Method of manufacturing photovoltaic cells, photovoltaic cells produced thereby and uses thereof
AssigneeSolar Wind Technologies, Inc.
InventorsMarat Zaks, Galina Kolomoets, Andrey Sitnikov, Oleg Solodukha
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Abstract
Novel methods of producing photovoltaic cells are provided herein, as well as photovoltaic cells produced thereby, and uses thereof. In some embodiments, a method as described herein comprises doping a substrate so as to form a p+layer on one side and an n+layer on an another side, removing at least a portion of the n+layer, and then forming a second n+layer, such that a concentration of the n-dopant in the second n+layer is variable throughout a surface of the substrate.
Claims34
A method of producing a photovoltaic cell, the method comprising:
- a) doping a first surface of a semiconductive substrate with an n-dopant so as to form a first n+layer in said substrate;
- b) doping a second surface of said substrate with a p-dopant so as to form a p+layer in said substrate;
- c) removing a portion of said first n+layer from said first surface of said substrate, such that a concentration of said n-dopant remaining in said first surface of said substrate is variable throughout said first surface;
- d) doping said first surface of said substrate with an n-dopant so as to form a second n+layer, such that a concentration of said n-dopant in said second n+layer is variable throughout said first surface;
- and
- e) forming electrical contacts on each of said first surface and said second surface,
- thereby producing said photovoltaic cell,
- wherein said doping with said n-dopant so as to form said first n+layer and said doping with said p-dopant so as to form said p+layer is effected by:
- (i) applying a film comprising said p-dopant to said second surface;
- (ii) applying a film comprising said n-dopant to said first surface;
- and
- (iii) heating said substrate,
- thereby simultaneously forming said first n+layer and said p+layer.
A method of producing a photovoltaic cell, the method comprising:
- a) applying a film comprising a p-dopant to a second surface of a semiconductive substrate;
- b) removing said film comprising said p-dopant from a first surface of said substrate and from an edge of said substrate;
- c) applying a film comprising an n-dopant to said first surface;
- d) heating said substrate, so as to simultaneously form a first n+layer on said first surface and a p+layer on said second surface of said substrate;
- e) removing a portion of said first n+layer from said first surface of said substrate, such that a concentration of said n-dopant remaining in said first surface of said substrate is variable throughout said first surface;
- doping said first surface of said substrate with an n-dopant so as to form a second n+layer, such that a concentration of said n-dopant in said second n+layer is variable throughout said first surface;
- and
- g) forming electrical contacts on each of said first surface and said second surface,
- thereby producing said photovoltaic cell.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.