Solar cell

• US 4,828,628 A
• Filed: 06/10/1987
• Issued: 05/09/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/1985
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NUKEM GmbH (Cameco Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NUKEM GmbH (Cameco Corporation)
• Inventors: Hezel, Rudolf, Hackstein, Karl G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Weisstuch, Aaron
• Application Number:
  US07/059,264
• Time in Patent Office: 699 Days
• Field of Search: 136/255, 136/256, 357/30 J
• US Class Current: 136/255
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/02167 for solar cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/022425 for solar cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/062 the potential barriers being only of the metal-insulator-semiconductor type
• 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 solar cell (10), preferably of silicon, having a semiconductive substrate (1) on one side of which an electrical field is provided by, for example, an MIS contact (1, 2, 3) to cause a separation of charge carriers generated by light energy. The minority charge carriers are drawn into the metal (3) of the MIS contact, whereas the majority charge carriers are discharged via ohmic contact zones (4) arranged on the opposite side of the semiconductive substrate. At least one passivation layer (5) is arranged on the semiconductive substrate between the ohmic contact zones, whereby the recombination velocity of the charge carriers in the area of the ohmic contact zones is considerably reduced.

Claims

1. A solar cell comprising

a substrate layer of semiconductor material, in which energy from a radiation source generates minority and majority charge carriers, the substrate layer having a first surface adapted to face toward said radiation source and a second surface adapted to face away from said radiation source;

a plurality of spaced apart ohmic contacts electrically coupled to one another and positioned directly on the first surface for collecting majority carriers;

a passivation layer covering the ohmic contacts and the spaces therebetween; and

means for providing an electrical field separating the minority and majority charge carriers in the region of the second surface, so that the majority charge carriers diffuse to the ohmic contacts and are collected by them.

2. A solar cell according to claim 1

wherein the ohmic contacts cover less than 20% of the area of the first surface, the distance between two adjacent ohmic contacts being greater than the diffusion length of the minority charge carriers, and greater than the thickness of the substrate layer, and

wherein the means for providing an electrical field separating the minority and majority charge carriers comprises:

a metal insulator semiconductor contact.

3. A solar cell according to claim 2 wherein said substrate layer has a thickness that is less than or equal to the diffusion length of the minority charge carriers in the substrate layer.

4. A solar cell according to claim 2 wherein said metal insulator semiconductor contact includes an insulating layer formed on said second substrate surface, and said insulating layer is silicon oxide.

5. A solar cell according to claim 2 wherein said MIS contact extends over the entire second surface of said cell.

6. A solar cell according to claim 1 wherein said passivation layer comprises silicon nitride.

7. A solar cell according to claim 1 wherein said passivation layer comprises silicon oxynitride.

8. A solar cell according to claim 1 wherein said passivation layer comprises aluminum oxide.

9. A solar cell according to claim 1 wherein said passivation layer comprises aluminum oxynitride.

10. A solar cell according to claim 1 wherein said passivation layer comprises silicon oxide.

11. A solar cell according to claim 1 wherein said passivation layer contains hydrogen.

12. A solar cell according to claim 1 wherein said passivation layer has a thickness of 2-300 nm.

13. A solar cell comprising:

a substrate layer of semiconductor material, in which energy from a radiation source generates minority and majority charge carriers, the substrate layer having a first surface facing a front surface of the cell and a second surface facing a rear surface of the cell;

a first passivation layer in the form of an insulating layer formed on said first substrate surface;

metal insulator semiconductor contacts formed on said first passivation layer for collecting minority carriers;

ohmic contacts formed directly on said second substrates surface for collecting majority carriers, the ohmic contacts covering less than 20% of the surface area of said second substrate surface, the distance between ohmic contacts being greater than the diffusion length of the minority charge carriers, and greater than the thickness of the substrate layer; and

a second passivation layer covering the ohmic contacts and the spaces therebetween;

an electrically charged insulating layer formed over said metal insulator semiconductor contacts and said first passivation layer at least in the areas between said metal insulator semiconductor contacts.

14. A solar cell according to claim 13 wherein said MIS contacts comprise aluminum.

15. A solar cell according to claim 13 wherein said MIS contacts comprise magnesium.

16. A solar cell according to claim 13 wherein said first passivation layer comprises silicon oxide.

17. A solar cell according to claim 13 wherein said second passivation layer comprises silicon oxide.

18. A solar cell according to claim 13 wherein said first insulating layer is silicon nitride.

19. A solar cell according to claim 13 wherein said ohmic contacts are aluminum.

20. A solar according to claim 13 wherein said second passivation layer is aluminum oxide.

21. A solar cell according to claim 13 wherein said second passivation layer is silicon nitride.

22. A solar cell according to claim 13 wherein said substrate layer has a thickness that is less than or equal to the diffusion length of the minority charge carriers in the substrate layer.

23. A solar cell according to claim 13 wherein said second passivation layer has a thickness of 2-300 nm.

24. A solar cell according to claim 13 wherein the cell is adapted to receive radiation at its front surface.

25. A solar cell according to claim 13 wherein said cell is adapted to receive radiation at its rear surface.

26. A solar cell according to claim 13 wherein said cell is adapted to receive radiation at both its front and rear surfaces.

27. A solar cell according to claim 13 wherein said MIS contacts are arranged in strips.

28. A solar cell according to claim 13 wherein said first passivation layer covers the entire front surface of the cell.

29. A solar cell according to claim 13 wherein said ohmic contacts are arranged in grid form.

30. A solar cell according to claim 13 wherein said second passivation layer comprises silicon oxynitride.

31. A solar cell according to claim 13 wherein said second passivation layer comprises aluminum oxynitride.