Thermocompression bonding approaches for foil-based metallization of non-metal surfaces of solar cells

A solar cell, comprising:

• a substrate;
• a plurality of alternating N-type and P-type semiconductor regions disposed in or above the substrate;
• and
• a plurality of conductive contact structures electrically connected to the plurality of alternating N-type and P-type semiconductor regions, each conductive contact structure comprising a metal foil portion disposed above and in alignment with a corresponding one of the alternating N-type and P-type semiconductor regions, wherein the metal foil portion has a texturized surface proximate to the corresponding one of the alternating N-type and P-type semiconductor regions.

A method of fabricating a solar cell, the method comprising:

• texturizing a surface of a metal foil;
• locating the texturized surface of the metal foil over a non-metalized surface of a wafer of the solar cell;
• and
• subsequent to the locating, electrically connecting the metal foil with the non-metalized surface of the wafer by thermocompression bonding.