Method and apparatus for self-doping negative and positive electrodes for silicon solar cells and other devices
First Claim
1. A solar cell, comprising:
- a rectifying junction, at least partially exposable to solar radiation for generation of electrical current, made of a first semiconductive material, comprising a first half and a second half;
a first electrode making ohmic contact to the first half;
a second electrode making ohmic contact to the second half;
wherein the first half has been doped with a first dopant to be a semiconductive material of a first type;
wherein the second half has been doped with a second dopant to be a semiconductive material of a second type opposite to the first type;
wherein the second half comprises a first region beneath the second electrode that has been more heavily doped with a third dopant than at least a portion of the remaining second half;
wherein the first region is aligned with the second electrode;
wherein the second electrode comprises an alloy of a first metal, the third dopant and the first semiconductive material;
wherein the first metal is capable of forming a eutectic with the first semiconductive material and the first metal is not capable of significantly doping the first semiconductive material; and
wherein that part of the second electrode that comprises the first metal and the first semiconductor comprises eutectic proportions of the first metal and the first semiconductive material.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A self-doping electrode to silicon is formed primarily from a metal (major component) which forms a eutectic with silicon. A p-type dopant (for a positive electrode) or an n-type dopant (for a negative electrode) is alloyed with the major component. The alloy of major component and dopant is applied to a silicon substrate. Once applied, the alloy and substrate are heated to a temperature above the major component-silicon eutectic temperature such that the major component liquefies more than a eutectic proportion of the silicon substrate. The temperature is then decreased towards the eutectic temperature permitting molten silicon to reform through liquid-phase epitaxy and while so doing incorporate dopant atoms into its regrown lattice. Once the temperature drops below the major component-silicon eutectic temperature the silicon, which has not already regrown into the lattice, forms a solid-phase alloy with the major component and the remaining unused dopant. This alloy of major component, silicon and unused dopant is the final contact material. Alternatively, a self-doping electrode may be formed from an unalloyed metal applied to a silicon substrate. The metal and substrate are heated to a temperature above the metal-silicon eutectic temperature in an ambient gas into which a source of vaporized dopant atoms has been introduced. Dopant atoms in the ambient gas are absorbed by the molten mixture of metal-silicon to a much greater extent than they are absorbed by the solid silicon substrate surfaces. The temperature is then decreased to below the metal-silicon eutectic temperature. During this temperature decrease, the doped regrown silicon layer and the metal-silicon alloy final contact material are created in the same process as described above.
124 Citations
10 Claims
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1. A solar cell, comprising:
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a rectifying junction, at least partially exposable to solar radiation for generation of electrical current, made of a first semiconductive material, comprising a first half and a second half;
a first electrode making ohmic contact to the first half;
a second electrode making ohmic contact to the second half;
wherein the first half has been doped with a first dopant to be a semiconductive material of a first type;
wherein the second half has been doped with a second dopant to be a semiconductive material of a second type opposite to the first type;
wherein the second half comprises a first region beneath the second electrode that has been more heavily doped with a third dopant than at least a portion of the remaining second half;
wherein the first region is aligned with the second electrode;
wherein the second electrode comprises an alloy of a first metal, the third dopant and the first semiconductive material;
wherein the first metal is capable of forming a eutectic with the first semiconductive material and the first metal is not capable of significantly doping the first semiconductive material; and
wherein that part of the second electrode that comprises the first metal and the first semiconductor comprises eutectic proportions of the first metal and the first semiconductive material. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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Specification