Amorphous semiconductor solar cell
AssigneeUniversity of Delaware
InventorVikram L. Dalal
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A solar cell comprising a back electrical contact, amorphous silicon semiconductor base and junction layers and a top electrical contact includes in its manufacture the step of heat treating the physical junction between the base layer and junction layer to diffuse the dopant species at the physical junction into the base layer.
Claims26
In a method for manufacturing a solar cell wherein a substrate is provided as an ohmic contact and an amorphous semiconductor base layer of n-type conductivity is grown on the substrate and an amorphous semiconductor junction layer of p-type conductivity is deposited on the base layer to form a physical junction therebetween and a further electrical contact is formed on the junction layer, the improvement being incorporating a rapidly diffusing dopant species in said p type junction layer heat treating the physical junction of the base layer and the junction layer to diffuse the dopant species at the physical junction into the base layer to thereby create an electrical junction below the former physical junction.
In the method of claim 7 wherein the lower temperature treatment is at about 350.degree.-400.degree. C. for 30-120 minutes.
In a method for manufacturing a solar cell wherein a substrate is provided as an ohmic contact and an amorphous semiconductor base layer of p-type conductivity is grown on the substrate and an amorphous semiconductor junction layer of n-type conductivity is deposited on the base layer to form a physical junction therebetween and a further electrical contact is formed on the junction layer, the improvement being incorporating a rapidly diffusing dopant species in said n type junction layer and heat treating the physical junction of the base layer and junction layer to diffuse the dopant species at the physical junction into the base layer to thereby create an electrical junction below the former physical junction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.