Abstract: Thin semiconductor wafers and components manufactured therefrom, for instance solar cells of crystalline silicon, are subject to an increased breakage risk because of the brittle nature of the material and require a minimum thickness for the wafer in order to assure reliable handling. For improving the handling, a semiconductor wafer is provided surface-wide with a mechanical protective layer and this semiconductor wafer is subsequently subjected to a shaping treatment.

Abstract: For additional energy supply and for recharging the energy store of a network-independent, portable electrical energy user, at least one flexible solar cell which is fabricated of a thin silicon tri-crystal wafer is laminated on the surface of the energy user.

Abstract: The present invention provides an improved method for manufacturing highly efficient and especially thin polycrystalline silicon thin-film solar cells. More particularly, the present invention provides a silicon nucleation layer produced on amorphous substrates with a nucleation layer being selectively etched until uniformly <111> orientated nuclei remain. A silicon thin-film grown thereover is coarse-crystalline, has grain boundaries residing perpendicular to the substrate and has a pyramid structure as a consequence of the uniform orientation. High photocurrents can already be achieved with solar cells manufactured therefrom beginning with a layer thickness of 10 .mu.m.

Abstract: A tandem solar module and a method for the manufacture thereof. The tandem solar module has a first, large-area, lower solar sub-module of polycrystalline silicon (c-Si), has an electrically insulating, transparent intermediate layer functioning as an optical coupler, and also has a second, transparent, upper sub-module of amorphous, hydrogenated silicon (a-Si:H). Both sub-modules are provided with mutually independent electrical contacts and each is functional in and of itself. An active material in the first sub-module that is preferably structured strip-shaped can be composed of silicon strips produced in a band drawing method. The second sub-module is executed in thin-film technology in a known way and has a p-i-n structure. Its substrate serves as a covering for the overall module. The tandem solar module exhibits high efficiency and is cost-effective to be manufactured. It can be manufactured with a large-area and exhibits high long-term stability.