Solar cell and method for manufacturing the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9985162-B2
Application number	US-201113216109-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 23, 2011
Priority date	Aug 25, 2010
Publication date	May 29, 2018
Grant date	May 29, 2018

Abstract

A solar cell includes a substrate containing a first impurity of a first conductivity type and made of a crystalline semiconductor, an emitter region positioned on the substrate and containing a second impurity of a second conductivity type different from the first conductivity type, the emitter region being made of a non-crystalline semiconductor, a surface field region positioned on the substrate and containing a third impurity of the first conductivity type, the surface field region being made of non-crystalline semiconductor, a first electrode connected to the emitter region, and a second electrode connected to the surface field region, wherein at least one of the emitter region and the surface field region is made of amorphous metal silicide containing a metal material.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A solar cell, comprising:
a substrate containing a first impurity of a first conductivity type and made of a crystalline semiconductor;
an emitter region positioned on the substrate and containing a second impurity of a second conductivity type different from the first conductivity type, the emitter region forming a heterojunction with the substrate;
an anti-reflection layer physically directly contacting the emitter region;
a surface field region positioned on the substrate and containing a third impurity of the first conductivity type, the surface field region forming a heterojunction with the substrate;
a first electrode passing through the anti-reflection layer and physically directly contacting the emitter region; and
a second electrode physically directly contacting the surface field region,
wherein at least one of the emitter region and the surface field region comprises an amorphous metal silicide layer containing a metal material comprising at least one of chromium (Cr), aluminum (Al), cobalt (Co), hafnium (Hf), molybdenum (Mo), nickel (Ni), lead (Pd), platinum (Pt), tantalum (Ta), titanium (Ti), tungsten (W), and zirconium (Zr),
wherein a concentration of the metal material contained in the at least one of the emitter region and the surface field region is 1×10 15 atoms/cm 2 to 1×10 21 atoms/cm 2 ,
wherein the at least one of the emitter region and the surface field region comprises a first portion directly contacting the substrate and made of amorphous silicon configured to perform a passivation function and a second portion positioned on the first portion and made of the amorphous metal silicide layer configured to improve a transfer efficiency of charges,
wherein the first and second portions are doped with the second impurity or the third impurity, and
wherein the impurity doped concentrations of the first and second portions are 1×10 16 atoms/cm 3 to 1×10 21 atoms/cm 3 .

2. The solar cell of claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the emitter region and the surface field region has a resistance of 1×10 −6 to 1×10 −3 Ω-cm.

3. The solar cell of claim 1 , wherein the first impurity is the same as the third impurity.

4. The solar cell of claim 1 , wherein the first impurity is different from the third impurity.

5. The solar cell of claim 1 , wherein the emitter region is positioned on an incident surface of the substrate, on which light is incident.

6. The solar cell of claim 5 , wherein the surface field region is positioned on a surface of the substrate, which is opposite the incident surface of the substrate.

7. The solar cell of claim 1 , wherein impurity doped concentrations of the first and second portions in a unit volume are equal to each other.

8. A solar cell, comprising:
a substrate having a first conductivity type and made of a crystalline semiconductor;
an emitter region positioned on the substrate and having a second conductivity type different from the first conductivity type, the emitter region forming a heterojunction with the substrate;
an anti-reflection layer physically directly contacting the emitter region;
a surface field region positioned on the substrate and having the first conductivity type, the surface field region forming a heterojunction with the substrate;
a first electrode passing through the anti-reflection layer and physically contacting the emitter region; and
a second electrode physically directly contacting the surface field region,
wherein at least one of the emitter region and the surface field region comprises an amorphous metal silicide layer containing a metal material comprising at least one of chromium (Cr), aluminum (Al), cobalt (Co), hafnium (Hf), molybdenum (Mo), nickel (Ni), lead (Pd), platinum (Pt), tantalum (Ta), titanium (Ti), tungsten (W), and zirconium (Zr),
wherein a concentration of the metal material contained in the at least one of the emitter region and the surface field region is 1×10 15 atoms/cm 2 to 1×10 21 atoms/cm 2 ,
wherein the at least one of the emitter region and the surface field region comprises a first portion directly contacting the substrate and made of amorphous silicon configured to perform a passivation function and a second portion positioned on the first portion and made of the amorphous metal silicide layer configured to improve a transfer efficiency of charges,
wherein the first and second portions are doped with an impurity, and
wherein the impurity doped concentrations of the first and second portions are 1×10 16 atoms/cm 3 to 1×10 21 atoms/cm 3 .

Assignees

• Choi Wonseok
• Lee Heonmin
• Choi Junghoon
• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Choi Wonseok
• Lee Heonmin
• Choi Junghoon

Classifications

• H01L31/1804

  Electricity · mapped topic

• Y02P70/521

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• H01L31/0747 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• Y02E10/547

  Monocrystalline silicon PV cells · CPC title

• H10F71/121

  The active layers comprising only Group IV materials · CPC title