Silicon cells made by self-aligned selective-emitter plasma-etchback process

Ruby, Douglas S; Schubert, William K; Gee, James M; Zaidi, Saleem H

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Title: Silicon cells made by self-aligned selective-emitter plasma-etchback process

Abstract

Photovoltaic cells and methods for making them are disclosed wherein the metallized grids of the cells are used to mask portions of cell emitter regions to allow selective etching of phosphorus-doped emitter regions. The preferred etchant is SF.sub.6 or a combination of SF.sub.6 and O.sub.2. This self-aligned selective etching allows for enhanced blue response (versus cells with uniform heavy doping of the emitter) while preserving heavier doping in the region beneath the gridlines needed for low contact resistance. Embodiments are disclosed for making cells with or without textured surfaces. Optional steps include plasma hydrogenation and PECVD nitride deposition, each of which are suited to customized applications for requirements of given cells to be manufactured. The techniques disclosed could replace expensive and difficult alignment methodologies used to obtain selectively etched emitters, and they may be easily integrated with existing plasma processing methods and techniques of the invention may be accomplished in a single plasma-processing chamber.

Inventors:

Ruby, Douglas S ^[1]; Schubert, William K ^[1]; Gee, James M ^[1]; Zaidi, Saleem H ^[1]

Albuquerque, NM

Issue Date:: Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2000

Research Org.:: Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), Albuquerque, NM, and Livermore, CA (United States)

OSTI Identifier:: 873104

Patent Number(s):: 6091021

Assignee:: Sandia Corporation (Albuquerque, NM)

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

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H - ELECTRICITY H01 - BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS H01L - SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
H01L31/02167 - {for solar cells}
H01L31/02168 - {the coatings being antireflective or having enhancing optical properties for the solar cells}
H01L31/068 - the potential barriers being only of the PN homojunction type, e.g. bulk silicon PN homojunction solar cells or thin film polycrystalline silicon PN homojunction solar cells
H01L31/1804 - {comprising only elements of Group IV of the Periodic System}
H01L31/186 - {Particular post-treatment for the devices, e.g. annealing, impurity gettering, short-circuit elimination, recrystallisation}

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
Y02E10/547 - Monocrystalline silicon PV cells

Y - NEW / CROSS SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES Y02 - TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE Y02P - CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS
Y02P70/50 - Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

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DOE Contract Number:: AC04-94AL85000

Resource Type:: Patent

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Subject:: silicon; cells; self-aligned; selective-emitter; plasma-etchback; process; photovoltaic; methods; disclosed; metallized; grids; mask; portions; cell; emitter; regions; allow; selective; etching; phosphorus-doped; preferred; etchant; sf; combination; allows; enhanced; blue; response; versus; uniform; heavy; doping; preserving; heavier; region; beneath; gridlines; contact; resistance; embodiments; textured; surfaces; optional; steps; plasma; hydrogenation; pecvd; nitride; deposition; suited; customized; applications; requirements; manufactured; techniques; replace; expensive; difficult; alignment; methodologies; obtain; selectively; etched; emitters; easily; integrated; existing; processing; accomplished; single; plasma-processing; chamber; selective etching; emitter region; processing methods; silicon cells; processing method; textured surface; processing chamber; photovoltaic cells; plasma process; plasma processing; photovoltaic cell; contact resistance; selectively etched; selective etch; single plasma; easily integrated; metallized grid; silicon cell; alignment method; plasma-etchback process; /136/

Citation Formats


                    Ruby, Douglas S, Schubert, William K, Gee, James M, and Zaidi, Saleem H. Silicon cells made by self-aligned selective-emitter plasma-etchback process.  United States: N. p., 2000. 
        Web.

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                    Ruby, Douglas S, Schubert, William K, Gee, James M, & Zaidi, Saleem H. Silicon cells made by self-aligned selective-emitter plasma-etchback process.  United States.

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                    Ruby, Douglas S, Schubert, William K, Gee, James M, and Zaidi, Saleem H. Sat .  
        "Silicon cells made by self-aligned selective-emitter plasma-etchback process".  United States.  https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/873104.

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@article{osti_873104,

  title        = {Silicon cells made by self-aligned selective-emitter plasma-etchback process},

  author       = {Ruby, Douglas S and Schubert, William K and Gee, James M and Zaidi, Saleem H},

  abstractNote = {Photovoltaic cells and methods for making them are disclosed wherein the metallized grids of the cells are used to mask portions of cell emitter regions to allow selective etching of phosphorus-doped emitter regions. The preferred etchant is SF.sub.6 or a combination of SF.sub.6 and O.sub.2. This self-aligned selective etching allows for enhanced blue response (versus cells with uniform heavy doping of the emitter) while preserving heavier doping in the region beneath the gridlines needed for low contact resistance. Embodiments are disclosed for making cells with or without textured surfaces. Optional steps include plasma hydrogenation and PECVD nitride deposition, each of which are suited to customized applications for requirements of given cells to be manufactured. The techniques disclosed could replace expensive and difficult alignment methodologies used to obtain selectively etched emitters, and they may be easily integrated with existing plasma processing methods and techniques of the invention may be accomplished in a single plasma-processing chamber.},

  doi          = {},

  journal      = {},
number       = ,

  volume       = ,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2000},

  month        = {Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2000}

}

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Works referenced in this record:

Surface texturing using reactive ion etching for multicrystalline silicon solar cells
conference, January 1997

Fukui, K.; Inomata, Y.; Shirasawa, K.
Conference Record of the Twenty Sixth IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference - 1997
https://doi.org/10.1109/PVSC.1997.653921

Characterization and optimization of absorbing plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposited antireflection coatings for silicon photovoltaics
journal, January 1997

Doshi, Parag; Jellison, Gerald E.; Rohatgi, Ajeet
Applied Optics, Vol. 36, Issue 30
https://doi.org/10.1364/AO.36.007826

A statistical analysis of the effect of PECVD deposition parameters on surface and bulk recombination in silicon solar cells
conference, January 1994

Ruby, D. S.; Wilbanks, W. L.; Fieddermann, C. B.
Proceedings of 1994 IEEE 1st World Conference on Photovoltaic Energy Conversion - WCPEC (A Joint Conference of PVSC, PVSEC and PSEC)
https://doi.org/10.1109/WCPEC.1994.520193

Recent progress on the self-aligned, selective-emitter silicon solar cell
conference, January 1997

Ruby, D. S.; Yang, P.; Roy, M.
Conference Record of the Twenty Sixth IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference - 1997
https://doi.org/10.1109/PVSC.1997.653919

Surface texturing of large area multicrystalline silicon solar cells using reactive ion etching method
journal, November 1997

Inomata, Y.; Fukui, K.; Shirasawa, K.
Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, Vol. 48, Issue 1-4
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0927-0248(97)00106-2

Optimization of plasma deposition and etching processes for commercial multicrystalline silicon solar cells
conference, January 1996

Ruby, D. S.; Wilbanks, W. L.; Fleddermann, C. B.
Conference Record of the Twenty Fifth IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference - 1996
https://doi.org/10.1109/PVSC.1996.564209

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Similar Records

Title: Silicon cells made by self-aligned selective-emitter plasma-etchback process

Abstract

Citation Formats

Surface texturing using reactive ion etching for multicrystalline silicon solar cells conference, January 1997

Characterization and optimization of absorbing plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposited antireflection coatings for silicon photovoltaics journal, January 1997

A statistical analysis of the effect of PECVD deposition parameters on surface and bulk recombination in silicon solar cells conference, January 1994

Recent progress on the self-aligned, selective-emitter silicon solar cell conference, January 1997

Surface texturing of large area multicrystalline silicon solar cells using reactive ion etching method journal, November 1997

Optimization of plasma deposition and etching processes for commercial multicrystalline silicon solar cells conference, January 1996

Surface texturing using reactive ion etching for multicrystalline silicon solar cells
conference, January 1997

Characterization and optimization of absorbing plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposited antireflection coatings for silicon photovoltaics
journal, January 1997

A statistical analysis of the effect of PECVD deposition parameters on surface and bulk recombination in silicon solar cells
conference, January 1994

Recent progress on the self-aligned, selective-emitter silicon solar cell
conference, January 1997

Surface texturing of large area multicrystalline silicon solar cells using reactive ion etching method
journal, November 1997

Optimization of plasma deposition and etching processes for commercial multicrystalline silicon solar cells
conference, January 1996