Abstract: The present invention relates to screen printing plate for a solar cell in which an electroconductive paste is used to simultaneously print a bus bar electrode and a finger electrode, the screen printing plate characterized in that the opening width of a finger electrode opening of the screen printing plate is less than 80 ?m and a bus bar electrode opening of the screen printing plate has a closed section. The use of this screen printing plate makes it possible to reduce the cost of manufacturing solar cells, prevent the connecting section between the bus bar electrode and the finger electrode from breaking without causing an increase in shadow loss or compromising the aesthetic quality of the solar cells, and manufacture highly reliable solar cells with good productivity.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the providing of a rolling mill that makes it possible to more accurately control the shape of a plate material than has hitherto been possible, and to a rolling method, and is a rolling mill that rolls a plate material using vertical work rolls, and that includes: a coolant jet spray unit that has a plurality of nozzles that are arranged at predetermined intervals in the direction of the rotation axis of the work rolls, and that sprays jets of coolant from the respective nozzles onto the work rolls; a roll temperature estimation unit that estimates a mean temperature of the work rolls; a coolant temperature detection unit that detects a temperature of the coolant; a shape detection unit that detects the shape in the width direction of the rolled plate material; a shape deviation calculation unit that calculates an amount of deviation between a plate material shape detected by the shape detection unit and a target shape; and a shape control unit that controls the shape of the

Abstract: A chimney has a lower portion substantially in the shape of a pyramid and an upper portion forming a cylindrical portion that extends with a predetermined dimension upwardly and is provided in a ceiling portion of a building of a coil yard that is used for temporary storage of the hot-rolled coil which is an intermediate iron and steel product acting as a high-temperature heat radiator that is manufactured using the hot-rolling equipment of an iron and steel mill. A power generating turbine is provided at a predetermined position in the cylindrical portion. An intake duct is provided on a lower end portion of the side walls of the building. Hot-rolled coils that are in a high-temperature condition after manufacture are successively imported into the coil yard and accumulated and stored until transfer to a subsequent processing step. An ascending airflow is generated by sequential heating of air introduced into the building from the intake duct using heat retained in the hot-rolled coils.

Abstract: Provided is a method for manufacturing a solar cell element that can increase the film thickness for collector electrodes formed in a screen printing process and reduce the resistance value of the same as well as contribute to improvements in conversion efficiency. When a collector electrode for a solar cell element is formed by screen printing of a conductive paste, that screen-printing process is repeated a plurality of times. At this time, the squeegee speed during the second or later screen printing is faster than the squeegee speed during the first screen printing. The second and later screen printing is superimposed on the collector electrode printed the first time; therefore, the faster the squeegee speed is, the better the plate release is for the paste and foundation. The amount of paste applied increases, and the film for the collector electrode that is formed becomes thicker.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a hot rolling apparatus for manufacturing a metal plate by hot-rolling-treating a metal material including copper.

Abstract: A solar cell has a passivation film formed on a crystalline silicon substrate that has at least a p-n junction, and an electrode formed by printing and heat-treating a conductive paste. The solar cell has a first electrode comprising an extraction electrode, which extracts photogenerated carriers from the silicon substrate, formed so as to contact the silicon substrate and a second collector electrode, which collects the carriers collected at the extraction electrode, formed so as to contact the first electrode. Other than the point of contact between the first electrode and the second electrode, at least, the second electrode contacts the silicon substrate only partially or not at all. By leaving the passivation film between the collector electrode and the silicon, either completely or partially, the solar cell reduces charge losses at electrode/silicon interfaces, improves the short-circuit current and open voltage, and yields improved characteristics.

Abstract: A solar cell has: an emitter layer formed on a light-receiving-surface side of a crystalline silicon substrate, with a dopant of the opposite conductivity type from the silicon substrate added to the emitter layer, a passivation film formed on the surface of the silicon substrate, an extraction electrode and a collector electrode. The extraction electrode extracts photogenerated charge from the silicon substrate and the collector electrode collects the charge collected at the extraction electrode. The extraction electrode contains a first electrode that consists of a sintered conductive paste. The first electrode, at least, is formed so as to pass through the passivation layer. The collection electrode contains a second electrode that has a higher conductivity than the first electrode. This solar cell reduces contact-resistance losses between the silicon and the electrodes, resistance losses due to electrode resistance, and optical and electrical losses in the emitter layer.

Abstract: Disclosed is a solar cell having a silicon monocrystal substrate surface with a textured structure and, near the surface of said substrate, a damage layer reflecting the slice processing history from the time of manufacture of the silicon monocrystal substrate. The damage layer near the surface of the silicon monocrystal substrate is derived from the slice processing history at the time of manufacture of the substrate and functions as a gettering site, contributing to a longer lifetime of the substrate minority carriers. Thanks to this effect, the solar cell characteristics are dramatically increased. Further, new damage need be inflicted, and no additional work is required because damage from the slicing is used.

Abstract: In a twin roll continuous caster, the contour of the strip cast is controlled during casting by regulating the temperature of temperature-regulating medium circulated through temperature-regulating passages in the casting rolls spaced inward of cooling passages in the circumferential portion adjacent the casting surfaces. The temperature-regulating passages may be positioned in the circumferential portion or in the inner portion of the casting rolls, or both.

Abstract: Disclosed in a method that is for producing a solar cell and that is characterized by performing an annealing step on a semiconductor substrate before an electrode-forming step. By means of performing annealing in the above manner, it is possible to improve the electrical characteristics of the solar cell without negatively impacting reliability or outward appearance. As a result, the method can be widely used in methods for producing solar cells having high reliability and electrical characteristics.

Abstract: The disclosed heat-treatment furnace, used in a semiconductor-substrate heat-treatment step, is characterized by the provision of a cylindrical core, both ends of which have openings sized so as to allow insertion and removal of semiconductor substrates. This reduces standby time between batches during consecutive semiconductor heat treatment, thereby improving productivity. Furthermore, the use of a simple cylindrical shape for the structure of the core reduces the frequency at which gas-introduction pipe sections fail, thereby decreasing the running cost of the heat-treatment process.

Abstract: Provided is a substrate for a solar cell, wherein a flat chamfered portion is formed on one corner of a silicon substrate having a square shape in a planar view, or a notch is formed on the corner or close to the corner. This invention makes it possible to easily check the position of the substrate and determine the direction of the substrate in a solar cell manufacturing step, and suppresses failures generated due to the direction of the substrate.

Abstract: Disclosed is a firing furnace for firing an electrode of a solar cell element, which is provided with: a transfer member, which transfers a substrate having a conductive paste applied thereto; a heating section, which heats the substrate and fires the conductive paste; and a cooling section, which cools the heated substrate. The furnace is also provided with a heating means for heating the transfer member. Specifically, at the time of firing the electrode paste using the wire-type firing furnace, since a wire is fired at a temperature substantially equivalent to the ambient temperature of the heating section, deterioration of yield due to having the electrode damaged by a deposited material of the metal component of the conductive paste is suppressed, said deposited material being deposited on the wire, and the wire-type firing furnace can be continuously used.

Abstract: An ophthalmologic imaging device includes an optical illumination system having a cornea aperture, an iris aperture, and a lens aperture and an split mark projection system for focusing on the fundus of the subject eye. A light source is controlled by a controller to emit light for being able to obtain at least two consecutive fundus images. An inner aperture image corresponding to the lens aperture is projected on the posterior surface of the lens. The controller controls the lens aperture so that for obtaining a second fundus image, the inner aperture image is projected at a position shifted relative to the optical axis of an optical observatory or imaging system from a position at which the aperture image is projected for obtaining a first fundus image.

Abstract: Disclosed is a phosphorus paste for diffusion that is used in continuous printing of a phosphorus paste for diffusion on a substrate by screen printing. The phosphorus paste for diffusion does not undergo a significant influence of ambient humidity on viscosity and has no possibility of thickening even after a large number of times of continuous printing. The phosphorus paste for diffusion is coated on a substrate by screen printing for diffusion layer formation on the substrate. The phosphorus paste for diffusion includes a doping agent containing phosphorus as a dopant for the diffusion layer, a thixotropic agent containing an organic binder and a solid matter, and an organic solvent. The doping agent is an organic phosphorus compound.

Abstract: In a twin roll continuous caster, the contour of the strip cast is controlled during casting by regulating the temperature of temperature-regulating medium circulated through temperature-regulating passages in the casting rolls spaced inward of cooling passages in the circumferential portion adjacent the casting surfaces. The temperature-regulating passages may be positioned in the circumferential portion or in the inner portion of the casting rolls, or both.

Abstract: A metal strip casting apparatus and method of casting metal strip include assembling a pair of counter-rotatable casting rolls positioned laterally forming a nip between for casting, and assembling a pair of brush rolls, each of the brush rolls associated with one of each of the casting rolls. Each brush roll includes at least one spaced apart brush line extending substantially along the axial length of the casting roll. The brush lines may form a spiral, zigzag, wave or crisscross array about the brush roll. The brush roll may include one or more staggered rings with regularly or irregularly spaced apart bristles which form the brush lines. The brush lines may be between 10 to 50 mm apart and separated by between 2 mm to 45 mm of open space. The brush lines may be one line per 10 mm to 90 mm of axial length of brush roll.

Abstract: Described herein is a twin roll caster including a pair of casting rolls arranged parallel to one another with a gap between the casting rolls and side dams parallel to one another forming a pool between the casting rolls and side dams. A side dam support is provided that applies a compression force on at least one of the side dams at a compression angle relative to the axis of the casting rolls.

Abstract: Disclosed is a solar cell which is provided with: a semiconductor substrate having a light-receiving surface and a non-light-receiving surface; a PN junction section formed on the semiconductor substrate; a passivation layer formed on the light-receiving surface and/or the non-light-receiving surface; and power extraction electrodes formed on the light-receiving surface and the non-light-receiving surface. The solar cell is characterized in that the passivation layer includes an aluminum oxide film having a thickness off 40 nm or less. As a result of forming a aluminum oxide film having a predetermined thickness on the surface of the substrate, it is possible to achieve excellent passivation performance and excellent electrical contact between silicon and the electrode by merely firing the conductive paste, which is conventional technology.

Abstract: Disclosed is a solar battery module in which there are alternately provided: a first solar battery cell equipped with a first conductive substrate having a photoreceptor face and non-photoreceptor face, and electrodes having mutually different polarity respectively formed on the photoreceptor face and non-photoreceptor face; and a second solar battery cell equipped with a second conductive substrate having a photoreceptor face and non-photoreceptor face, and electrodes having mutually different polarity respectively formed on the photoreceptor face and non-photoreceptor face.