Solar cell element manufacturing method, solar cell element, and solar cell module

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9123840-B2
Application number	US-201213982230-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 27, 2012
Priority date	Jan 27, 2011
Publication date	Sep 1, 2015
Grant date	Sep 1, 2015

Abstract

A method for manufacturing a solar cell element is disclosed. The method includes two different etching processes followed by forming a semiconductor layer. A semiconductor substrate having a first conductor type is etched by using a first acid aqueous solution containing hydrofluoric acid, nitric acid, and sulfuric acid. Then, the semiconductor substrate is etched by using a second acid aqueous solution containing hydrofluoric acid and nitric acid with substantially no sulfuric acid to make an uneven surface. A semiconductor layer of second conductivity type different from the first conductivity type is formed on at least a part of the uneven surface of the semiconductor substrate.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for manufacturing a solar cell element, the method comprising:
etching a first main surface of a semiconductor substrate having a first conductivity type, using a first acid aqueous solution containing hydrofluoric acid, nitric acid, and sulfuric acid to obtain a first etched surface;
etching the first etched surface using a second acid aqueous solution containing hydrofluoric acid and nitric acid with substantially no sulfuric acid to obtain a second etched surface having an uneven surface; and
forming a semiconductor layer on at least a part of the second etched surface, the layer having a second conductivity type different from the first conductivity type.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the second acid aqueous solution has a temperature lower than that of the first acid aqueous solution.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the second acid aqueous solution has a mass ratio of the nitric acid to the hydrofluoric acid higher than that of the first acid aqueous solution.

4. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
washing the first etched surface with water for a first period of time; and
washing the second etched surface with water for a second period of time longer than the first period.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the substrate is immersed in the first acid aqueous solution with the first main surface substantially perpendicular to a fluid surface of the first acid aqueous solution.

6. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising preparing the substrate by slicing an ingot of a semiconductor material with a wire to which an abrasive is fixed.

Assignees

• Komoda Manabu
• Okada Yasuhiro
• NAGOU Yuusuke
• Ito Takeshi
• NAKAMURA Hitohiko
• Kyocera Corp

Inventors

• Komoda Manabu
• Okada Yasuhiro
• NAGOU Yuusuke
• Ito Takeshi
• NAKAMURA Hitohiko

Classifications

• H10F77/703 Primary

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

• H10F10/14

  Photovoltaic cells having only PN homojunction potential barriers · CPC title

• H10F77/14 Primary

  Shape of semiconductor bodies; Shapes, relative sizes or dispositions of semiconductor regions within semiconductor bodies · CPC title

• H01L31/02363

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L31/068

  Electricity · mapped topic