Method for manufacturing polycrystalline silicon thin-film solar cells by means method for crystallizing large-area amorphous silicon thin film using linear electron beam

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9680047-B2
Application number	US-201214437087-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 18, 2012
Priority date	Oct 25, 2012
Publication date	Jun 13, 2017
Grant date	Jun 13, 2017

Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention relates to a method of manufacturing polycrystalline silicon thin-film solar cell by a method of crystallizing a large-area amorphous silicon thin film using a linear electron beam, and the technical problem to be solved is to crystallize an amorphous silicon thin film, which is formed on a low-priced substrate, by means of an electron beam so as for same to easily be of high quality by having high crystallization yield and to be processed at a low temperature. To this end, one embodiment of the present invention provides a method of manufacturing polycrystalline silicon thin-film solar cell by means of a method for crystallizing a large-area amorphous silicon thin film using a linear electron beam, the method comprising: a substrate preparation step for preparing a substrate; a type 1+ amorphous silicon layer deposition step for forming a type 1+ amorphous silicon layer on the substrate; a type 1 amorphous silicon layer deposition step for forming a type 1 amorphous silicon layer on the type 1+ amorphous silicon layer; an absorption layer formation step for forming an absorption layer by radiating a linear electron beam to the type 1 amorphous silicon layer and thus crystallizing the type 1 amorphous layer and the type 1+ amorphous silicon layer; a type 2 amorphous silicon layer deposition step for forming a type 2 amorphous silicon layer on the absorption layer; and an emitter layer formation step for forming an emitter layer by radiating a linear electron beam to the type 2 amorphous silicon layer and thus crystallizing the type 2 amorphous silicon layer, wherein the linear electron beam is radiated from above type 1 and type 2 amorphous silicon layers in a linear scanning manner in which to reciprocate in a predetermined area.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of manufacturing a polycrystalline silicon thin film solar cell by a method of crystallizing a large-area amorphous silicon thin film using a linear electron beam, the method of manufacturing a polycrystalline silicon thin film solar cell comprising:
preparing a substrate;
depositing a type 1+ amorphous silicon layer in which the type 1+ amorphous silicon layer is formed on the substrate;
depositing a type 1 amorphous silicon layer in which the type 1 amorphous silicon layer is formed on the type 1+ amorphous silicon layer;
forming an absorption layer in which the absorption layer is formed by crystallizing the type 1 amorphous silicon layer and the type 1+ amorphous silicon layer by irradiating the type 1 amorphous silicon layer with a linear electron beam;
depositing a type 2 amorphous silicon layer in which the type 2 amorphous silicon layer is formed on the absorption layer; and
forming an emitter layer in which the emitter layer is formed by crystallizing the type 2 amorphous silicon layer by irradiating the type 2 amorphous silicon layer with a linear electron beam,
wherein the linear electron beam is irradiated in a linear scan mode in which the linear electron beam is reciprocated within a predetermined distance on the type 1 and type 2 amorphous silicon layers.

2. The method of manufacturing a polycrystalline silicon thin film solar cell of claim 1 , wherein, in the preparing of the substrate, the substrate is a glass substrate or a metal foil.

3. The method of manufacturing a polycrystalline silicon thin film solar cell of claim 1 , wherein the type 1 and type 2 amorphous silicon layers are formed by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD).

4. The method of manufacturing a polycrystalline silicon thin film solar cell of claim 3 , wherein the linear electron beam has an energy of 1.5 keV to 5 keV and an irradiation time of 30 seconds to 120 seconds.

5. The method of manufacturing a polycrystalline silicon thin film solar cell of claim 3 , wherein, in the forming of the absorption layer and the forming of the emitter layer, a process pressure is 3×10 −4 torr and a process time is 25 seconds to 200 seconds.

6. The method of manufacturing a polycrystalline silicon thin film solar of claim 3 , wherein the type 1+ amorphous silicon layer is formed to a thickness of 200 nm, and the type 1 amorphous silicon layer is formed to a thickness of 1 μm to 1.5 μm.

7. The method of manufacturing a polycrystalline silicon thin film solar cell of claim 3 , wherein the type 2 amorphous silicon layer is formed to a thickness of 100 nm.

8. The method of manufacturing a polycrystalline silicon thin film solar cell of claim 3 , wherein a grain size along a direction horizontal to the absorption layer is 200 nm.

9. The method of manufacturing a polycrystalline silicon thin film solar cell of claim 3 , wherein the linear electron beam comprises electrons that are separated from argon ions by a plasma generated from argon gas which is injected at 50 sccm.

10. A method of manufacturing a polycrystalline silicon thin film solar cell by a method of crystallizing a large-area amorphous silicon thin film using a linear electron beam, the method of manufacturing a polycrystalline silicon thin film solar cell comprising:
preparing a substrate;
depositing a type 1+ amorphous silicon layer in which the type 1+ amorphous silicon layer is formed on the substrate;
depositing a type 1 amorphous silicon layer in which the type 1 amorphous silicon layer is formed on the type 1+ amorphous silicon layer;
forming an absorption layer in which the absorption layer is formed by crystallizing the type 1 amorphous silicon layer and the type 1+ amorphous silicon layer by irradiating the type 1 amorphous silicon layer with a linear electron beam;
depositing a type 2 amorphous silicon layer in which the type 2 amorphous silicon layer is formed on the absorption layer; and
forming an emitter layer in which the emitter layer is formed by crystallizing the type 2 amorphous silicon layer by irradiating the type 2 amorphous silicon layer with a linear electron beam.

11. The method of manufacturing a polycrystalline silicon thin film solar cell of claim 10 , wherein, in the preparing of the substrate, the substrate is a glass substrate or a metal foil.

12. The method of manufacturing a polycrystalline silicon thin film solar cell of claim 10 , wherein the type 1 and type 2 amorphous silicon layers are formed by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD).

13. The method of manufacturing a polycrystalline silicon thin film solar cell of claim 12 , wherein the linear electron beam has an energy of 1.5 keV to 5 keV and an irradiation time of 30 seconds to 120 seconds.

14. The method of manufacturing a polycrystalline silicon thin film solar cell of claim 12 , wherein, in the forming of the absorption layer and the forming of the emitter layer, a process pressure is 3×10 −4 torr and a process time is 25 seconds to 200 seconds.

15. The method of manufacturing a polycrystalline silicon thin film solar of claim 12 , wherein the type 1+ amorphous silicon layer is formed to a thickness of 200 nm, and the type 1 amorphous silicon layer is formed to a thickness of 1 μm to 1.5 μm.

16. The method of manufacturing a polycrystalline silicon thin film solar cell of claim 12 , wherein the type 2 amorphous silicon layer is formed to a thickness of 100 nm.

17. The method of manufacturing a polycrystalline silicon thin film solar cell of claim 12 , wherein a grain size along a direction horizontal to the absorption layer is 200 nm.

18. The method of manufacturing a polycrystalline silicon thin film solar cell of claim 12 , wherein the linear electron beam comprises electrons that are separated from argon ions by a plasma generated from argon gas which is injected at 50 sccm.

Assignees

• Korea Ind Tech Inst

Inventors

• Jeong Chae Hwan
• Lee Sun Hwa
• Ryu Sang
• Kim Ho Sung
• Boo Seong Jae

Classifications

• H01L31/1872

  Electricity · mapped topic

• C23C14/5806 Primary

  Thermal treatment · CPC title

• Y02P70/521

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• Y02E10/547

  Monocrystalline silicon PV cells · CPC title

• H01L31/068

  Electricity · mapped topic