Back to results
US 10,096,728 B2Granted
Firing metal for solar cells
AssigneeSunPower Corporation
InventorsPaul Loscutoff, Taeseok Kim, Michael Morse, Peter John Cousins, Kevin Mikio Mukai
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A solar cell can include a substrate and a semiconductor region disposed in or above the substrate. Selective firing of a conductive paste can be used to form a conductive contact for a solar cell. The solar cell can also include a conductive contact disposed on the semiconductor region with the conductive contact including a conductive paste that has a top and bottom portion with the top portion having particles coalesced together.
Claims18
A method of fabricating a solar cell, the method comprising:
- forming a conductive paste on a silicon substrate, the conductive paste having a first portion above a second portion above the substrate;
- and
- selectively firing the conductive paste to form a conductive material and to electrically couple the conductive paste to the silicon substrate, wherein said selectively firing the conductive paste includes coalescing the first portion of the conductive paste more than the second portion of the conductive paste, wherein the second portion is above the silicon substrate, wherein the first portion is above the second portion, wherein the second portion is continuous with and has a same composition as the first portion, and wherein the second portion is less dense than the first portion, and wherein said firing is applied to a first depth of the conductive paste that is less than a full depth of the conductive paste.
A method of fabricating a solar cell, the method comprising:
- forming an aluminum and silicon paste on a silicon substrate, the aluminum and silicon paste having a first portion above a second portion above the substrate;
- and
- selectively firing the aluminum and silicon paste to form a conductive material and to electrically couple the aluminum and silicon paste to the silicon substrate, wherein said selectively firing the aluminum and silicon paste includes coalescing the first portion of the aluminum and silicon paste more than the second portion of the aluminum and silicon paste, wherein the second portion is above the silicon substrate, wherein the first portion is above the second portion, wherein the second portion is continuous with and has a same composition as the first portion, and wherein the second portion is less dense than the first portion, and wherein said firing is applied to a first depth of the aluminum and silicon paste that is less than a full depth of the aluminum and silicon paste.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.