U.S. patent application number 12/898961 was filed with the patent office on 2011-11-17 for solar cell and method for manufacturing the same.
Invention is credited to Manhyo Ha, Daehee Jang, Juwan Kang, Jonghwan Kim, Kyoungsoo LEE.
Application Number | 20110277826 12/898961 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 43135995 |
Filed Date | 2011-11-17 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110277826 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
LEE; Kyoungsoo ; et
al. |
November 17, 2011 |
SOLAR CELL AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME
Abstract
A solar cell includes a substrate of a first conductive type; an
emitter part of a second conductive type positioned at a front
surface of the substrate; a first silicon thin film layer
positioned on the emitter part and including amorphous silicon
containing impurities of the second type that are doped therein; a
first transparent conductive layer positioned on the first silicon
thin film layer and electrically connected with the emitter part; a
first electrode positioned on the first transparent conductive
layer and electrically connected with the first transparent
conductive layer; and a second electrode positioned on a back
surface of the substrate. For example, the first silicon thin film
layer includes N.sup.+-a-Si:H or N.sup.+-a-SiC:H.
Inventors: |
LEE; Kyoungsoo; (Seoul,
KR) ; Kim; Jonghwan; (Seoul, KR) ; Kang;
Juwan; (Seoul, KR) ; Ha; Manhyo; (Seoul,
KR) ; Jang; Daehee; (Seoul, KR) |
Family ID: |
43135995 |
Appl. No.: |
12/898961 |
Filed: |
October 6, 2010 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
136/255 ;
257/E31.001; 257/E31.043; 438/57; 438/69 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01L 31/068 20130101;
Y02P 70/521 20151101; Y02P 70/50 20151101; H01L 31/02363 20130101;
Y02E 10/547 20130101; H01L 31/1868 20130101; H01L 31/1804 20130101;
H01L 31/022425 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
136/255 ; 438/69;
438/57; 257/E31.043; 257/E31.001 |
International
Class: |
H01L 31/0236 20060101
H01L031/0236; H01L 31/18 20060101 H01L031/18; H01L 31/0368 20060101
H01L031/0368 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
May 11, 2010 |
KR |
10-2010-0044128 |
Claims
1. A solar cell, comprising: a substrate of a first conductive
type; an emitter part of a second conductive type and positioned at
a front surface of the substrate; a first silicon thin film layer
positioned on the emitter part and comprising amorphous silicon
containing impurities of the same conductive type as the emitter
part that are doped therein; a first intrinsic semiconductor layer
positioned between the emitter part and the first silicon thin film
layer; a first transparent conductive layer positioned on the first
silicon thin film layer and electrically connected with the emitter
part; a first electrode positioned on the first transparent
conductive layer and electrically connected with the first
transparent conductive layer; and a second electrode positioned on
a back surface of the substrate.
2. The solar cell of claim 1, wherein the first silicon thin film
layer comprises a-Si:H or a-SiC:H having impurities of the second
conductive type that are more heavily doped compared with the
emitter part.
3. The solar cell of claim 1, wherein the emitter part comprises a
textured surface having fine protrusions and depressions.
4. The solar cell of claim 3, wherein the emitter part has a
thickness ranging from about 100 mm to 200 nm.
5. (canceled)
6. The solar cell of claim 1, wherein the first intrinsic
semiconductor layer comprises a-Si:H.
7. The solar cell of claim 1, further comprising a back surface
field part positioned between the substrate and the second
electrode.
8. The solar cell of claim 7, wherein the back surface field part
is formed at an entire area of the back surface of the substrate,
and the second electrode is formed on an entire area of a back
surface of the back surface field part.
9. The solar cell of claim 7, wherein the back surface field part
is formed only at a portion of the substrate, and the second
electrode is formed on an entire area of the back surface of the
substrate or only on a portion of the back surface of the substrate
corresponding to the back surface field part.
10. The solar cell of claim 1, further comprising a second silicon
thin film layer positioned between the substrate and the second
electrode.
11. The solar cell of claim 10, wherein the second silicon thin
film layer comprises a-Si:H or a-SiC:H having impurities of the
first conductive type that are more heavily doped compared with the
substrate.
12. The solar cell of claim 10, further comprising a second
intrinsic semiconductor layer positioned between the substrate and
the second silicon thin film layer.
13. The solar cell of claim 12, wherein the second intrinsic
semiconductor layer comprises a-Si:H.
14. The solar cell of claim 10, further comprising a second
transparent conductive layer positioned between the second silicon
thin film layer and the second electrode.
15-30. (canceled)
31. A method for manufacturing a solar cell, the method comprising:
forming fine protrusions and depressions at a front surface of a
substrate of a first conductive type; doping impurities into the
front surface of the substrate to form an emitter part of a second
conductive type, which is an opposite type to the first conductive
type; printing and baking a second conductive paste on a back
surface of the substrate to form a second electrode; stacking
a-Si:H or a-SiC:H having impurities of the same conductive type as
the emitter part that are more heavily doped compared with the
emitter part at a temperature of 200.degree. C. or lower on the
emitter part to form a first silicon thin film layer; forming a
first transparent conductive layer on the first silicon thin film
layer; and printing a first conductive paste containing silver (Ag)
on the first transparent conductive layer and thermally treating
the same at a temperature of 150.degree. C. or lower to form a
first electrode.
32. The method of claim 31, wherein the forming of the emitter part
comprises: doping the impurities of the second conductive type into
the front surface of the substrate to form an emitter layer having
a pre-set thickness; and removing at least a portion of the emitter
layer having an impurity concentration of the impurities of the
second conductive type that are higher than a solid solubility
thereof by using a dry etching method.
33. The method of claim 31, further comprising forming a first
intrinsic semiconductor layer comprising a-Si:H between the first
silicon thin film layer and the first transparent conductive
layer.
34. A method for manufacturing a solar cell, the method comprising:
forming fine protrusions and depressions at a front surface of a
substrate of a first conductive type; doping impurities into the
front surface of the substrate to form an emitter part of a second
conductive type, which is an opposite type to the first conductive
type; stacking a-Si:H or a-SiC:H having impurities of the second
conductive type that are more heavily doped compared with the
emitter part at a temperature of 200.degree. C. or lower on the
emitter part to form a first silicon thin film layer, and stacking
a-Si:H or a-SiC:H having impurities of the first conductive type
that are more heavily doped compared with the substrate at a
temperature of 200.degree. C. or lower on a back surface of the
substrate to form a second silicon thin film layer; forming first
and second transparent conductive layers on the first and second
silicon thin film layers, respectively; and printing a first
conductive paste containing silver (Ag) on the first and second
transparent conductive layers and thermally treating the same at a
temperature of 150(C or lower to form first and second
electrodes.
35. The method of claim 34, wherein the forming of the emitter part
comprises: doping the impurities of the second conductive type into
the substrate to form an emitter layer having a pre-set thickness;
and removing at least a portion of the emitter layer having an
impurity concentration of the impurities of the second conductive
type that is higher than a solid solubility thereof by using a dry
etching method.
36. The method of claim 34, further comprising forming a first
intrinsic semiconductor layer comprising a-Si:H between the first
silicon thin film layer and the first transparent conductive layer,
and forming a second intrinsic semiconductor layer comprising
a-Si:H between the second silicon thin film layer and the second
transparent conductive layer.
37-42. (canceled)
Description
[0001] This nonprovisional application claims priority under 35
U.S.C. .sctn.119(a) to Patent Application No. 10-2010-0044128 filed
in Republic of Korea on May 11, 2010, the entire contents of which
are hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] Embodiments of the invention relate to a solar cell and
method for manufacturing the same.
[0004] 2. Discussion of the Related Art
[0005] Recently, as exhaustion of existing energy resources such as
oil or coal is foreseen, interest in alternative energy to replace
them is increasing and a solar cell that produces electric energy
from solar energy is receiving much attention.
[0006] A solar cell is classified into a crystalline solar cell, an
amorphous solar cell, a compound-based solar cell, and the like,
depending on the kinds of materials used for the solar cell.
Further, a crystalline silicon solar cell is classified into a
mono-crystalline (or single crystalline) silicon solar cell and a
polycrystalline silicon solar cell.
[0007] The monocrystalline silicon solar cell, having a high
quality substrate, can easily accomplish as high an efficiency, but
it is disadvantageous in that a great amount of fabrication cost is
incurred. In comparison, the polycrystalline silicon solar cell is
disadvantageous in that it cannot accomplish high efficiency
because its substrate is inferior to that of the mono-crystalline
silicon solar cell, but recently, the substrate quality of the
polycrystalline silicon solar cell has been improved and, as
processing techniques of the polycrystalline silicon solar cell are
advancing, the polycrystalline silicon solar cell is becoming
highly efficient.
[0008] One of methods for making the polycrystalline silicon solar
cell highly efficient is by reducing reflectivity of light that is
incident to a light reception surface of a substrate.
[0009] In order to reduce light reflectivity, the light reception
surface of the substrate is formed to have protrusions and
depressions. Namely, the substrate is formed to have a textured
surface.
[0010] However, the solar cell having such a structure has a
doubled surface area due to the protrusions and depression formed
on the textured surface, so that a recombination rate at the
surface increases. Thus, the lowering of the reflectivity brings
about the increase in carriers, but because some of the carriers
become extinct due to their recombination, an actual current gain
is not increased as much as the increase in the carriers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] In an aspect, a solar cell includes: a substrate of a first
conductive type; an emitter part a second conductive type
positioned at a front surface of the substrate; a first silicon
thin film layer positioned on the emitter part and including
amorphous silicon containing impurities of the second type that are
doped therein; a first transparent conductive layer positioned on
the first silicon thin film layer and electrically connected with
the emitter part; a first electrode positioned on the first
transparent conductive layer and electrically connected with the
first transparent conductive layer; and a second electrode
positioned on a back surface of the substrate.
[0012] The first silicon thin film layer may include a-Si:H or
a-SiC:H having impurities of the second conductive type that are
more heavily doped compared with the emitter part. The a-Si:H or
a-SiC:H of the first silicon thin film layer may be amorphous
silicon hydrogenated to reduce a crystal defect in an amorphous
state, which is deposited at a temperature of 200.degree. C. or
lower for the hydrogenation through plasma-enhanced chemical vapor
deposition (PECVD).
[0013] Because the first silicon thin film layer having such a
configuration has a high film density, it has superior surface
passivation characteristics to those of a silicon nitride film used
as a passivation film in the related art. Thus, the first silicon
thin film layer has improved step coverage characteristics. Also,
because the first silicon thin film layer has a higher band gap
(i.e., 1.8 eV) than that of crystalline silicon, it has an
increased open circuit voltage, improving a conversion efficiency
of the solar cell.
[0014] The emitter part may include a textured surface having fine
protrusions and depressions. The emitter part may be configured
such that a textured surface having a plurality of fine protrusions
and depressions is formed at a front surface of the substrate by
using dry etching, an emitter layer having a pre-set thickness is
formed by spreading impurities at the front surface of the
substrate, and at least a portion of the emitter layer having an
impurity concentration that is higher than a solid solubility is
removed by using dry etching. Thus, the emitter part, a portion of
which has been removed by using dry etching, may have a thickness
ranging from about 100 nm to 200 nm. Because the region having the
impurity concentration higher than the solid solubility is removed
from the emitter layer, a carrier mobility of the emitter part can
be increased.
[0015] A first intrinsic semiconductor layer made of a-Si:H may be
positioned between the emitter part and the first silicon thin film
layer. In this instance, the first silicon thin film layer and the
first intrinsic semiconductor layer may constitute a front
passivation film, and the first intrinsic semiconductor layer
improves passivation characteristics of the first silicon thin film
layer.
[0016] The first electrode positioned on the first transparent
conductive layer may be formed by printing and baking a paste, for
example, first conductive paste comprising silver (Ag), which can
be baked at a temperature of 150.degree. C. or lower.
[0017] When the silicon thin film layer, the intrinsic
semiconductor layer, and the transparent conductive layer are
formed only at the front surface of the substrate, a back surface
field (BSF) part may be positioned between the substrate and the
second electrode. In this instance, the second electrode may be
made of a material, e.g., aluminum, different from that of the
first electrode.
[0018] The back surface field part may be formed at an entire area
of the back surface of the substrate or may be formed only at a
portion of the back surface of the substrate. When the back surface
field part is formed at the entire area of the back surface, the
second electrode may be also formed on the entire area of the back
surface field part. When the back surface field part is formed only
at a portion of the back surface of the substrate, the second
electrode may be formed on the entire area of the back surface of
the substrate or may be formed only on a portion of the back
surface of the substrate corresponding to the back surface field
part.
[0019] In another aspect, a method for manufacturing a solar cell
includes: forming fine protrusions and depressions at a front
surface of a first conductive type substrate; injecting impurities
into the front surface of the substrate to form an emitter part of
a second conductive type, which is an opposite type to the first
conductive type; printing and baking a second conductive paste on a
back surface of the substrate to form a second electrode; stacking
a-Si:H or a-SiC:H having impurities of the second conductive type
that are more heavily doped compared with the emitter part at a
temperature of 200.degree. C. or lower on the emitter part to form
a first silicon thin film layer; forming a first transparent
conductive layer on the first silicon thin film layer; and printing
a first conductive paste containing silver (Ag) on the first
transparent conductive layer and thermally treating the same at a
temperature of 150.degree. C. or lower to form a first
electrode.
[0020] For another example, the silicon thin film layer, the
intrinsic semiconductor layer and the transparent conductive layer
may be formed on the front surface and on the back surface of the
substrate, respectively.
[0021] In this instance, the first silicon thin film layer
positioned on the front surface of the substrate may be formed as
the same conductive type thin film layer as that of the emitter
part, and the second silicon thin film layer positioned on the back
surface of the substrate may be formed as the same conductive type
thin film layer as that of the substrate. The second electrode may
be made of the same material, e.g., the same first conductive
material, as that of the first electrode and formed at the same
time when the first electrode is formed. In this instance, the back
surface field part may be formed or may not be formed as
necessary.
[0022] The solar cell including the first and second silicon thin
film layers may have a further increased band gap compared with a
solar cell including only the first silicon thin film layer, so its
open circuit voltage Voc can be maximized.
[0023] In another aspect, a method for manufacturing a solar cell
includes: forming fine protrusions and depressions at a front
surface of a first conductive type substrate; injecting impurities
into the front surface of the substrate to form an emitter part of
a second conductive type, which is an opposite type to the first
conductive type; stacking a-Si:H or a-SiC:H having impurities of
the second conductive type that are more heavily doped compared
with the emitter part at a temperature of 200.degree. C. or lower
on the emitter part to form a first silicon thin film layer, and
stacking a-Si:H or a-SiC:H having impurities of the first
conductive type that are more heavily doped compared with the
substrate at a temperature of 200.degree. C. or lower on a back
surface of the substrate to form a second silicon thin film layer;
forming first and second transparent conductive layers on the first
and second silicon thin film layers, respectively; and printing a
first conductive paste containing silver (Ag) on the first and
second transparent conductive layers and thermally treating the
same at a temperature of 150.degree. C. or lower to form first and
second electrodes.
[0024] In another aspect, the transparent conductive layer may not
be positioned between the silicon thin film layer and the
electrode, and an anti-reflection layer may be instead positioned
therebetween.
[0025] The anti-reflection layer may be formed as at least one
selected from among titanium dioxide layer (TiO.sub.2), silicon
nitride layer (SiNx), silicon oxide layer (SiOx), and silicon
oxynitride layer (SiOxNy), and may have a plurality of contact
holes to allow the electrode to be electrically connected with the
emitter part therethrough. The contact holes may be formed through
a pattern formation method such as laser ablation or the like.
[0026] The anti-reflection layer may be formed only on the front
surface of the substrate or may be formed on both of the front and
back surfaces of the substrate.
[0027] Because the silicon thin film layer includes a-Si:H or
a-SiC:H having a high film density, it has superior surface
passivation characteristics to those of a silicon nitride film used
as a passivation film in the related art. Thus, the silicon thin
film layer has improved step coverage characteristics. Also,
because the silicon thin film layer has a higher band gap (i.e.,
1.8 eV) than that of crystalline silicon, it has an increased open
circuit voltage.
[0028] Because the region having the impurity concentration higher
than the solid solubility is removed from the emitter layer, the
mobility of carriers passing through the emitter part can be
increased.
[0029] The electrode made of the low-temperature paste has better
electrical conductivity than a paste baked at a high
temperature.
[0030] With these characteristics, the solar cell according to
example embodiments of the present invention has effectively
improved conversion efficiency.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0031] The example embodiments of the invention will be described
in detail with reference to the following drawings in which like
numerals refer to like elements.
[0032] FIG. 1 is a partial sectional view of a solar cell according
to a first example embodiment of the present invention;
[0033] FIG. 2 is a diagram of bands before junctioning the solar
cell according to the embodiment of FIG. 1;
[0034] FIG. 3 is a diagram of bands after junctioning the solar
cell according to the embodiment of FIG. 1;
[0035] FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view of a modified embodiment
of the solar cell of FIG. 1;
[0036] FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating processes of a method
for manufacturing a solar cell according to the embodiment of FIG.
1;
[0037] FIG. 6 is a partial sectional view of another modified
embodiment of the solar cell of FIG. 1;
[0038] FIG. 7 is a diagram of bands before junctioning the solar
cell according to the embodiment of FIG. 6;
[0039] FIG. 8 is a diagram of bands after junctioning the solar
cell according to the embodiment of FIG. 6;
[0040] FIG. 9 is a flow chart illustrating processes of a method
for manufacturing a solar cell according to the embodiment of FIG.
6;
[0041] FIG. 10 is a partial sectional view of a solar cell
according to a second example embodiment of the present
invention;
[0042] FIG. 11 is a flow chart illustrating processes of a method
for manufacturing a solar cell according to the embodiment of FIG.
10;
[0043] FIG. 12 is a partial sectional view of a modified embodiment
of the solar cell of FIG. 10; and
[0044] FIG. 13 is a flow chart illustrating processes of a method
for manufacturing a solar cell according to the embodiment of FIG.
12.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
[0045] Example embodiments of the present invention will now be
described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and
should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set
forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this
disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the
scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. In the
drawings, the shapes and dimensions may be exaggerated for clarity,
and the same reference numerals will be used throughout to
designate the same or like components.
[0046] To clarify multiple layers and regions, the thicknesses of
the layers are enlarged in the drawings. When it is said that any
part, such as a layer, film, area, or plate, is positioned on
another part, it refers to the part being directly on the other
part or above the other part with at least one intermediate part.
On the other hand, if any part is said to be positioned directly on
another part, it refers to there being no intermediate part between
the two parts.
[0047] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will now be
described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0048] A solar cell according to an example embodiment of the
present invention will now be described with reference to the
accompanying drawings.
[0049] A solar cell according to a first example embodiment of the
present invention will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1
to 3.
[0050] FIG. 1 is a partial sectional view of a solar cell according
to a first example embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a
diagram of bands before junctioning the solar cell according to the
embodiment of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a diagram of bands after
junctioning the solar cell according to the embodiment of FIG.
1.
[0051] With reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, the solar cell according to
the first example embodiment of the present invention comprises a
substrate 10, an emitter part 20 positioned on a front surface of
the substrate 10 to which light is incident, a first intrinsic
semiconductor layer 30 positioned on the emitter part 20, a first
silicon thin film layer 40 positioned on the first intrinsic
semiconductor layer 30, a first transparent conductive layer 50
positioned on the first silicon thin film layer 40, first
electrodes 60 positioned on the transparent conductive layer 50, a
second electrode 70 positioned on a back surface of the substrate
10, and a back surface field (BSF) part 80 positioned between the
back surface of the substrate 10 and the second electrode 70.
[0052] The substrate 10 may be a first conductive type substrate,
namely it may be of a first conductive type silicon, for example, a
p type conductive silicon.
[0053] When the substrate 10 is the p type conductive silicon, it
contains impurities of trivalent elements (a group 3 element) such
as boron (B), gallium (Ga), indium (In), and the like. However,
without being limited thereto, the substrate 10 may be an n type
conductive silicon. When the substrate 10 is made of the n type
conductive silicon, the substrate 10 may contain impurities of
heptavalent elements (a group 5 element) such as phosphor (P),
arsenic (As), antimony (Sb), and the like.
[0054] The emitter part 20 may be an impurity part having a second
conductive type which is opposite to the conductive type of the
substrate 110. The emitter part 20 is an impurity part having an n
type conductive type, and is positioned on the front surface of the
substrate 10 to which light is incident.
[0055] As for the emitter part 20, the front surface of the
substrate 10 is initially etched through a dry etching method, for
example, reaction ion etching (RIE), to have a textured surface 28
having a plurality of fine protrusions and depressions, so that an
emitter layer 24 having a certain thickness is formed by spreading
impurities at the inner side of the substrate 10. Then, a region 22
of the emitter layer 24 having an impurity concentration higher
than a solid solubility thereof may be additionally etched through
a dry etching method, e.g., the RIE, to have a textured surface
26.
[0056] The reason for removing the region 22 having an impurity
concentration higher than the solid solubility thereof is to
increase carrier mobility. The emitter layer 24, namely, the
emitter part 20, from which the region 22 having an impurity
concentration higher than the solid solubility thereof has been
removed, has a thickness (T) smaller than that of the emitter layer
24. For example, the emitter part 20 has a thickness (T) ranging
from about 100 nm to 200 nm.
[0057] The fine protrusions and depressions formed on the textured
surface 26 of the emitter part 20 may have a nanometer size, e.g.,
a width and height ranging from about 300 nm to 800 nm, and an
aspect ratio of the fine protrusions and depressions ranges from
about 1.0 to 1.5.
[0058] The textured surface 26 is formed on another textured
surface 26a formed on the front surface of the substrate 10.
[0059] In general, the substrate 10 made of polycrystalline silicon
is manufactured by slicing a silicon block or an ingot with a blade
or a multi-wire saw, and in this instance, a mechanically damaged
layer is formed on the substrate 10.
[0060] Thus, in order to prevent degradation of the characteristics
of the solar cell due to the mechanically damaged layer, wet
etching is performed to remove the mechanically damaged layer
before the textured surface 26 is formed. In this instance, an
alkaline or acid etchant is used for the wet etching.
[0061] The textured surface 26a is formed on the surface of the
substrate 10 as the substrate 10 is wet-etched, and has protrusions
and depressions having a larger size (width and height) than those
of the textured surface 26. For example, the protrusions and
depressions of the textured surface 26a may have a size of a few
.mu.m.
[0062] In order to remove the mechanically damaged layer, dry
etching may be also used instead of wet etching. In this instance,
an RIE may be used as the dry etching method. When the mechanically
damaged layer is removed by using the RIE, the protrusions and
depressions formed on the textured surface 26a may have a size
similar to that of the protrusions and depressions formed on the
textured surface 26.
[0063] The emitter part 20 forms a p-n junction with the substrate
10. Pairs of electrons and holes, i.e., carriers generated by light
that is incident to the substrate 10, are separated into electrons
and holes due to a built-in potential difference generated due to
the p-n junction, and the electrons transfer toward the n type
constituents and the holes transfer toward the p type
constituents.
[0064] Thus, when the substrate 10 is a p type while the emitter
part 20 is an n type, the separated holes transfer toward the
substrate 10 and the separated electrons transfer toward the
emitter part 20.
[0065] When the substrate 10 has the n type conductive type, the
emitter part 20 has the p type conductive type. In this instance,
the separated electrons transfer toward the substrate 10 and the
separated holes transfer toward the emitter 20.
[0066] When the emitter part 20 is the n type, the emitter part 20
may be formed by doping impurities of a group 5 element such as
phosphor (P), arsenic (As), antimony (Sb), and the like, at the
substrate 10. Conversely, when the emitter part 20 is a p type, the
emitter part 20 may be formed by doping impurities of a group 3
element such as boron (B), gallium (Ga), indium (In), and the like,
at the substrate 10.
[0067] The first silicon thin film layer 40 positioned on the
emitter part 20 serves to reduce the amount of carriers
recombination at the textured surface 26 of the emitter part 20 and
increase an open circuit voltage Voc of the solar cell.
[0068] To this end, the first silicon thin film layer 40 comprises
amorphous silicon having impurities of a second conductive type
that are heavily doped therein compared with the emitter part 20.
For example, the first silicon thin film layer 40 is made of
N.sup.+-a-Si:H or N.sup.+-a-SiC:H. In this instance, the reason for
hydrogenating the amorphous silicon forming the silicon thin film
layer 40 is to reduce a crystal defect in the amorphous state to
thus improve the surface passivation characteristics and step
coverage characteristics.
[0069] With reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, the first silicon thin film
layer 40 has a band gap (1.8 eV) higher than that of crystalline
silicon.
[0070] In FIGS. 2 and 3, E.sub.F indicated by an alternated long
and short dash line indicates a Fermi energy level of the
respective silicon layers, e.g., between the first silicon thin
film layer 40, the emitter part 20, and the substrate 10,
.DELTA.E.sub.F1 indicates a Fermi energy level difference between
the first silicon thin film layer 40 and the emitter part 20, and
.DELTA.E.sub.F2 indicates a Fermi energy level difference between
the emitter part 20 and the substrate 10.
[0071] Accordingly, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a conduction band
(.DELTA.Ea) of the solar cell having the first silicon thin film
layer 40 increases by a certain size (.DELTA.E.sub.F1+0.23 eV)
compared with a conductive band (.DELTA.Ec) of the solar cell that
does not have the first silicon thin film layer 40, so the open
circuit voltage Voc increases.
[0072] Meanwhile, when impurities are injected (or doped) to the
a-Si, the surface passivation characteristics may be degraded.
Also, because the first silicon thin film layer 40 is used, a band
gap mismatch of 0.47 eV occurs.
[0073] Thus, in order to restrain the degradation of the surface
passivation characteristics and the band gap mismatch, the first
intrinsic semiconductor layer 30 made of a-Si:H may be formed
between the first silicon thin film layer 40 and the emitter part
20.
[0074] When the first intrinsic semiconductor layer 30 is
positioned between the first silicon thin film layer 40 and the
emitter part 20, the band gap difference can be reduced, thus
reducing band bending near a band spike. Also, the surface
passivation characteristics of the first silicon thin film layer 40
can be improved.
[0075] With such a configuration, a front surface passivation layer
comprises the first intrinsic semiconductor layer 30 and the first
silicon thin film layer 40. However, without being limited thereto,
the front surface passivation layer may be formed to include only
the first silicon thin film layer 40.
[0076] The first transparent conductive layer 50 positioned on the
first silicon thin film layer 40 may be made of transparent
conductive oxide (TCO). The first transparent conductive layer 50
reduces a contact resistance, thus improving carrier mobility.
[0077] The first electrodes 60 are electrically connected with the
first transparent conductive layer 50 and extend in parallel in a
predetermined direction. The first electrodes 60 collect carriers,
e.g., electrons, which transfer toward the emitter part 20.
[0078] A plurality of collectors may be positioned to cross the
first electrodes 60 on the first transparent conductive layer 50,
and in this instance, the collectors and the first electrodes 60
may be electrically and physically connected to each other.
[0079] The first electrodes 60 are made of a first conductive
paste. The first conductive paste is a material containing silver
(Ag) baked at a low temperature of 150.degree. C. or lower. Because
the conductive paste is baked at a low temperature, it exhibits
excellent electric conductivity compared with conductive paste
baked at a high temperature, thus improving the carrier collection
efficiency.
[0080] The second electrode 70 is positioned substantially on the
entire area on the back surface of the substrate 10. The second
electrode 70 contains a conductive material such as aluminum (Al)
and is electrically connected with the substrate 10.
[0081] The second electrode 70 collects carriers, e.g., holes,
moving from the substrate 10, and outputs them to an external
device.
[0082] The second electrode 70 may contain at least one conductive
material selected from the group consisting of nickel (Ni), copper
(Cu), silver (Ag), tin (Sn), zinc (Zn), indium (In), titanium (Ti),
gold (Au), and any of their combinations, instead of aluminum (Al),
and also may contain any other conductive material.
[0083] The BSF part 80 positioned between the second electrode 70
and the substrate 10 is a region, e.g., a P+ region, heavily doped
with the impurities of the same conductive type as those of the
substrate 10.
[0084] The BSF part 80 having such a configuration forms a
potential barrier between the BSF part 80 and the substrate 10,
which interferes with transfer of electrons toward the back surface
of the substrate 10 to reduce the phenomenon that electrons and
holes are recombined to become extinct in the vicinity of the back
surface of the substrate 10.
[0085] In FIG. 1, it is illustrated that the BSF part 80 is formed
on the entire area of the back surface of the substrate 10, but the
present invention is not limited thereto and, as shown in FIG. 4,
the BSF part 80 may be formed only at a portion of the back surface
of the substrate 10.
[0086] When the BSF part 80 is formed only at a portion of the back
surface of the substrate 10, the second electrode 70 may be formed
on the entire area of the back surface of the substrate 10, or the
second electrode 70 may be formed only at a portion of the
substrate 10 in the same form as that of the first electrodes
60.
[0087] When the second electrode 70 and the BSF part 80 are formed
on the entire area of the back surface of the substrate, the BSF
part 80 may be formed by injecting (or doping) impurities into the
entire area of the back surface of the substrate before the second
electrode 70 is formed, or by injecting (or doping) impurities to
the entire area of the back surface of the substrate 10 in the
process of baking the second electrode 70.
[0088] When the second electrode 70 and the BSF part 80 are formed
only at a portion of the back surface of the substrate 10, the BSF
part 80 may be formed by injecting (or doping) impurities into a
portion of the back surface of the substrate 10 corresponding to
the second electrode 70 in the process of baking the second
electrode 70.
[0089] Although the second electrode 70 is formed on the entire
area of the back surface of the substrate 10, if the BSF part 80 is
formed only at a portion of the back surface of the substrate 10,
the BSF part 80 may be formed by locally heating a portion of the
second electrode 70 by using laser to inject (or dope) impurities
into a portion of the back surface of the substrate.
[0090] A plurality of collectors may be positioned on the back
surface of the substrate 10. The plurality of collectors positioned
on the back surface of the substrate 10 are electrically connected
to the second electrode 70, collect carriers transferred from the
second electrode 70, and outputs the same to an external
device.
[0091] A method for manufacturing a solar cell according to the
first example embodiment of the present invention will now be
described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 5.
[0092] First, one surface, e.g., the front surface, of the
substrate 10 is wet-etched to form a surface that corresponds to
the textured surface 26a and to remove a mechanically damaged
layer, and subsequently, the textured surface 28 having a plurality
of fine protrusions and depressions is formed by using a dry
etching method such as RIE.
[0093] In this instance, the substrate 10 is made of a p type
polycrystalline silicon, but the present invention is not limited
thereto and the substrate 10 may be made of n type monocrystalline
or amorphous silicon. The textured surface 26a may be formed
through the dry etching method.
[0094] The fine protrusions and depressions of the textured surface
28 formed through the dry etching method may have a size of
hundreds of nanometers, e.g., a width and diameter ranging from
about 300 nm to 800 nm, and may have an aspect ratio ranging from
about 1.0 to 1.5.
[0095] When the surface of the substrate 10 is textured through the
dry etching method according to the present example embodiment,
reflectance (or reflectivity) (e.g., an average weighted
reflectance) of light of a wavelength ranging from about 300 nm to
1,100 nm is reduced to a reflectance of about 10 percent or
lower.
[0096] In this instance, the RIE for forming the textured surface
28 may be performed as follows.
[0097] First, the substrate 10 is positioned in a processing
chamber having the pressure of about 0.1 mTorr to 0.5 mTorr, an
etching gas, a mixture gas (SF.sub.6/Cl.sub.2) of SF.sub.6 and
Cl.sub.2, is injected (or doped) into the processing chamber. In
this instance, the mixture ratio of the etching gas
(SF.sub.6/Cl.sub.2) may be about 10:0 to 2.
[0098] Then, power having a pre-set size is applied to two
electrodes installed about the substrate 10 to generate plasma in
the space between the two electrodes to thus perform dry etching by
plasma.
[0099] In this instance, the size of the power applied to the
electrodes may be about 3000 W/m.sup.2 to 6000 W/m.sup.2.
[0100] After the textured surface 28 is formed on the substrate 10,
a material, e.g., POCl.sub.3 or H.sub.3PO.sub.4, etc., containing
impurities of a group 5 element such as phosphor (P), arsenic (As),
antimony (Sb), and the like, is thermally treated at a high
temperature to spread the impurities of group 5 element to the
substrate 10 to form the emitter layer (24 in FIG. 1).
[0101] When the conductive type of the substrate 10 is an n type, a
material, e.g., B.sub.2H.sub.6, containing impurities of a group 3
element may be thermally treated at a high temperature to form the
emitter layer (24 in FIG. 1).
[0102] The doping density of the impurities of the thusly formed
emitter layer (24 in FIG. 1) is reduced toward the interior of the
substrate 10 from the surface of the substrate 10.
[0103] Namely, because the impurities are spread toward the
interior of the substrate 10 from the surface of the substrate 10,
the closer they are to the surface of the substrate 10, namely, to
the textured surface 28, the doping density of the impurities is
greater, and the farther they are from the textured surface 28, the
doping density of the impurities is lesser.
[0104] Accordingly, because the surface side of the substrate has
been injected (or doped) with the impurities more than or exceeding
a solid solubility, concentration of the inactive impurities
increases at the surface side of the substrate 10.
[0105] For example, when a POCl.sub.3 gas is spread to the p type
silicon substrate 10 to form an n type emitter layer 24, clusters
of phosphor may be formed within the substrate 10, an Si--P
structure in which silicon (Si) and phosphor (P) element are
combined is formed within the substrate 10, or phosphor (P) element
may solely exist within the substrate 10, and because these are not
normally combined with silicon (Si), they act as inactive
impurities.
[0106] As afore-mentioned, because the impurity concentration
increases toward the surface of the substrate 10, the inactive
impurity concentration also increases toward the surface of the
substrate 10. Thus, a region 22 having the impurity concentration
higher than the solid solubility, namely, a dead layer, is formed
due to the presence of the inactive impurities gathering near the
surface of the substrate 10, and a carrier loss is caused by the
inactive impurities existing in the dead layer, resulting in a
reduction in the efficiency of the solar cell.
[0107] Thus, in order to prevent or reduce the carrier loss due to
the dead layer, the dead layer, namely, the region 22 having the
impurity concentration higher than the solid solubility is removed
by using the RIE in a similar manner as the etching method used for
the formation of the textured surface 28 to form the emitter layer
24.
[0108] In this instance, as for the etching conditions for removing
the dead layer, the size of power applied for a plasma formation is
set to be smaller than the foregoing range of about 3000 W/m.sup.2
to 6000 W/m.sup.2, while the same pressure and etching gas in the
processing chamber are used.
[0109] Namely, the pressure of the processing chamber is maintained
to be 0.1 mTorr to 0.5 mTorr, a mixture gas of SF.sub.6 and
Cl.sub.2 is used as an etching gas, and the mixture ratio of the
etching gas (SF.sub.6/Cl.sub.2) may be about 10:0 to 2.
[0110] Preferably, though not necessarily, power of about 300
W/m.sup.2 to 600 W/m.sup.2 is applied to the electrode. The reason
is because if the size of the power applied to the electrode is
greater than about 600 W/m.sup.2, the surface of the emitter layer
24 is damaged due to plasma and an excessive amount of emitter
layer 24 is removed to increase a surface resistance value of the
emitter part 20, and if the size of the power applied to the
electrode is smaller than about 300 W/m.sup.2, plasma cannot be
normally generated to cause failure to effectively remove the dead
layer.
[0111] As stated above, because the dead layer of the emitter layer
24 is removed through the RIE, an etching degree of the surface of
the emitter layer 24 is substantially uniform irrespective of
positions.
[0112] Thus, after the portion of the emitter layer 24 is removed,
the textured surface 26 of the emitter part 20 is substantially
consistent with the shape of the textured surface 28 before the
etching process is performed on the emitter layer.
[0113] After the emitter part 20 is formed, second conductive paste
containing aluminum (Al) is printed through a screen printing
method, dried and then baked to form the second electrode 70 on the
back surface of the substrate 10.
[0114] In this instance, a drying temperature of the second
electrode 70 may range from 120.degree. C. to 200.degree. C., and
the baking temperature of the second electrode 70 may be
800.degree. C. or higher.
[0115] When the second conductive paste is baked, the BSF part 80
is formed between the second electrode 70 and the substrate 10.
[0116] Thereafter, the first intrinsic semiconductor layer 30 made
of i-a-Si:H is formed on the emitter part 20. Subsequently, the
first silicon thin film layer 40, e.g., N.sup.+-a-Si:H or
N.sup.+-a-SiC:H, is formed on the first intrinsic semiconductor
layer 30. The first silicon thin film layer 40 is hydrogenated
amorphous silicon for reducing a crystal defect in the amorphous
state, which is deposited through PECVD at a low temperature of
200.degree. C. or lower for its hydrogenation.
[0117] Subsequently, the first transparent conductive layer 50,
e.g., a TCO film, is formed on the first intrinsic semiconductor
layer 40, and the first conductive paste is printed on the first
transparent conductive layer 50, which is then baked to form the
first electrodes 60.
[0118] Here, the first intrinsic semiconductor layer 30 and the
first silicon thin film layer 40 constitute a front surface
passivation layer. The front surface passivation layer may be
configured only with the first silicon thin film layer 40.
[0119] In this instance, the first conductive paste contains silver
(Ag), and a baking temperature of the first conductive paste is
150.degree. C. or lower.
[0120] Because the first electrodes 60 are positioned on the first
transparent conductive layer 50, the first conductive paste may not
contain glass frit for a punch-through.
[0121] For another example, a contact hole may be formed in the
first silicon thin film layer 40 and the first intrinsic
semiconductor layer 30, and the first transparent conductive layer
may be then formed, or after the contact hole is formed, the first
electrodes 60 may be then formed without forming the first
transparent conductive layer 50.
[0122] A solar cell and its manufacturing method according to a
modified embodiment of FIG. 1 will now be described with reference
to FIGS. 6 to 9.
[0123] The modified embodiment is different from the example
embodiment of FIG. 1 in that second electrodes 70a positioned on
the back surface of the substrate 10 are made of the same material
as that of the first electrodes 60 and a second intrinsic
semiconductor layer 30a, a second silicon thin film layer 40a, and
a second transparent conductive layer 50a are sequentially
positioned between the substrate 10 and the second electrode 70a,
while the BSF part (80 in FIG. 1) is omitted.
[0124] Here, the second intrinsic semiconductor layer 30a and the
second silicon thin film layer 40a constitute a back surface
passivation layer. The back surface passivation layer may be
configured only with the second silicon thin film layer 40a.
[0125] In this instance, the second intrinsic semiconductor layer
30a may be made of the same material as that of the first intrinsic
semiconductor layer 30, the second silicon thin film layer 40a may
be formed to have the opposite conductive type to that of the first
silicon thin film layer 40, and the second transparent conductive
layer 50a may be made of the same material as that of the first
transparent conductive layer 50. Accordingly, the second silicon
thin film layer 50a is made of P.sup.+-a-Si:H or
P.sup.+-a-SiC:H.
[0126] A conduction band (.DELTA.Eb) of the solar cell having such
a configuration is increased by a certain size
(.DELTA.E.sub.F3+0.47 eV) compared with a conduction band
(.DELTA.Ea) of the solar cell according to the first example
embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, so the open circuit voltage Voc
can be further increased compared with the solar cell according to
the first example embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1. Here,
.DELTA.E.sub.F3 is a Fermi energy level difference between the
substrate 10 and the second silicon thin film layer 40a.
[0127] The solar cell having the foregoing configuration can be
manufactured according to the method described hereinafter with
reference to FIGS. 6 and 9.
[0128] First, after the emitter part 20 is formed according to the
example embodiments of FIGS. 1 and 5, the first intrinsic
semiconductor layer 30 and the second intrinsic semiconductor layer
30a are formed on the emitter part 20 and on the back surface of
the substrate 10, respectively.
[0129] Next, the first silicon thin film layer 40 is formed on the
first intrinsic semiconductor layer 30, and the second silicon thin
film layer 40a is formed on the second intrinsic semiconductor
layer 30a.
[0130] In this instance, the first silicon thin film layer 40 is
formed by depositing N.sup.+-a-Si:H or N.sup.+-a-SiC:H heavily
doped with second conductive type impurities (N.sup.+), compared
with the emitter part 20, at a temperature of 200.degree. C. or
lower, and the second silicon thin film layer 40a is formed by
depositing P.sup.+-a-Si:H or P.sup.+-a-SiC:H heavily doped with
first conductive type impurities (P.sup.+), compared with the
substrate 10, at a temperature of 200.degree. C. or lower.
[0131] Then, the first transparent conductive layer 50 and the
second transparent conductive layer 50a are formed on the first
silicon thin film layer 40 and on the second silicon thin film
layer 40a, respectively.
[0132] Thereafter, a first conductive paste containing silver (Ag)
is printed on the first and second transparent conductive layers 50
and 50a, respectively, and baked at a low temperature of
150.degree. C. or lower to form the first electrodes 60 and the
second electrodes 70a, thus manufacturing the solar cell.
[0133] A solar cell and its manufacturing method according to a
second example embodiment of the present invention will now be
described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11.
[0134] The solar cell according to the second example embodiment of
the present invention is different from that of the first example
embodiment of the present invention in that the first transparent
conductive layer (50 in FIG. 1) is omitted and a first
anti-reflection layer 90 is formed at the position of the omitted
first transparent conductive layer.
[0135] The first anti-reflection layer 90 may be formed of at least
one selected from among titanium dioxide layer (TiO.sub.2), silicon
nitride layer (SiNx), silicon oxide layer (SiOx), and silicon
oxynitride layer (SiOxNy). The anti-reflection layer 90 serves to
reduce reflectivity of light that is incident to the solar cell and
increase selectivity of a particular wavelength region (or a
particular wavelength band), to thus enhance the efficiency of the
solar cell.
[0136] Here, the first intrinsic semiconductor layer 30, the first
silicon thin film layer 40, and the first anti-reflection layer 90
constitute a front surface passivation layer. The front surface
passivation layer may be configured only with the first silicon
thin film layer 40 and the first anti-reflection layer 90.
[0137] The first anti-reflection layer 90 made of the foregoing
material comprises a plurality of contact holes allowing the first
electrodes 60 made of the first conductive paste to be electrically
connected with the emitter part 20 through the first silicon thin
film layer 40.
[0138] In this instance, the contact holes 92 may be formed through
a patterning process such as laser ablation or the like.
[0139] Accordingly, because the first electrodes 60 are
electrically connected with the emitter portion 20 through the
contact holes 92, the first conductive paste may not (or need not)
contain glass frit for a punch-through.
[0140] In the solar cell having such a configuration, the BSF part
80 may be formed on the entire area of the back surface of the
substrate 10 a shown in FIG. 10 or may be formed only at a portion
of the back surface of the substrate 10 as shown in FIG. 4.
[0141] The solar cell having the foregoing configuration has the
effect of increasing the open circuit voltage owing to the increase
in the band gap like the solar cell according to the first example
embodiment of the present invention of FIG. 1.
[0142] A solar cell and its manufacturing method according to a
second exemplary example embodiment of the present invention will
now be described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11.
[0143] In order to manufacture the solar cell according to the
present example embodiment, first, the emitter part 20, the second
electrode 70, the BSF part 80, the first intrinsic semiconductor
layer 30, and the first silicon thin film layer 40 are formed
according to the manufacturing method similarly illustrated in
FIGS. 1 and 5.
[0144] Next, the first anti-reflection film 90 is formed on the
first silicon thin film layer 40, the plurality of contact holes 92
are formed in the first anti-reflection layer 90 through a
patterning process such as laser ablation or the like, and then the
first conductive paste is printed on the portions where the contact
holes 92 are formed, and baked to form the first electrodes 60,
thus manufacturing the solar cell.
[0145] FIG. 12 is a partial sectional view of a modified embodiment
of the solar cell of FIG. 10, and FIG. 13 is a flow chart
illustrating the process of a method for manufacturing a solar cell
according to the embodiment of FIG. 12.
[0146] The solar cell according to the modified embodiment is
different from the solar cell according to the second example
embodiment of the present invention in that second electrodes 70a
positioned on the back surface of the substrate 10 are made of the
same material as that of the first electrodes 60 and a second
intrinsic semiconductor layer 30a, a second silicon thin film layer
40a, and a second anti-reflection layer 90a are sequentially
positioned between the substrate 10 and the second electrode 70a,
while the BSF part (80 in FIGS. 1 and 9) is omitted.
[0147] Here, the second intrinsic semiconductor layer 30a, the
second silicon thin film layer 40a, and the second anti-reflection
layer 90a constitute a back surface passivation layer. The back
surface passivation layer may be configured only with the second
silicon thin film layer 40a and the second anti-reflection layer
90a in an embodiment of the invention.
[0148] In this instance, the second intrinsic semiconductor layer
30a may be made of the same material as that of the first intrinsic
semiconductor layer 30, the second silicon thin film layer 40a may
be formed to have the opposite conductive type to that of the first
silicon thin film layer 40, and the second anti-reflection layer
90a may be made of the same material as that of the first
anti-reflection layer 90. Accordingly, the second silicon thin film
layer 50a is made of P.sup.+-a-Si:H or P.sup.+-a-SiC:H.
[0149] The solar cell having the foregoing configuration has the
effect of increasing the open circuit voltage owing to the increase
in the band gap like the solar cell according to the first example
embodiment of the present invention of FIG. 5.
[0150] The solar cell according to the present example embodiment
may be manufacture according to the method described hereinafter
with reference to FIG. 13.
[0151] First, the emitter part 20, the first intrinsic
semiconductor layer 30, the second intrinsic semiconductor layer
30a, the first silicon thin film layer 40, and the second silicon
thin film layer 40a are formed according to the manufacturing
method similarly illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 9.
[0152] Next, according to the method as described above, the first
anti-reflection layer 90 and the second anti-reflection layer 90a
are formed on the first silicon thin film layer 40 and the second
silicon thin film layer 40a, respectively, the plurality of contact
holes 92 are formed, the first conductive paste containing silver
(Ag) is printed on the first and second anti-reflection layers 90
and 90a, respectively, which are then baked at a low temperature of
150.degree. C. or lower to form the first and second electrodes 60
and 70a, thus manufacturing the solar cell.
[0153] Although embodiments have been described with reference to a
number of illustrative embodiments thereof, it should be understood
that numerous other modifications and embodiments can be devised by
those skilled in the art that will fall within the scope of the
principles of this disclosure. More particularly, various
variations and modifications are possible in the component parts
and/or arrangements of the subject combination arrangement within
the scope of the disclosure, the drawings and the appended claims.
In addition to variations and modifications in the component parts
and/or arrangements, alternative uses will also be apparent to
those skilled in the art.
* * * * *