Element and photovoltaic cell

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9240502-B2
Application number	US-201213556702-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 24, 2012
Priority date	Jul 25, 2011
Publication date	Jan 19, 2016
Grant date	Jan 19, 2016

Abstract

The invention provides an element including a semiconductor substrate and an electrode disposed on the semiconductor substrate, the electrode being a sintered product of a composition for an electrode that includes phosphorus-containing copper alloy particles, glass particles and a dispersing medium, and the electrode includes a line-shaped electrode having an aspect ratio, which is defined as electrode short length:electrode height, of from 2:1 to 250:1.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An element comprising a semiconductor substrate and an electrode disposed on the semiconductor substrate, the electrode being a sintered product of a composition for an electrode that comprises phosphorus-containing copper alloy particles, glass particles and a dispersing medium, and the electrode comprising a line-shaped electrode having an aspect ratio, which is defined as electrode short length:electrode height, of from 2:1 to 250:1, and wherein the content of phosphorus in the phosphorus-containing copper alloy particles is from 6 mass % to 8 mass %.

2. The element according to claim 1 , wherein the glass particles have a glass softening point of 600° C. or less and a crystallization onset temperature of more than 600° C.

3. The element according to claim 1 , wherein the composition for an electrode further comprises silver particles.

4. The element according to claim 3 , wherein the content of the silver particles is from 5 mass % to 65 mass % when the total content of the phosphorous-containing copper alloy particles and the silver particles is 100 mass %.

5. The element according to claim 3 , wherein the total content of the phosphorus-containing copper alloy particles and the silver particles in the composition for an electrode is from 70 mass % to 94 mass %, the content of the glass particles in the composition for an electrode is from 0.1 mass % to 10 mass %, and the content of the dispersing medium in the composition for an electrode is from 2 mass % to 29.9 mass %.

6. The element according to claim 1 , wherein the semiconductor substrate comprises an impurity diffusion layer and the electrode is disposed on the impurity diffusion layer, and wherein the element is incorporated in a photovoltaic cell.

7. The element according to claim 1 , wherein the semiconductor substrate comprises an impurity diffusion layer and the electrode is disposed on the impurity diffusion layer, and wherein the element is incorporated in a photovoltaic cell and a tab line is disposed on the electrode of the element.

8. The element according to claim 1 , wherein the aspect ratio defined as electrode short length:electrode height is from 2.5:1 to 230:1.

9. The element according to claim 1 , wherein the aspect ratio defined as electrode short length:electrode height is from 3:1 to 200:1.

10. The element according to claim 1 , wherein the aspect ratio defined as electrode short length:electrode height is from 3:1 to 180:1.

11. The element according to claim 1 , wherein the aspect ratio defined as electrode short length:electrode height is from 3:1 to 150:1.

12. The element according to claim 1 , wherein a proportion of an area of the electrode having the aspect ratio defined as electrode short length:electrode height of from 2:1 to 250:1 with respect to the total area of the electrode, when observed from a thickness direction of the semiconductor substrate, is from 90% to 100%.

13. The element according to claim 1 , wherein the short length of the electrode having an aspect ratio of from 2:1 to 250:1 is from 30 μm to 2000 μm.

14. The element according to claim 1 , wherein the electrode is a sintered product of the composition for an electrode that comprises phosphorus-containing copper alloy particles, glass particles and a dispersing medium obtained by carrying out sintering in the presence of oxygen.

15. The element according to claim 1 , wherein the electrode is a sintered product of the composition for an electrode that comprises phosphorus-containing copper alloy particles, glass particles and a dispersing medium obtained by carrying out sintering in the atmosphere.

Assignees

• Adachi Shuichiro
• Yoshida Masato
• Nojiri Takeshi
• Kurihara Yoshiaki
• Kato Takahiko
• Hitachi Chemical Co Ltd

Inventors

• Adachi Shuichiro
• Yoshida Masato
• Nojiri Takeshi
• Kurihara Yoshiaki
• Kato Takahiko

Classifications

• H01B1/22 Primary

  the conductive material comprising metals or alloys · CPC title

• C22C9/00

  Alloys based on copper · CPC title

• C22C5/08

  with copper as the next major constituent · CPC title

• Y02E10/50

  Photovoltaic [PV] energy · CPC title

• H10F77/227

  for emitter wrap-through [EWT] photovoltaic cells, e.g. interdigitated emitter-base back-contacts · CPC title