Patent application number | Description | Published |
20120125424 | PHOTOVOLTAIC DEVICE STRUCTURE AND METHOD - A surface region of a semiconductor material on a surface of a semiconductor device is doped during its manufacture, by coating the surface region of the semiconductor material with a dielectric material surface layer and locally heating the surface of the semiconductor material in an area to be doped to locally melt the semiconductor material with the melting being performed in the presence of a dopant source. The heating is performed in a controlled manner such that a region of the surface of the semiconductor material in the area to be doped is maintained in a molten state without refreezing for a period of time greater than one microsecond and the dopant from the dopant source is absorbed into the molten semiconductor. The semiconductor device includes a semiconductor material structure in which a junction is formed and may incorporate a multi-layer anti-reflection coating. The anti-reflection coating is located on a light receiving surface of the semiconductor material structure and comprises a thin layer of thermal expansion mismatch correction material having a thermal expansion coefficient less than or equal to that of the semiconductor material, to provide thermal expansion coefficient mismatch correction. An anti-reflection layer is provided having a refractive index and thickness selected to match the semiconductor material structure so as to give good overall antireflection properties to the solar cell. | 05-24-2012 |
20120132270 | METAL ADHESION - A solar cell has a metal contact formed to electrically contact a surface of semiconductor material forming a photo-voltaic junction. The solar cell includes a surface region or regions of heavily doped material and the contact comprises a contact metallisation formed over the heavily doped regions to make contact thereto. Surface keying features are located in the semiconductor material into which the metallisation extends to assist in attachment of the metallisation to the semiconductor material. | 05-31-2012 |
20120282731 | PHOTOPLATING OF METAL ELECTRODES FOR SOLAR CELLS - A method of photoplating a metal contact onto a surface of a cathode of a photovoltaic device is provided using light induced plating technique. The method comprises: a) immersing the photovoltaic device in a solution of metal ions, where the metal ions are a species which is to be plated onto the surface of the cathode of the photovoltaic device; and b) illuminating the photovoltaic device, using a light source of time varying intensity. This results in nett plating which is faster in a direction normal to the surface of the cathode than in a direction in a plane of the surface of the cathode. | 11-08-2012 |
20140251817 | METAL CONTACT SCHEME AND PASSIVATION SCHEME FOR SOLAR CELLS - A method of forming an oxide layer on an exposed surface of a semiconductor device which contains a p-n junction is disclosed, the method comprising: immersing the exposed surface of the semiconductor device in an electrolyte; producing an electric field in the semiconductor device such that the p-n junction is forward-biased and the exposed surface is anodic; and electrochemically oxidising the exposed surface to form an oxide layer. | 09-11-2014 |
20140322860 | METAL CONTACT SCHEME FOR SOLAR CELLS - A method of depositing metal on an exposed surface of a p-type semiconductor region of a semiconductor device comprising a p-n junction is disclosed, the method comprising: immersing the exposed surface of the p-type semiconductor region on which the metal is to be deposited in a solution of metal ions; producing an electric field in the semiconductor device such that the p-n junction is forward biased; electrochemically depositing the metal on the exposed surface of the p-type semiconductor region of the semiconductor device by reduction of metal ions in the solution. | 10-30-2014 |
20150111333 | ADVANCED HYDROGENATION OF SILICON SOLAR CELLS - A method of hydrogenation of a silicon photovoltaic junction device is provided, the silicon photovoltaic junction device comprising p-type silicon semiconductor material and n-type silicon semiconductor material forming at least one p-n junction. | 04-23-2015 |
20150132881 | ADVANCED HYDROGENATION OF SILICON SOLAR CELLS - A method of hydrogenation of a silicon photovoltaic junction device is provided, the silicon photovoltaic junction device comprising p-type silicon semiconductor material and n-type silicon semiconductor material forming at least one p-n junction. | 05-14-2015 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090007962 | LOW AREA SCREEN PRINTED METAL CONTACT STRUCTURE AND METHOD - A solar cell comprises adjacent regions of oppositely doped semiconductor material forming a pn junction substantially parallel to front and rear surfaces of the solar cell. A surface of the semiconductor material has a plurality of depressions, with semiconductor material regions forming internal wall surface regions of the depressions being doped to the polarity of one of the semiconductor regions, with which they are in electrical communication. The wall surface regions of the depressions are isolated from the other oppositely doped semiconductor region and form contact points for a contact structure contacting the surface in which the depressions are formed. A dielectric layer is formed over the surface, the dielectric layer being thinner or non-existent in at least a portion of each depression, such that a screen printed metal contact structure formed over the dielectric layer and extending into the depressions makes contact with the semiconductor material in the depressions after sintering. | 01-08-2009 |
20100047721 | METHOD OF FORMING OPENINGS IN SELECTED MATERIAL - A method is provided for forming an opening in a layer of a selected material. The method comprises, forming a polymer resist layer over said selected material and plasticising areas of the resist where openings are to be formed. The plasticising is performed by depositing a first solution onto the surface of said polymer resist layer, where the first solution is a plasticiser selected to increase permeability of the polymer resist layer to a second solution, in an area which has absorbed the first solution. The second solution is selected to be an etchant or solvent for the selected material. After the resist layer has been selectively plasticised, it is contacted with the second solution, which permeates the polymer resist layer in the area of increased permeability and forms an opening in the selected material. | 02-25-2010 |
20110111599 | METHOD FOR PATTERNED ETCHING OF SELECTED MATERIAL - Surface processing in which the area to be processed is restricted to a predetermined pattern, can be achieved by: (a) providing a layer of a first reagent over a region of the surface to be processed which at least covers an area of the predetermined pattern; (b) providing one or more further reagents which are further reagents required for the processing of the surface; and (c) applying at least one of the further reagents over the region to be processed according to the predetermined pattern; such that the first reagent acts with the one or more of the further reagents to process the surface only in the area of the predetermined pattern. The process is particularly applicable to etching where an etchant having two or more components is used. In that case at least a first etchant component is applied over the surface and at least one further etchant component is applied in the predetermined pattern. | 05-12-2011 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20120125424 | PHOTOVOLTAIC DEVICE STRUCTURE AND METHOD - A surface region of a semiconductor material on a surface of a semiconductor device is doped during its manufacture, by coating the surface region of the semiconductor material with a dielectric material surface layer and locally heating the surface of the semiconductor material in an area to be doped to locally melt the semiconductor material with the melting being performed in the presence of a dopant source. The heating is performed in a controlled manner such that a region of the surface of the semiconductor material in the area to be doped is maintained in a molten state without refreezing for a period of time greater than one microsecond and the dopant from the dopant source is absorbed into the molten semiconductor. The semiconductor device includes a semiconductor material structure in which a junction is formed and may incorporate a multi-layer anti-reflection coating. The anti-reflection coating is located on a light receiving surface of the semiconductor material structure and comprises a thin layer of thermal expansion mismatch correction material having a thermal expansion coefficient less than or equal to that of the semiconductor material, to provide thermal expansion coefficient mismatch correction. An anti-reflection layer is provided having a refractive index and thickness selected to match the semiconductor material structure so as to give good overall antireflection properties to the solar cell. | 05-24-2012 |
20120132270 | METAL ADHESION - A solar cell has a metal contact formed to electrically contact a surface of semiconductor material forming a photo-voltaic junction. The solar cell includes a surface region or regions of heavily doped material and the contact comprises a contact metallisation formed over the heavily doped regions to make contact thereto. Surface keying features are located in the semiconductor material into which the metallisation extends to assist in attachment of the metallisation to the semiconductor material. | 05-31-2012 |
20120196444 | METHOD FOR THE SELECTIVE DELIVERY OF MATERIAL TO A SUBSTRATE - A method of selective delivery of material to locations on a substrate using a continuous stream deposition device to deposit the material at selected locations on the substrate. This is achieved by creating a mask with an opening, locating the mask over the substrate and depositing the material through the opening onto the substrate. When locating the mask, over the substrate, a portion of the substrate is exposed through the opening and when the continuous stream deposition device is moved relative to the substrate and the mask, the continuous stream deposition device follows a path relative to the mask which intersects the opening. While the continuous stream deposition device moves, it discharges a continuous stream comprising the material to be delivered, to deposit the material through the mask at a discrete location on the substrate, at the intersection of the opening and the path of the continuous stream deposition device. Alternatively the mask may be dispensed with and two materials deposited on two intersecting paths whereby at the intersections the two materials react. | 08-02-2012 |
20120282722 | METALLIZATION METHOD FOR SILICON SOLAR CELLS - A method of forming contacts on a surface emitter of a silicon solar cell is provided. In the method an n-type diffusion of a surface is performed to form a doped emitter surface layer that has a sheet resistance of 10-40 Ω/□. The emitter surface layer is then etched back to increase the sheet resistance of the emitter surface layer. Finally the surface is selectively plated. | 11-08-2012 |
20120282731 | PHOTOPLATING OF METAL ELECTRODES FOR SOLAR CELLS - A method of photoplating a metal contact onto a surface of a cathode of a photovoltaic device is provided using light induced plating technique. The method comprises: a) immersing the photovoltaic device in a solution of metal ions, where the metal ions are a species which is to be plated onto the surface of the cathode of the photovoltaic device; and b) illuminating the photovoltaic device, using a light source of time varying intensity. This results in nett plating which is faster in a direction normal to the surface of the cathode than in a direction in a plane of the surface of the cathode. | 11-08-2012 |
20140102523 | HYBRID SOLAR CELL CONTACT - A solar cell and a method of forming a solar cell comprising: a semiconductor body having a p-n junction located between a front (light receiving) semiconductor region and a back (non-light receiving) semiconductor region; a dielectric layer extending over a front surface of the front semiconductor region; one or more elongate semiconductor fingers formed on the front surface of the front semiconductor region, the semiconductor fingers being exposed through the dielectric layer, more heavily doped than the remainder of the front semiconductor region and of the same dopant polarity; one or more elongate plated contacts formed to self align with and at least partially cover the semiconductor fingers; one or more metal collection fingers extending over the dielectric layer, generally transversely to the plated contacts. | 04-17-2014 |
20140199806 | DIELECTRIC STRUCTURES IN SOLAR CELLS - A dielectric, structure and a method of forming a dielectric structure for a rear surface of a silicon solar cell are provided. The method comprises forming a first dielectric layer over the rear surface of the silicon solar cell, and then depositing a layer of metal such as aluminum over the first dielectric layer. The metal layer is then anodized to form a porous layer and a material layer is deposited over a surface of the porous layer such that the material deposits on the surface of the porous layer without contacting the silicon surface. | 07-17-2014 |
20140251817 | METAL CONTACT SCHEME AND PASSIVATION SCHEME FOR SOLAR CELLS - A method of forming an oxide layer on an exposed surface of a semiconductor device which contains a p-n junction is disclosed, the method comprising: immersing the exposed surface of the semiconductor device in an electrolyte; producing an electric field in the semiconductor device such that the p-n junction is forward-biased and the exposed surface is anodic; and electrochemically oxidising the exposed surface to form an oxide layer. | 09-11-2014 |
20140322860 | METAL CONTACT SCHEME FOR SOLAR CELLS - A method of depositing metal on an exposed surface of a p-type semiconductor region of a semiconductor device comprising a p-n junction is disclosed, the method comprising: immersing the exposed surface of the p-type semiconductor region on which the metal is to be deposited in a solution of metal ions; producing an electric field in the semiconductor device such that the p-n junction is forward biased; electrochemically depositing the metal on the exposed surface of the p-type semiconductor region of the semiconductor device by reduction of metal ions in the solution. | 10-30-2014 |
20150017793 | FORMATION OF LOCALISED MOLTEN REGIONS IN SILICON CONTAINING MULTIPLE IMPURITY TYPES - A method for creating an inwardly extending impurity distribution profile in a substrate comprising crystalline silicon material having a background doping of a first impurity type, comprising: a) providing one or more additional impurity sources with at least two different types of impurity atoms within the substrate or in proximity to the surface of the substrate, with each of these impurity atoms having different diffusion coefficients or segregation coefficients; b) locally melting a point on the surface of the substrate with a laser, whereby the at least two different types of impurity atoms are incorporated into the melted silicon material; c) removing the laser to allow the silicon material to recrystallise; d) controlling a rate of application and/or removal of the laser to control the creation of the impurity distribution profile, with different distribution profiles for each of the at least two types of impurity atoms in the recrystallised material. | 01-15-2015 |
20150111333 | ADVANCED HYDROGENATION OF SILICON SOLAR CELLS - A method of hydrogenation of a silicon photovoltaic junction device is provided, the silicon photovoltaic junction device comprising p-type silicon semiconductor material and n-type silicon semiconductor material forming at least one p-n junction. | 04-23-2015 |
20150132881 | ADVANCED HYDROGENATION OF SILICON SOLAR CELLS - A method of hydrogenation of a silicon photovoltaic junction device is provided, the silicon photovoltaic junction device comprising p-type silicon semiconductor material and n-type silicon semiconductor material forming at least one p-n junction. | 05-14-2015 |