Abstract: The method is provided for contact formation in semiconductor devices. The method involves forming an insulating layer over an active region to be contacted to, forming holes or openings in the insulating layer to expose the active region and forming an aluminium layer over the insulating layer. A source of non-crystalline semiconductor material or damaged crystalline material is located in contact with the aluminium layer such that the non-crystalline or damaged crystalline material is dissolved in the aluminium layer and redeposited on the surface of the semiconductor material to be contacted to. The semiconductor material is deposited by solid phase epitaxial growth and carries with it, aluminium atoms which leave the semiconductor material as heavily doped p-type material.

Abstract: The present invention makes use of geometry of grooves formed in a substrate, to allow a dielectric layer to be deposited with some regions of the grooves having a substantially thinner layer deposited than top surfaces of the substrate. These regions of reduced thickness dielectric within the grooves are then prematurely etched by an appropriate chemical, or other, etchant capable of controllably etching away the dielectric layer, with the result that in these regions the silicon surface can be exposed and plated by a metallization while the top surface remains protected by the dielectric material. The remaining dielectric material can optionally be required to act as an anti-reflective coating. The invention is applicable in making buried contact solar cells.

Abstract: A multilayer solar cell with bypass diodes includes a stack of alternating p and n type semiconductor layers 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 arranged to form a plurality of rectifying photovoltaic junctions 15, 16, 17, 18. Contact is made to underlying layers by way of a buried contact structure comprising grooves extending down through all of the active layers, the walls of each groove being doped 33, 34 with n-or p-type impurities depending upon the layers to which the respective contact is to be connected and the grooves being filled with metal contact material 31, 32. One or more bypass diodes are provided by increasing the doping levels on either side 10, 13 of one or more portions of the junctions 16 of the cell such that quantum mechanical tunnelling provides a reverse bias characteristic whereby conduction occurs under predetermined reverse bias conditions. Ideally, the doping levels in the bypass diodes is 10.sup.18 atoms/cm.sup.3 or greater and the junction area is small.

Abstract: A semiconductor structure and method of forming the structure, where a supporting substrate or superstrate provides the mechanical strength to support overlying thin active regions. The thin dielectric layer deposited over the substrate or superstrate serves to isolate the deposited layers from the substrate from optical, metallurgical and/or chemical perspectives. A seeding layer is then deposited, the seeding layer being of n-type silicon with appropriate treatments to give the desired large grain size. This layer may be crystallized as it is deposited, or may be deposited in amorphous form and then crystallized with further processing. A stack of alternating polarity layers of amorphous silicon or silicon alloy incorporating n-type or p-type dopants in the alternating layers is then deposited over the seeding layer. Solid phase crystallization is then performed to give the desired grain size of 3 .mu.m or larger which can be achieved by extended heating of the layers at low temperature.

Abstract: A multilayer solar cell structure includes a stack of alternating p-type and n-type semiconductor layers arranged to form a plurality of rectifying photovoltaic junctions. Low-cost cells are manufactured from low-quality material which is optimized by employing very high doping levels in thin layers. Typically, the doping levels are greater than 10.sup.17 atoms/cm.sup.3, and the thickness of the layers is related to carrier diffusion length in thickness. Contact is made to underlying layers by way of a buried contact structure comprising grooves extending down through all of the active layers, the walls of each groove being doped with n- or p-type impurities depending upon the layers to which the respective contact is to be connected and the grooves being filled or partly filled with metal contact material.

Abstract: A combination comprises a device for receiving and for directing incoming light in a three dimensional manner to at least one predetermined location together with a solar cell. The device has two light reflecting surfaces and a total internal reflection surface. In operation, the total internal reflection surface transmits the incoming light into the device and totally internally reflects the light reflected from the surface which is incident at its surface at an angle within the range for total internal reflection. The reflection surfaces are operatively disposed with respect to one another so as to perform the function of a receiver/director by directing incoming light in a three dimensional manner to the rear surface of the solar cell.