Solar cell and method of manufacturing the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9711667-B2
Application number	US-201615097870-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 13, 2016
Priority date	Nov 19, 2008
Publication date	Jul 18, 2017
Grant date	Jul 18, 2017

Abstract

Discussed is a solar cell including a single crystalline semiconductor substrate having a first transparent conductive oxide layer positioned on a non-single crystalline emitter layer; a second transparent conductive oxide layer positioned over a rear surface of the single crystalline semiconductor substrate; a first electrode part including a first seed layer directly positioned on the first transparent conductive oxide layer; and a second electrode part including a second seed layer directly positioned on the second transparent conductive oxide layer, wherein the first transparent conductive oxide layer and the first seed layer have different conductivities, and wherein the second transparent conductive oxide layer and the second seed layer have different conductivities.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A solar cell, comprising:
a single crystalline semiconductor substrate having a first type conductivity;
a non-single crystalline emitter layer formed on a front surface of the single crystalline semiconductor substrate, wherein the non-single crystalline emitter layer has a second type conductivity opposite of the first type conductivity;
a first transparent conductive oxide layer positioned on the non-single crystalline emitter layer;
a second transparent conductive oxide layer positioned over a rear surface of the single crystalline semiconductor substrate;
a first electrode part positioned on the first transparent conductive oxide layer and electrically connected to the non-single crystalline emitter layer, wherein the first electrode part includes a plurality of first electrodes spaced apart from one another in a first direction and a first electrode collector in a second direction crossing the first direction; and
a second electrode part positioned on the second transparent conductive oxide layer and electrically connected to the rear surface of the single crystalline semiconductor substrate, wherein the second electrode part includes a plurality of second electrodes spaced apart from one another in the first direction and a second electrode collector in the second direction crossing the first direction,
wherein the first electrode part includes a first metal layer directly positioned on the first transparent conductive oxide layer and a first plated layer positioned on the first metal layer, and electrically connected to the non-single crystalline emitter layer,
wherein the second electrode part includes a second metal layer directly positioned on the second transparent conductive oxide layer and a second plated layer positioned on the second metal layer, and electrically connected to the single crystalline semiconductor substrate,
wherein the first electrode part and the second electrode part include at least one of Ni, Cu, Ag, Al, Sn, Zn, In, Ti and Au,
wherein the first transparent conductive oxide layer and the first metal layer have different conductivities, and
wherein the second transparent conductive oxide layer and the second metal layer have different conductivities.

2. The solar cell of claim 1 , wherein a density of each of the first metal layer and the second metal layer is different from a density of each of the first plated layer and the second plated layer.

3. The solar cell of claim 2 , wherein the density of the first plated layer is greater than the density of the first metal layer, and
wherein the density of the second plated layer is greater than the density of the second metal layer.

4. The solar cell of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of first electrodes and the plurality of second electrodes has specific resistance of about 3.3×10 −6 Ωcm.

5. The solar cell of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of first electrodes and the plurality of second electrodes has a width of about 10 μm to 100 μm.

6. The solar cell of claim 1 , wherein the non-single crystalline emitter layer is formed of amorphous silicon.

7. The solar cell of claim 1 , wherein the first electrode part and the second electrode part face each other.

8. The solar cell of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the front surface and the rear surface of the single crystalline semiconductor substrate includes a textured surface.

9. The solar cell of claim 1 , wherein sides of the first electrode part and the second electrode part are substantially perpendicular relative to the front surface and the rear surface, respectively.

10. The solar cell of claim 1 , further comprising a back surface field layer positioned on the rear surface of the single crystalline semiconductor substrate, and
wherein the second electrode part is electrically connected to the single crystalline semiconductor substrate through the back surface field layer.

11. The solar cell of claim 10 , wherein the first plated layer directly contacts a side surface of the first metal layer and the first transparent conductive oxide layer, and
wherein the second plated layer directly contacts a side surface of the second metal layer and the second transparent conductive oxide layer.

12. The solar cell of claim 11 , wherein the first and second transparent conductive oxide layers are formed of a material selected from the group consisting of indium tin oxide (ITO), tin-based oxide, SnO 2 , AgO, ZnO—Ga 2 O 3 , Al 2 O 3 , fluorine tin oxide (PTO), and a combination thereof.

13. The solar cell of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of first electrodes and the plurality of second electrodes has a height of about 10 μm to 20 μm.

14. The solar cell of claim 1 , wherein a width of the first electrode collector is wider than a width of the plurality of first electrodes, and
wherein a width of the second electrode collector is wider than a width of the plurality of second electrodes.

15. A solar cell comprising:
a single crystalline semiconductor substrate formed of a first conductive type semiconductor;
a plurality of non-single crystalline emitter layers formed on a rear surface of the single crystalline semiconductor substrate, wherein the plurality of non-single crystalline emitter layers have a second conductive type semiconductor different from the first conductive type semiconductor, and the plurality of non-single crystalline emitter layers form a hetero junction as well as a p-n junction with the single crystalline semiconductor substrate;
a plurality of first electrodes electrically connected to the plurality of non-single crystalline emitter layers;
a plurality of back surface field layers formed on the rear surface of the single crystalline semiconductor substrate, wherein the plurality of back surface field layers have the first type conductivity semiconductor more heavily doped than the single crystalline semiconductor substrate; and
a plurality of second electrodes electrically connected to the plurality of back surface field layers,
wherein the plurality of first electrodes include a first metal layer directly positioned on the plurality of non-single crystalline emitter layers and a first plated layer positioned on the first metal layer,
wherein the plurality of second electrodes include a second metal layer directly positioned on the plurality of back surface field layers and a second plated layer positioned on the second metal layer,
wherein the single crystalline semiconductor substrate is formed of single crystalline silicon and the plurality of non-single crystalline emitter layers are made of non-single crystalline silicon, and
wherein the plurality of back surface field layers are made of non-single crystalline silicon.

16. The solar cell of claim 15 , wherein a density of the first plated layer is greater than a density of the first metal layer, and
wherein a density of the second plated layer is greater than a density of the second metal layer.

17. The solar cell of claim 15 , wherein the rear surface of the single crystalline semiconductor substrate, on which the plurality of first electrodes and the plurality of second electrodes are positioned, is opposite a front surface of the single crystalline semiconductor substrate.

18. The solar cell of claim 15 , further comprising a passivation layer positioned on a front surface of the single crystalline semiconductor substrate which is a light incident surface.

19. The solar cell of claim 18 , further comprising an anti-reflection layer positi

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Kim Sunho
• Lee Heonmin
• Ji Kwangsun
• Eo Youngjoo
• Choi Junghoon
• Ahn Sehwon

Classifications

• H05K3/246

  Reinforcing conductive paste, ink or powder patterns by other methods, e.g. by plating · CPC title

• H05K3/188

  by direct electroplating · CPC title

• H05K2201/0326

  Inorganic, non-metallic conductor, e.g. indium-tin oxide [ITO] · CPC title

• C25D7/126 Primary

  for solar cells · CPC title

• H05K2201/0108

  Transparent · CPC title