Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for preparing, on a silicon wafer, an n+pp+ or p+nn+ structure which includes the following consecutive steps: a) on a p or n silicon wafer (1), which includes a front surface (8) and a rear surface (9), a layer of boron-doped silicon oxide (BSG) (2) is formed on the rear surface (9) by PECVD, followed by a SiOx diffusion barrier (3); b) a source of phosphorus is diffused such that the phosphorus and the boron co-diffuse and in order also to form: on the front surface (8) of the wafer obtained at the end of step a), a layer of phosphorus-doped silicon oxide (PSG) (4) and an n+ doped area (5); and on the rear surface of the wafer obtained at the end of step a), a boron-rich area (BRL) (6), as well as a p+ doped area (7); c) the layers of BSG (2) and PSG (4) oxides and SiOx (3) are removed, the BRL (6) is oxidised and the layer resulting from said oxidation is removed.

Abstract: The subject of the invention is a panel intended to form part of a wall delimiting a refrigerated chamber of a refrigerated box or to be positioned on such a wall, the panel including a photovoltaic module comprising at least one photovoltaic cell on the face of the panel facing towards the outside of the box, a layer of insulating material on the face of the panel facing towards the inside of the box, and air flow means interposed between the photovoltaic module and said insulating layer, and also a refrigerated box comprising such a panel on one of its walls and a vehicle comprising such a box.

Abstract: A photovoltaic solar module inclueing at least one photovoltaic cell and terminals for connection to an electrical network, means of deactivating the module arranged to establish a shunt at the connection terminals of the module and disable the module, a body that moves in a housing cavity according to at least one degree of freedom between a first position in which the body does not interact with the deactivation means and a second position in which the body interacts with the deactivation means so as to establish a shunt at the connection terminals of the module, and a means of blocking the body in the second position.

Abstract: The invention relates to an installation of photovoltaic modules including a “control command” device, a set of photovoltaic modules, intended to transform the solar energy into electric current, having power terminals, each photovoltaic module including a breaker commanding the passage of a current across the power terminals, control means designed to control the breaker, communication means designed to allow communication between the control means of the breaker of the photovoltaic module and the “control command” device of the installation, where each photovoltaic module furthermore includes addressing means designed to identify in a unique manner a photovoltaic module and/or a group of photovoltaic modules and measurement means for measuring at least one operating parameter of the photovoltaic module.

Abstract: The invention relates to a modular construction element used to close a building roof, in particular a flat roof, comprising a first face inclined with respect to a horizontal plane, having at least one transparent or translucent portion suitable for allowing natural light to illuminate the inside of the building; a second face inclined with respect to a horizontal plane, of opposite orientation to the first face, having at least one solar panel comprising at least one photovoltaic module; and at least part of the faces of the modular element comprising at least one thermal and/or acoustic insulation layer.

Abstract: A solar cell comprising multi-crystalline silicon or an alloy thereof, having a surface that is to receive light radiation, wherein said silicon surface includes a multi-tude of pits of depth lying in the range 0.10 .mu.m to 10 .mu.m and of diameter lying in the range 0.1 .mu.m to 10 .mu.m, and in which the ratio of said depth to said diameter is greater than 1, the area of said holes occupying more than half the area of said silicon surface.

Abstract: A solar cell is provided which utilizes a semicrystalline semiconductor starting material. The solar cell has a metallic layer deposited over the grain boundaries between adjacent active grain areas of the material to collect the current generated in the grain areas. The metallic layer also shields the grain boundaries from illumination, thereby passivating the boundaries.

Abstract: Control of thermal gradients in a crystal being pulled from a melt is achieved using stratified microwave coupling. Plural microwave radiators are arranged along the crystal path. The radiators are driven by power sources having stepped energy levels so that the radiated microwave energy heats successive regions of the crystal to progressively decreasing temperature levels. Each power source is swept in frequency, thereby controlling the depth of heating so as to achieve at each region a selected lateral temperature distribution (e.g., constant temperature across the crystal). Advantageously, the shape of each cavity conforms to the cross-sectional geometry of the crystal being pulled, which may be non-circular. This facilitates the growth of crystals having rectangular, trapezoidal or other shape. In such embodiment, the frequency sweep range, and possibly power, is separately controlled at different locations about the crystal so as to achieve the desired lateral temperature distribution.

Abstract: Solar cells are fabricated by spraying a dopant coating onto a semiconductor wafer and heating the surface of the wafer using unipolar microwaves. The resultant controlled heating drives dopant atoms from the coating into the wafer to produce a shallow junction at a selectable depth. Advantageously, metallic conductors are predeposited atop the dopant coating and then sintered to the semiconductor by the same unipolar microwave field concurrently with dopant drive-in. Efficient solar cells can be made with this process using polycrystalline silicon, since with unipolar microwave surface heating the grain boundaries do not become so deeply doped as to short circuit the junctions formed in the individual grains. Unipolar microwave heating also may be used to anneal ion implanted semiconductor devices.