Photovoltaic device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018190840-A1
Application number	US-201615738107-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 24, 2016
Priority date	Jun 25, 2015
Publication date	Jul 5, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

In a photovoltaic device ( 1 ), first amorphous semiconductor portions ( 102 n ) and second amorphous semiconductor portions ( 102 p ) are provided alternately on one of faces of a semiconductor substrate ( 101 ). Each first amorphous semiconductor portion ( 102 n ) has at least one first amorphous semiconductor strip ( 1020 n ), and each second amorphous semiconductor portion ( 102 p ) has at least one second amorphous semiconductor strip ( 1020 p ). A plurality of first electrodes ( 103 n ) are provided spaced apart from each other on each first amorphous semiconductor strip ( 1020 n ), and a plurality of second electrodes ( 103 p ) are provided spaced apart from each other on each second amorphous semiconductor strip ( 1020 p ).

First claim

1 . A photovoltaic device comprising:
a semiconductor substrate; a first amorphous semiconductor portion on one of faces of the semiconductor substrate, the first amorphous semiconductor portion comprising at least one first amorphous semiconductor strip of a first conductivity type; a second amorphous semiconductor portion on that face of the semiconductor substrate, adjacent in an in-plane direction of the semiconductor substrate to the first amorphous semiconductor portion, the second amorphous semiconductor portion comprising at least one second amorphous semiconductor strip of a second conductivity type that differs from the first conductivity type; a plurality of first electrodes spaced apart from each other in the first amorphous semiconductor portion; and a plurality of second electrodes spaced apart from each other in the second amorphous semiconductor portion, wherein the first electrodes are provided on the at least one first amorphous semiconductor strip, and the second electrodes are provided on the at least one second amorphous semiconductor strip.

2 . The photovoltaic device according to claim 1 , wherein:
the at least one first amorphous semiconductor strip comprises a plurality of first amorphous semiconductor strips spaced apart from each other, and at least one of the first electrodes is provided on each of the first amorphous semiconductor strips in the first amorphous semiconductor portion; and the at least one second amorphous semiconductor strip comprises a plurality of second amorphous semiconductor strips spaced apart from each other, and at least one of the second electrodes is provided on each of the second amorphous semiconductor strips in the second amorphous semiconductor portion.

3 . The photovoltaic device according to claim 1 , wherein either each of the first electrodes is separated by a distance of less than or equal to 500 μm from each adjacent one of the first electrodes or each of the second electrodes is separated by a distance of less than or equal to 500 μm from each adjacent one of the second electrodes.

4 . The photovoltaic device according to claim 1 , wherein:
the semiconductor substrate is of the first conductivity type; and the first electrodes in the first amorphous semiconductor portion outnumber the second electrodes in the second amorphous semiconductor portion.

5 . The photovoltaic device according to claim 1 , wherein either:
at least either the first amorphous semiconductor strip or the second amorphous semiconductor strip has a length in an arrangement direction of the first or second electrodes that is not more than 300 times a length of that strip in a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction; or at least either the first electrodes or the second electrodes have a length in the arrangement direction that is not more than 300 times a length of those electrodes in the direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction.

Assignees

• Sharp Kk

Inventors

• Harada Masatomi
• Higashi Kenichi
• Kamikawa Takeshi
• Sakai Toshihiko
• Kuniyoshi Tokuaki
• Tsujino Kazuya
• ZOU Liumin

Classifications

• H01L31/0747

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L31/03762

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L31/0224 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L31/0504

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H10F77/1665

  including Group IV-IV materials, e.g. SiGe or SiC · CPC title