Solar cell emitter region fabrication using ion implantation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9577126-B2
Application number	US-201615000492-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 19, 2016
Priority date	Jun 30, 2014
Publication date	Feb 21, 2017
Grant date	Feb 21, 2017

Abstract

Methods of fabricating solar cell emitter regions using ion implantation, and resulting solar cells, are described. In an example, a back contact solar cell includes a crystalline silicon substrate having a light-receiving surface and a back surface. A first polycrystalline silicon emitter region is disposed above the crystalline silicon substrate. The first polycrystalline silicon emitter region is doped with dopant impurity species of a first conductivity type and further includes ancillary impurity species different from the dopant impurity species of the first conductivity type. A second polycrystalline silicon emitter region is disposed above the crystalline silicon substrate and is adjacent to but separated from the first polycrystalline silicon emitter region. The second polycrystalline silicon emitter region is doped with dopant impurity species of a second, opposite, conductivity type. First and second conductive contact structures are electrically connected to the first and second polycrystalline silicon emitter regions, respectively.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A back contact solar cell, comprising:
a crystalline silicon substrate having a light-receiving surface and a back surface;
a first polycrystalline silicon emitter region disposed above the crystalline silicon substrate, the first polycrystalline silicon emitter region doped with dopant impurity species of a first conductivity type and further comprising ancillary impurity species different from the dopant impurity species of the first conductivity type, wherein the ancillary impurity species are disposed to a depth shallower than the dopant impurity species of the first conductivity type, and wherein the ancillary impurity species overlap with and are misaligned with the dopant impurity species of the first conductivity type;
a second polycrystalline silicon emitter region disposed above the crystalline silicon substrate and adjacent to but separated from the first polycrystalline silicon emitter region, the second polycrystalline silicon emitter region doped with dopant impurity species of a second, opposite, conductivity type; and
first and second conductive contact structures electrically connected to the first and second polycrystalline silicon emitter regions, respectively.

2. The back contact solar cell of claim 1 , wherein the dopant impurity species of the first conductivity type comprises phosphorous or arsenic atoms, wherein the dopant impurity species of the second conductivity type comprises boron atoms, and wherein the ancillary impurity species comprises a species selected from the group consisting of nitrogen atoms, carbon atoms, and oxygen atoms.

Assignees

• Smith David D
• Weidman Timothy
• Westerberg Staffan
• Sunpower Corp

Inventors

• Smith David D
• Weidman Timothy
• Westerberg Staffan

Classifications

• Y02E10/50

  Photovoltaic [PV] energy · CPC title

• H10F71/128

  Annealing · CPC title

• H10F71/00

  Manufacture or treatment of devices covered by this subclass (patterning processes to connect thin photovoltaic cells in integrated devices, or assemblies of multiple devices, having photovoltaic cells H10F19/33; manufacture or treatment of encapsulations or containers for integrated devices, or assemblies of multiple devices, having photovoltaic cells H10F19/80; manufacture or treatment of integrated devices, or assemblies of multiple devices, comprising at least one element in which radiation controls the flow of current H10F39/00) · CPC title

• H10F71/131

  Recrystallisation; Crystallization of amorphous or microcrystalline semiconductors · CPC title

• H10F71/1224

  comprising microcrystalline silicon · CPC title