Silicon solar cells made by a self-aligned, selective-emitter, plasma-etchback process
Abstract
A potentially low-cost process for forming and passivating a selective emitter. The process uses a plasma etch of the heavily doped emitter to improve its performance. The grids of the solar cell are used to mask the plasma etch so that only the emitter in the region between the grids is etched, while the region beneath the grids remains heavily doped for low contact resistance. This process is potentially low-cost because it requires no alignment. After the emitter etch, a silicon nitride layer is deposited by plasma-enhanced, chemical vapor deposition, and the solar cell is annealed in a forming gas.
- Inventors:
-
- Albuquerque, NM
- Issue Date:
- Research Org.:
- Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), Albuquerque, NM, and Livermore, CA (United States)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 872148
- Patent Number(s):
- 5871591
- 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
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC04-94AL85000
- Resource Type:
- Patent
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- silicon; solar; cells; self-aligned; selective-emitter; plasma-etchback; process; potentially; low-cost; forming; passivating; selective; emitter; plasma; etch; heavily; doped; improve; performance; grids; cell; mask; region; etched; beneath; remains; contact; resistance; requires; alignment; nitride; layer; deposited; plasma-enhanced; chemical; vapor; deposition; annealed; gas; forming gas; heavily doped; silicon nitride; chemical vapor; solar cell; solar cells; vapor deposition; silicon solar; contact resistance; plasma etch; nitride layer; low-cost process; plasma-etchback process; /136/
Citation Formats
Ruby, Douglas S, Schubert, William K, and Gee, James M. Silicon solar cells made by a self-aligned, selective-emitter, plasma-etchback process. United States: N. p., 1999.
Web.
Ruby, Douglas S, Schubert, William K, & Gee, James M. Silicon solar cells made by a self-aligned, selective-emitter, plasma-etchback process. United States.
Ruby, Douglas S, Schubert, William K, and Gee, James M. Fri .
"Silicon solar cells made by a self-aligned, selective-emitter, plasma-etchback process". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/872148.
@article{osti_872148,
title = {Silicon solar cells made by a self-aligned, selective-emitter, plasma-etchback process},
author = {Ruby, Douglas S and Schubert, William K and Gee, James M},
abstractNote = {A potentially low-cost process for forming and passivating a selective emitter. The process uses a plasma etch of the heavily doped emitter to improve its performance. The grids of the solar cell are used to mask the plasma etch so that only the emitter in the region between the grids is etched, while the region beneath the grids remains heavily doped for low contact resistance. This process is potentially low-cost because it requires no alignment. After the emitter etch, a silicon nitride layer is deposited by plasma-enhanced, chemical vapor deposition, and the solar cell is annealed in a forming gas.},
doi = {},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1999},
month = {Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1999}
}
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Works referenced in this record:
A novel and effective PECVD SiO/sub 2//SiN antireflection coating for Si solar cells
journal, June 1993
- Chen, Z.; Sana, P.; Salami, J.
- IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices, Vol. 40, Issue 6