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Title: Front contact solar cell with formed electrically conducting layers on the front side and backside

Abstract

A bipolar solar cell includes a backside junction formed by a silicon substrate and a first doped layer of a first dopant type on the backside of the solar cell. A second doped layer of a second dopant type makes an electrical connection to the substrate from the front side of the solar cell. A first metal contact of a first electrical polarity electrically connects to the first doped layer on the backside of the solar cell, and a second metal contact of a second electrical polarity electrically connects to the second doped layer on the front side of the solar cell. An external electrical circuit may be electrically connected to the first and second metal contacts to be powered by the solar cell.

Inventors:
Issue Date:
Research Org.:
SunPower Corporation (San Jose, CA)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE
OSTI Identifier:
1055433
Patent Number(s):
8207444
Application Number:
12/166,266
Assignee:
SunPower Corporation (San Jose, CA)
Patent Classifications (CPCs):
H - ELECTRICITY H01 - BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS H01L - SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
Y - NEW / CROSS SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES Y02 - TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE Y02E - REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
DOE Contract Number:  
FC36-07GO17043
Resource Type:
Patent
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
14 SOLAR ENERGY

Citation Formats

Cousins, Peter John. Front contact solar cell with formed electrically conducting layers on the front side and backside. United States: N. p., 2012. Web.
Cousins, Peter John. Front contact solar cell with formed electrically conducting layers on the front side and backside. United States.
Cousins, Peter John. Tue . "Front contact solar cell with formed electrically conducting layers on the front side and backside". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1055433.
@article{osti_1055433,
title = {Front contact solar cell with formed electrically conducting layers on the front side and backside},
author = {Cousins, Peter John},
abstractNote = {A bipolar solar cell includes a backside junction formed by a silicon substrate and a first doped layer of a first dopant type on the backside of the solar cell. A second doped layer of a second dopant type makes an electrical connection to the substrate from the front side of the solar cell. A first metal contact of a first electrical polarity electrically connects to the first doped layer on the backside of the solar cell, and a second metal contact of a second electrical polarity electrically connects to the second doped layer on the front side of the solar cell. An external electrical circuit may be electrically connected to the first and second metal contacts to be powered by the solar cell.},
doi = {},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {2012},
month = {6}
}

Works referenced in this record:

High quality passivation for heterojunction solar cells by hydrogenated amorphous silicon suboxide films
journal, January 2008


Development of chip-size silicon solar cells
conference, January 2000

  • Mulligan, W. P.; Terao, A.; Smith, D. D.
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  • https://doi.org/10.1109/PVSC.2000.915778

A mirror-less design for micro-concentrator modules
conference, January 2000

  • Terao, A.; Mulligan, W. P.; Daroczi, S. G.
  • 28th IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, Conference Record of the Twenty-Eighth IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference - 2000 (Cat. No.00CH37036)
  • https://doi.org/10.1109/PVSC.2000.916158

A flat-plate concentrator: micro-concentrator design overview
conference, January 2000

  • Mulligan, W. P.; Terao, A.; Daroczi, S. G.
  • 28th IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, Conference Record of the Twenty-Eighth IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference - 2000 (Cat. No.00CH37036)
  • https://doi.org/10.1109/PVSC.2000.916177

Simplified backside-contact solar cells
journal, January 1990