# US 4,392,011 A · Solar cell structure incorporating a novel single crystal silicon material

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- Number: US 4,392,011 A
- Document ID: US4392011A
- Status: Granted
- Kind: A
- Application number: 06/309,695
- Filed: 1981-10-08
- Granted: 1983-07-05
- Earliest claimed: 1980-04-30
- Assignees: RCA Corporation
- Inventors: Jacques I. Pankove; Chung P. Wu
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US4392011A

## CPC

- C30B 1/023: {from solids with amorphous structure}
- H10F 10/14: Photovoltaic cells having only PN homojunction potential barriers
- H10F 71/121: {The active layers comprising only Group IV materials}
- H10F 71/128: {Annealing}
- H10P 14/3411: {Silicon, silicon germanium or germanium}
- H10P 14/3806: {using crystallisation-enhancing elements}
- H10P 14/3816: {Pulsed laser beam}
- H10P 34/42: with electromagnetic radiation, e.g. laser annealing (laser cutting H10P54/20)
- H10P 14/2905: {Silicon, silicon germanium or germanium}
- H10P 14/3454: {Amorphous}
- H10P 14/3458: {Monocrystalline}
- Y02E 10/547: Monocrystalline silicon PV cells
- Y02P 70/50: Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product
- Y10T 428/12674: Ge- or Si-base component
- C30B: SINGLE-CRYSTAL GROWTH (by using ultra-high pressure, e.g. for the formation of diamonds, B01J3/06); UNIDIRECTIONAL SOLIDIFICATION OF EUTECTIC MATERIAL OR UNIDIRECTIONAL DEMIXING OF EUTECTOID MATERIAL; REFINING BY ZONE-MELTING OF MATERIAL (zone-refining of metals or alloys C22B); PRODUCTION OF A HOMOGENEOUS POLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIAL WITH DEFINED STRUCTURE (casting of metals, casting of other substances by the same processes or devices B22D; working of plastics B29; modifying the physical structure of metals or alloys C21D, C22F); SINGLE CRYSTALS OR HOMOGENEOUS POLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIAL WITH DEFINED STRUCTURE; AFTER-TREATMENT OF SINGLE CRYSTALS OR A HOMOGENEOUS POLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIAL WITH DEFINED STRUCTURE (for producing semiconductor devices or parts thereof H10); APPARATUS THEREFOR
- H10F: INORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES SENSITIVE TO INFRARED RADIATION, LIGHT, ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION OF SHORTER WAVELENGTH OR CORPUSCULAR RADIATION
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS
- Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION

## Abstract

A novel hydrogen rich single crystal silicon material having a band gap energy greater than 1.1 eV can be fabricated by forming an amorphous region of graded crystallinity in a body of single crystalline silicon and thereafter contacting the region with atomic hydrogen followed by pulsed laser annealing at a sufficient power and for a sufficient duration to recrystallize the region into single crystal silicon without out-gassing the hydrogen. The new material can be used to fabricate semiconductor devices such as single crystal silicon solar cells with surface window regions having a greater band gap energy than that of single crystal silicon without hydrogen.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A body of single crystal silicon material having a region incorporating hydrogen in a sufficient concentration to have a band gap energy in excess of 1.1 eV.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The body according to claim 1 wherein said region has a band gap energy between 1.1 eV and 1.7 eV.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The body according to claim 2 wherein said region is from about 0.05 to about 1.0 micrometer thick.

### Claim 4

A single crystal silicon solar cell comprising:
a body of single crystal silicon having regions of differing conductivity forming a photovoltaic junction therein, said body having opposed major surfaces wherein the major surface which is adapted to be incident to solar radiation has a region thereunder with sufficient concentration of hydrogen incorporated therein to have a band gap energy which is greater than the band gap energy of the single crystal silicon of said body; and
means for electrically contacting said opposed major surfaces.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The single crystal solar cell according to claim 4 wherein said region has a band gap energy in excess of 1.1 eV and a thickness of from about 0.1 to about 1.0 micrometer.