Solar cell and method for manufacturing the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9412888-B2
Application number	US-201313886813-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 3, 2013
Priority date	May 7, 2012
Publication date	Aug 9, 2016
Grant date	Aug 9, 2016

Abstract

A solar cell includes a semiconductor substrate having a first conductivity type, an emitter layer on a surface of the semiconductor substrate, the emitter layer having a second conductivity type different from the first conductivity type, and electrodes including a first electrode electrically connected to the emitter layer, and a second electrode electrically connected to the semiconductor substrate. The emitter layer includes a high-concentration doping portion adjacent to the first electrode, and a low-concentration doping portion in a region that does not include the high-concentration doping portion. The low-concentration doping portion has a higher resistance than the high-concentration doping portion. The high-concentration doping portion includes a first region having a first resistance, and a second region having a second resistance higher than the first resistance.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A solar cell comprising:
a semiconductor substrate having a first conductivity type;
an emitter layer at or adjacent to a first surface of the semiconductor substrate, the emitter layer having a second conductivity type different from the first conductivity type;
electrodes comprising a first electrode electrically connected to the emitter layer, and a second electrode electrically connected to the semiconductor substrate,
wherein the emitter layer comprises a high-concentration doping portion adjacent to the first electrode, and a low-concentration doping portion in a region that does not include the high-concentration doping portion, the low-concentration doping portion having a higher sheet resistance than the high-concentration doping portion,
wherein the high-concentration doping portion comprises a first region having a first sheet resistance, and a second region having a second sheet resistance higher than the first sheet resistance,
wherein the first sheet resistance of the first region is 30 to 70 Ω/square (ohms/square), and the second sheet resistance of the second region is 80 to 90 Ω/square,
wherein the sheet resistance of the low-concentration doping portion is uniform throughout the low-concentration doping portion and in the range of 100 to 120 Ω/square,
wherein a ratio of a width of the second region to a width of the first region is 0.5 to 1.5, and
wherein the low-concentration doping portion is wider than the high-concentration portion.

2. The solar cell according to claim 1 , wherein the second region is outside of the first region.

3. The solar cell according to claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the first electrode contacts the first region.

4. The solar cell according to claim 1 , wherein the second region has a shallower doping depth than the first region.

5. The solar cell according to claim 1 , wherein a ratio of a width of the first region to a width of the first electrode is 0.8 to 1.2.

6. A solar cell comprising:
a semiconductor substrate having a first conductivity type;
an emitter layer at or adjacent to a first surface of the semiconductor substrate, the emitter layer having a second conductivity type different from the first conductivity type;
a back surface field layer on a second surface of the semiconductor substrate, the back surface field layer having the first conductivity type; and
electrodes comprising a first electrode electrically connected to the emitter layer, and a second electrode electrically connected to the back surface field layer,
wherein the emitter layer comprises a first high-concentration doping portion adjacent to the first electrode, and a first low-concentration doping portion in a region that does not include the first high-concentration doping portion, the first low-concentration doping portion having a higher sheet resistance than the first high-concentration doping portion,
wherein the first high-concentration doping portion comprises a first region having a first sheet resistance, and a second region having a second sheet resistance higher than the first sheet resistance,
wherein the first sheet resistance of the first region is 30 to 70 Ω/square (ohms/square), and the second sheet resistance of the second region is 80 to 90 Ω/square,
wherein the sheet resistance of the first low-concentration doping portion is uniform throughout the first low-concentration doping portion and in the range of 100 to 120 Ω/square,
wherein a ratio of a width of the second region to a width of the first region is 0.5 to 1.5,
wherein the first low-concentration doping portion is wider than the first high-concentration portion,
wherein the back surface field layer comprises a second high-concentration doping portion adjacent to the second electrode, and a second low-concentration doping portion in a region that does not include the second high-concentration doping portion, the second low-concentration doping portion having a higher sheet resistance than the second high-concentration doping portion,
wherein the second high-concentration doping portion comprises a third region having a third sheet resistance, and a fourth region having a fourth sheet resistance higher than the third sheet resistance, and
wherein the second low-concentration doping portion includes a dopant of the first conductivity type with a doping concentration higher than the semiconductor substrate.

7. The solar cell according to claim 6 , wherein the third region is outside of the fourth region.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Chung Indo
• Shin Taehee
• Jung Ilhyoung
• Kim Jinah

Classifications

• H10F71/128

  Annealing · CPC title

• H10F71/121

  The active layers comprising only Group IV materials · CPC title

• H10F10/14 Primary

  Photovoltaic cells having only PN homojunction potential barriers · CPC title

• H10F19/00

  Integrated devices, or assemblies of multiple devices, comprising at least one photovoltaic cell covered by group H10F10/00, e.g. photovoltaic modules · CPC title

• H10F77/14 Primary

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