Photovoltaic device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019044018-A1
Application number	US-201615759672-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 30, 2016
Priority date	Sep 14, 2015
Publication date	Feb 7, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

A photovoltaic device and a photovoltaic module are provided that suppressing diffusion of boron and thereby improving conversion efficiency.
A photovoltaic device 10 includes: a semiconductor substrate 1 ; an intrinsic amorphous semiconductor layer 3 provided on the semiconductor substrate 1 ; n-type amorphous semiconductor strips 4 containing phosphorus as a dopant; and p-type amorphous semiconductor strips 5 containing boron as a dopant, the n- and p-type amorphous semiconductor strips 4 and 5 being provided alternately on the intrinsic amorphous semiconductor layer 3 as viewed along an in-plane direction. Each n-type amorphous semiconductor strip 4 includes a reduced-thickness region TD(n) on a face thereof adjacent to one of the p-type amorphous semiconductor strips 5 . Each p-type amorphous semiconductor strip 5 includes a reduced-thickness region TD(p) on a face thereof adjacent to one of the n-type amorphous semiconductor strips 4 . The reduced-thickness region TD(p) of the p-type amorphous semiconductor strip 5 has a steeper angle of inclination than does the reduced-thickness region TD(n) of the n-type amorphous semiconductor strip 4.

First claim

1 . A photovoltaic device comprising:
a semiconductor substrate; n-type amorphous semiconductor strips containing phosphorus as a dopant; and p-type amorphous semiconductor strips containing boron as a dopant, the n- and p-type amorphous semiconductor strips being provided alternately on the semiconductor substrate as viewed along an in-plane direction of the semiconductor substrate,
wherein:
each of the n-type amorphous semiconductor strips includes a reduced-thickness region on a face thereof adjacent to one of the p-type amorphous semiconductor strips;
each of the p-type amorphous semiconductor strips includes a reduced-thickness region on a face thereof adjacent to one of the n-type amorphous semiconductor strips;
the reduced-thickness region of the p-type amorphous semiconductor strip has a steeper angle of inclination than does the reduced-thickness region of the n-type amorphous semiconductor strip; and
the reduced-thickness region of the p-type amorphous semiconductor strip has a dopant concentration that is higher than a dopant concentration at a first point,
where: the first point is a point at which a thin film formed on the semiconductor substrate has a maximum thickness; a second point is either a point at which a rate of decrease of the thickness of the thin film, as traced along an in-plane direction of the thin film, changes from a first rate of decrease to a second rate of decrease that is larger than the first rate of decrease or a point at which a rate of change of the thickness of the thin film, as traced along the in-plane direction of the thin film, changes sign from negative to positive; and the reduced-thickness region is a region from the first point to the second point as traced along the in-plane direction of the thin film.

2 . The photovoltaic device according to claim 1 , wherein each of the n-type amorphous semiconductor strips is separated from each adjacent one of the p-type amorphous semiconductor strips by a distance of from 20 μm inclusive to 100 μm exclusive.

3 . The photovoltaic device according to claim 1 , wherein the n- and p-type amorphous semiconductor strips are provided on a textured surface of the semiconductor substrate.

4 . The photovoltaic device according to claim 1 , wherein each of the n- and p-type amorphous semiconductor strips is provided in a single stretch in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the n- and p-type amorphous semiconductor strips lie adjacent to each other.

5 . The photovoltaic device according to claim 1 , wherein either the n-type amorphous semiconductor strips or the p-type amorphous semiconductor strips or both are disposed spaced apart in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the n- and p-type amorphous semiconductor strips lie adjacent to each other.

6 . The photovoltaic device according to claim 1 , wherein the n- and p-type amorphous semiconductor strips are disposed alternately as viewed along two intersecting directions on the semiconductor substrate.

7 . The photovoltaic device according to claim 1 , further comprising an intrinsic amorphous semiconductor layer provided on and in contact with the semiconductor substrate.

8 . The photovoltaic device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
first electrodes on the n-type amorphous semiconductor strips; and second electrodes on the p-type amorphous semiconductor strips, wherein: on each of the n-type amorphous semiconductor strips, each first electrode is in contact with at least a part of the reduced-thickness region of that n-type amorphous semiconductor strip; and on each of the p-type amorphous semiconductor strips, each second electrode is in contact with at least a part of the reduced-thickness region of that p-type amorphous semiconductor strip.

Assignees

• Sharp Kk

Inventors

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

Classifications

• H01L31/075

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L31/022425

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L31/0747 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L31/02363

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H10F77/703

  of the semiconductor bodies, e.g. textured active layers · CPC title