact with said substrate and said doped region of the opposite type conductivity, respectively, and an anti-reflective dielectric coating in contact with said first surface of said silicon substrate and in contact with a surface of said doped region of the opposite type conductivity, said anti-reflective coating comprising a thin layer of silicon dioxide on said first surface of said silicon substrate and a thicker layer of silicon nitride on said layer of silicon dioxide, said doped region of the opposite type conductivity comprising a thin region in contact with said anti-reflective coating and a thicker region located beneath an opening in said anti-reflective coating where at least one of said metal ohmic contacts is in contact with said doped region of the opposite type conductivity.
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Abstract
This disclosure relates to a semiconductor solar energy device which is of the PN-type and utilizes a dielectric anti-reflective coating on the side of the device that faces the sunlight. The fabrication techniques used in making this semiconductor device include the use of ion implantation to form doped or diffused regions in the device. One of the ion implanted regions located on the side of the device that is subjected to the sunlight is configured in order to permit metal ohmic contact to be made thereto without shorting through the doped region during sintering of the metal contacts to the semiconductor substrate. The dielectric anti-reflective coating, in one embodiment, is a composite of silicon dioxide and silicon nitride layers. The device is designed to permit solder contacts to be made to the P and N regions thereof without possibility of shorting to semiconductor regions of opposite type conductivity.
49 Citations
5 Claims
- 1. A semiconductor solar energy device comprising, in combination, a silicon substrate of one type conductivity having a doped region of the opposte type conductivity, said doped region being beneath and extending to a first surface of said substrate, metal ohmic contacts in electrical contact with said substrate and said doped region of the opposite type conductivity, respectively, and an anti-reflective dielectric coating in contact with said first surface of said silicon substrate and in contact with a surface of said doped region of the opposite type conductivity, said anti-reflective coating comprising a thin layer of silicon dioxide on said first surface of said silicon substrate and a thicker layer of silicon nitride on said layer of silicon dioxide, said doped region of the opposite type conductivity comprising a thin region in contact with said anti-reflective coating and a thicker region located beneath an opening in said anti-reflective coating where at least one of said metal ohmic contacts is in contact with said doped region of the opposite type conductivity.
Specification