Photovoltaic solar cell and method of making the same

Abstract

A front-surface-illuminated photovoltaic device, having a first semiconductor layer (180) with a back surface, a second semiconductor layer (130) with a front surface, the second layer (130) having the opposite doping type to the first layer (180) and deposited on the first layer (180); and at least one ohmic contact (160, 230) to each of the first (180) and second (130) semiconductor layers; and a process for making the photovoltaic device. The device may also have a barrier layer (190) for reducing diffusion of impurities from the first semiconductor layer (180) into the second semiconductor layer (130), a blocking layer (120), and a reflector layer (200). The device may have an array of first regions (115) in which the second layer (130) is of opposite doping type to that of the first layer (180) and forms p-n junctions (240) in these first regions (115), and second regions (300), each second region (300) containing the barrier layer (190) and the reflector layer (200). The first (130) and second (300) regions are laterally intermixed, have a lateral shape of either bounded regions or stripes, or a combination of bounded regions and stripes.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.