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Title: Surface modification of silicon nitride for thick film silver metallization of solar cell

Abstract

In the manufacture of a wafer-type silicon solar cell having on its front side a silicon nitride AR coating and an electrical contact that is formed by printing a thick film metal ink onto the silicon nitride in the form of a grid-like pattern having narrow fingers and then firing that ink to convert it to a bonded metal contact, a surface treatment method is provided to adjust the condition of the surface of the silicon nitride coating in a manner that substantially improves the adherence of the thick film ink to the silicon nitride coating, thereby eliminating or substantially inhibiting the tendency of the narrow fingers of the unfired ink to peel away before the ink has been fired to produce the electrical contact. The surface treatment method comprises subjecting the silicon nitride layer to a corona discharge using a plasma jet and is readily incorporated into the manufacturing process sequence without requiring any modification of existing stages of that sequence.

Inventors:
;
Issue Date:
Research Org.:
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE
OSTI Identifier:
1531484
Patent Number(s):
6815246
Application Number:
10/365,774
Assignee:
RWE Schott Solar, Inc. (Billerica, MA)
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:  
AC36-83CH10093; ZAF-6-14271-10
Resource Type:
Patent
Resource Relation:
Patent File Date: 2003-02-13
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

Citation Formats

Gonsiorawski, Ronald C., and Xavier, Grace. Surface modification of silicon nitride for thick film silver metallization of solar cell. United States: N. p., 2004. Web.
Gonsiorawski, Ronald C., & Xavier, Grace. Surface modification of silicon nitride for thick film silver metallization of solar cell. United States.
Gonsiorawski, Ronald C., and Xavier, Grace. Tue . "Surface modification of silicon nitride for thick film silver metallization of solar cell". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1531484.
@article{osti_1531484,
title = {Surface modification of silicon nitride for thick film silver metallization of solar cell},
author = {Gonsiorawski, Ronald C. and Xavier, Grace},
abstractNote = {In the manufacture of a wafer-type silicon solar cell having on its front side a silicon nitride AR coating and an electrical contact that is formed by printing a thick film metal ink onto the silicon nitride in the form of a grid-like pattern having narrow fingers and then firing that ink to convert it to a bonded metal contact, a surface treatment method is provided to adjust the condition of the surface of the silicon nitride coating in a manner that substantially improves the adherence of the thick film ink to the silicon nitride coating, thereby eliminating or substantially inhibiting the tendency of the narrow fingers of the unfired ink to peel away before the ink has been fired to produce the electrical contact. The surface treatment method comprises subjecting the silicon nitride layer to a corona discharge using a plasma jet and is readily incorporated into the manufacturing process sequence without requiring any modification of existing stages of that sequence.},
doi = {},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Nov 09 00:00:00 EST 2004},
month = {Tue Nov 09 00:00:00 EST 2004}
}

Works referenced in this record:

Self-cleaning ionizing air gun
patent, February 1995


Corona discharge surface treating method
patent, November 1995


Multi-mode treater with internal air cooling system
patent, August 2002


System for precision control of the position of an atmospheric plasma
patent, December 2002


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    Method for producing electric contacts on a semiconductor component
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    Silicon based ion emitter assembly
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    Solar cell and method of manufacturing the same
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