# US 10,483,429 B2 · Method of manufacturing solar cell > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,483,429 B2 - Document ID: US10483429B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/713,586 - Filed: 2017-09-22 - Published: 2018-01-18 - Granted: 2019-11-19 - Earliest claimed: 2015-03-24 - Assignees: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Keiichiro Masuko - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10483429B2 ## CPC - H10F 71/103: {including only Group IV materials} - H10F 10/166: the Group IV-IV heterojunctions being heterojunctions of crystalline and amorphous materials, e.g. silicon heterojunction [SHJ] photovoltaic cells - H10F 77/1662: {including only Group IV materials} - H10F 77/219: {Arrangements for electrodes of back-contact photovoltaic cells} - H10F 77/311: {for photovoltaic cells} - H10F 77/315: {the coatings being antireflective or having enhancing optical properties} - Y02E 10/50: Photovoltaic [PV] energy - Y02E 10/548: Amorphous silicon PV cells - H10F: INORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES SENSITIVE TO INFRARED RADIATION, LIGHT, ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION OF SHORTER WAVELENGTH OR CORPUSCULAR RADIATION - Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION ## Abstract A method of manufacturing a solar cell includes: providing an insulating layer on a semiconductor layer provided on at least a part of a principle surface of a semiconductor substrate; providing a mask layer on the insulating layer; removing a part of the mask layer by laser irradiation so as to form a first opening through which the insulating layer is exposed; and removing, by an etching agent, the insulating layer exposed through the first opening so as to form a second opening through which the semiconductor layer is exposed. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of manufacturing a solar cell comprising: providing an insulating layer on a semiconductor layer provided on at least a part of a principle surface of a semiconductor substrate; providing a first mask layer on the insulating layer; removing a part of the first mask layer by a first laser irradiation so as to form a first opening; removing, by a first etching agent, the insulating layer exposed through the first opening so as to form a second opening through which the semiconductor layer is exposed; removing, by a second etching agent, the semiconductor layer exposed through the second opening so as to form a third opening through which the semiconductor substrate is exposed; removing the first mask layer by a third etching agent; providing a second mask layer on the semiconductor substrate exposed through the third opening and on the insulating layer; removing a part of the second mask layer located on the insulating layer by a second laser irradiation so as to form a fourth opening through which the insulating layer is exposed; and removing, by a fourth etching agent, the insulating layer exposed through the fourth opening so as to form a fifth opening through which the semiconductor layer is exposed. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of manufacturing the solar cell according to claim 1, wherein the first mask layer is formed of a material containing silicon. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of manufacturing the solar cell according to claim 1, further comprising: providing, on the first mask layer, a fluid with a refractive index that is lower than that of the mask layer or a low refractive-index film, wherein the first laser irradiation is performed over the fluid or the low refractive-index film. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of manufacturing the solar cell according to claim 1, wherein the semiconductor layer is formed of an n-type semiconductor material containing silicon and the second mask layer is formed of a p-type semiconductor material containing silicon. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of manufacturing the solar cell according to claim 4, further comprising: forming an n-side electrode to be electrically connected to the semiconductor layer exposed through the second opening and a p-side electrode to be electrically connected to the second mask layer. ### Claim 6 The method of manufacturing the solar cell according to claim wherein the semiconductor layer is formed of an n-type semiconductor material containing silicon and the second mask layer is formed of a p-type semiconductor material containing silicon, the method further comprising: forming an n-side electrode to be electrically connected to the semiconductor layer exposed through the fifth opening and a p-side electrode to be electrically connected to the second mask layer. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of manufacturing the solar cell according to claim 1, wherein: the first opening comprises a first irradiated area formed by the first laser irradiation and a second irradiated area formed by the second laser irradiation, which are arranged in line along the principle surface of a semiconductor substrate, and a distance between a center of the first irradiated area and a center of the second irradiated area is larger than a radius of the first irradiated area. ### Claim 8 A method of manufacturing a solar cell comprising: providing an insulating layer on a semiconductor layer provided on at least a part of a principle surface of a semiconductor substrate, wherein the semiconductor layer is in direct contact with the semiconductor substrate; providing a first mask layer on the insulating layer; removing a part of the first mask layer by a first laser irradiation so as to form a first opening; removing the insulating layer exposed through the first opening so as to form a second opening through which the semiconductor layer is exposed; removing, by an etching agent, the semiconductor layer exposed through the second opening so as to form a third opening; removing the first mask layer; and providing a second mask layer on the semiconductor substrate exposed through the third opening and on the insulating layer. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of manufacturing the solar cell according to claim 8, wherein the first mask layer is formed of a material containing silicon. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The method of manufacturing the solar cell according to claim 8, further comprising: providing, on the first mask layer, a fluid with a refractive index that is lower than that of the mask layer or a low refractive-index film, wherein the first laser irradiation is performed over the fluid or the low refractive-index film. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The method of manufacturing the solar cell according to claim 8, wherein the semiconductor layer is formed of an n-type semiconductor material containing silicon and the second mask layer is formed of a p-type semiconductor material containing silicon. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The method of manufacturing the solar cell according to claim 8, comprising: removing a part of the second mask layer located on the insulating layer by a second laser irradiation so as to form a fourth opening through which the insulating layer is exposed; and removing, by an etching agent, the insulating layer exposed through the fourth opening so as to form a fifth opening through which the semiconductor layer is exposed. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of manufacturing the solar cell according to claim 12, wherein the semiconductor layer is formed of an n-type semiconductor material containing silicon and the second mask layer is formed of a p-type semiconductor material containing silicon, and the method further comprises: forming an n-side electrode to be electrically connected to the semiconductor layer exposed through the fifth opening and a p-side electrode to be electrically connected to the second mask layer. ### Claim 14 (depends on 8) The method of manufacturing the solar cell according to claim 8, wherein the first opening comprises a first irradiated area formed by the first laser irradiation and a second irradiated area formed by the second laser irradiation, which are arranged in line along the principle surface of a semiconductor substrate, and a distance between a center of the first irradiated area and a center of the second irradiated area is larger than a radius of the first irradiated area. ### Claim 15 A method of manufacturing a solar cell comprising: providing an insulating layer on a semiconductor layer provided on at least a part of a principle surface of a semiconductor substrate; providing a mask layer on the insulating layer and on the surface of the semiconductor substrate; removing a part of the mask layer by laser irradiation so as to form a first opening through which the insulating layer is exposed; and removing the insulating layer exposed through the first opening so as to form a second opening through which the semiconductor layer is exposed, wherein the first opening comprises a first irradiated area formed by a first laser irradiation and a second irradiated area formed by a second laser irradiation, which are arranged in line along the principle surface of a semiconductor substrate, and a distance between a center of the first irradiated area and a center of the second irradiated area is larger than a radius of the first irradiated area. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of manufacturing the solar cell according to claim 15, wherein the mask layer is formed of a material containing silicon. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The method of manufacturing the solar cell according to claim 15, wherein the semiconductor layer is formed of an n-type semiconductor material containing silicon and the mask layer is formed of a p-type semiconductor material containing silicon.