Padded solar cell contacts
AssigneeCommunications Satellite Corporation
InventorRobert John Dendall
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In a solar cell a pad of material is placed between the cell semiconductor surface and the portion of the top electrode which is bonded to an interconnector. The pad prevents destruction of the cell p-n junction during bonding. The pad may be the same as an anti-reflective coating and may be formed simultaneously with the formation of the anti-reflective coating.
Claims19
A solar cell comprising a semiconductor material having a p-n junction therein, an electrode covering a portion of the top surface of said cell and including a land portion for attachment to an interconnector, a pad of thermally insulating material on said surface beneath said land portion of said electrode, and an anti-reflective coating covering at least those portions of said cell top surface not covered by said electrode, said pad and anti-reflective coating consisting of the identical material.
A method of making a solar cell comprising,
- a. forming a p-n junction in a semiconductor layer substantially parallel to a top surface of said semiconductor layer,
- b. forming a layer of anti-reflective material on said top surface, said layer having a pattern exposing regions of said top surface, and
- c. depositing a top electrode onto said exposed regions and onto at least a top surface portion of said layer of anti-reflective material, the part of said electrode deposited onto said top surface portion of said layer of anti-reflective material being the land portion of said electrode, whereby said top surface portion thermally insulates said land portion from the semiconductor surface directly thereunder.
A method of forming a solar cell comprising,
- a. forming a p-n junction, in a semiconductor layer, substantially parallel to the top surface of said layer,
- b. forming a layer of thermally insulating material on a portion of said top surface, said portion corresponding to the land portion of a top electrode to be placed on said solar cell,
- c. depositing a layer of metal on said thermally insulating material and the exposed portion of said top surface, said metal being the metal constituent of an anti-reflective coating,
- d. depositing a metal electrode onto said last mentioned layer of metal, said metal electrode forming a predetermined pattern including land portions directly above said thermally insulating material, and
- e. oxidizing the portions of said last mentioned layer of metal not covered by said metal electrode pattern to form an anti-reflective coating.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.