Solar cell fabrication using laser patterning of ion-implanted etch-resistant layers and the resulting solar cells

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10079319-B2
Application number	US-201514971846-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 16, 2015
Priority date	Dec 16, 2015
Publication date	Sep 18, 2018
Grant date	Sep 18, 2018

Abstract

Solar cell fabrication using laser patterning of ion-implanted etch-resistant layers, and the resulting solar cells, are described. In an example, a back contact solar cell includes a maximum concentration of the approximately Gaussian distribution of P-type dopants approximately in the center of each of segmented P-type emitter regions between first and second sides of each of the segmented P-type emitter regions.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A back contact solar cell, comprising:
an N-type single crystalline silicon substrate having a light-receiving surface and a back surface;
alternating continuous N-type emitter regions and segmented P-type emitter regions disposed on the back surface of the N-type single crystalline silicon substrate, with gaps between segments of the segmented P-type emitter regions;
trenches in the N-type single crystalline silicon substrate between the alternating continuous N-type emitter regions and segmented P-type emitter regions and in locations of the gaps between segments of the segmented P-type emitter regions;
an approximately Gaussian distribution of P-type dopants in the N-type single crystalline silicon substrate below each of the segmented P-type emitter regions, wherein a maximum concentration of the approximately Gaussian distribution of P-type dopants is approximately in the center of each of the segmented P-type emitter regions between first and second sides of each of the segmented P-type emitter regions;
substantially vertical P/N junctions in the N-type single crystalline silicon substrate at the trenches formed in locations of the gaps between segments of the segmented P-type emitter regions; and
oxide layers coextensive with each continuous N-type emitter region and each segment of the segmented P-type emitter regions, each oxide layer between the back surface of the N-type single crystalline substrate and the corresponding N-type emitter region or corresponding segment of the segmented P-type emitter regions.

2. The back contact solar cell of claim 1 , wherein the trenches in the N-type single crystalline silicon substrate between the alternating continuous N-type emitter regions and segmented P-type emitter regions and in locations of the gaps between segments of the segmented P-type emitter regions are texturized trenches.

3. The back contact solar cell of claim 1 , wherein the P-type dopants comprise boron.

4. The back contact solar cell of claim 1 , wherein the continuous N-type emitter regions comprise phosphorous.

5. The back contact solar cell of claim 1 , wherein the continuous N-type emitter regions comprise arsenic.

6. A solar cell, comprising:
alternating continuous N-type emitter regions and segmented P-type emitter regions disposed on a surface of a substrate, with gaps between segments of the segmented P-type emitter regions;
trenches in the substrate between the alternating continuous N-type emitter regions and segmented P-type emitter regions and in locations of the gaps between segments of the segmented P-type emitter regions;
an approximately Gaussian distribution of P-type dopants in the substrate below each of the segmented P-type emitter regions, wherein a maximum concentration of the approximately Gaussian distribution of P-type dopants is approximately in the center of each of the segmented P-type emitter regions between first and second sides of each of the segmented P-type emitter regions; and
oxide layers coextensive with each continuous N-type emitter region and each segment of the segmented P-type emitter regions, each oxide layer between the surface of the substrate and the corresponding N-type emitter region or corresponding segment of the segmented P-type emitter regions.

7. The solar cell of claim 6 , wherein the trenches in the substrate between the alternating continuous N-type emitter regions and segmented P-type emitter regions and in locations of the gaps between segments of the segmented P-type emitter regions are texturized trenches.

8. The solar cell of claim 6 , further comprising:
substantially vertical P/N junctions in the substrate at the trenches formed in locations of the gaps between segments of the segmented P-type emitter regions.

9. The solar cell of claim 6 , wherein the P-type dopants comprise boron.

10. The solar cell of claim 6 , wherein the continuous N-type emitter regions comprise phosphorous.

11. The back contact solar cell of claim 6 , wherein the continuous N-type emitter regions comprise arsenic.

12. The solar cell of claim 6 , wherein the substrate comprises silicon.

13. The solar cell of claim 12 , wherein the substrate is a monocrystalline silicon substrate.

14. A solar cell, comprising:
alternating continuous P-type emitter regions and segmented N-type emitter regions disposed on a surface of a substrate, with gaps between segments of the segmented N-type emitter regions;
trenches in the substrate between the alternating continuous P-type emitter regions and segmented N-type emitter regions and in locations of the gaps between segments of the segmented N-type emitter regions;
an approximately Gaussian distribution of N-type dopants in the substrate below each of the segmented N-type emitter regions, wherein a maximum concentration of the approximately Gaussian distribution of N-type dopants is approximately in the center of each of the segmented N-type emitter regions between first and second sides of each of the segmented N-type emitter regions; and
oxide layers coextensive with each continuous P-type emitter region and each segment of the segmented N-type emitter regions, each oxide layer between the surface of the substrate and the corresponding P-type emitter region or corresponding segment of the segmented N-type emitter regions.

15. The solar cell of claim 14 , wherein the trenches in the substrate between the alternating continuous P-type emitter regions and segmented N-type emitter regions and in locations of the gaps between segments of the segmented N-type emitter regions are texturized trenches.

16. The solar cell of claim 14 , further comprising:
substantially vertical P/N junctions in the substrate at the trenches formed in locations of the gaps between segments of the segmented N-type emitter regions.

17. The solar cell of claim 14 , wherein the N-type dopants comprise phosphorous.

18. The solar cell of claim 14 , wherein the N-type dopants comprise arsenic.

19. The solar cell of claim 14 , wherein the continuous P-type emitter regions comprise boron.

20. The solar cell of claim 14 , wherein the substrate comprises silicon.

21. The solar cell of claim 20 , wherein the substrate is a monocrystalline silicon substrate.

Assignees

• Sunpower Corp

Inventors

• Westerberg Staffan
• Levander Alejandro
• Cousins Peter John

Classifications

• H01L31/022441

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L31/02167

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L31/047

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L31/1864

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L31/02366 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic