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US 8,940,572 B2Granted
Method for forming structures in a solar cell
AssigneeTetrasun, Inc.
InventorAdrian Turner
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A conductive contact pattern is formed on a surface of solar cell by forming a thin conductive layer over at least one lower layer of the solar cell, and ablating a majority of the thin conductive layer using a laser beam, thereby leaving behind the conductive contact pattern. The laser has a top-hat profile, enabling precision while scanning and ablating the thin layer across the surface. Heterocontact patterns are also similarly formed.
Claims32
A method comprising:
- forming a conductive contact pattern on a surface of a solar cell, the solar cell comprising a textured semiconductor substrate surface, the forming comprising:
- forming a thin conductive layer over at least one lower layer of the solar cell;
- providing a laser beam having a non-Gaussian top hat beam profile;
- homogenizing the non-Gaussian top hat beam profile, wherein the textured semiconductor substrate surface is configured to facilitate the homogenizing by having a scale comparable to one or more inhomogeneities in the non-Gaussian tot hat beam profile;
- and
- ablating the entire thin conductive layer from over a portion of the surface using the laser beam having the homogenized non-Gaussian top hat beam profile, thereby leaving behind the conductive contact pattern.
3 more elements
A method comprising:
- forming a heterocontact pattern on a solar cell, the solar cell comprising a textured semiconductor substrate surface, the forming comprising:
- forming a thin layer over at least one lower layer of the solar cell;
- providing a laser beam having a non-Gaussian top hat homogeneous beam profile;
- homogenizing the non-Gaussian top hat beam profile, wherein the textured semiconductor substrate surface is configured to facilitate the homogenizing by having a scale comparable to one or more inhomogeneities in the non-Gaussian top hat beam profile;
- and
- ablating the entire thin layer from over a portion of the surface using the laser beam having the homogenized non-Gaussian top hat beam profile, thereby leaving behind the heterocontact pattern.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.