Patents by Inventor Martin Hermle

Martin Hermle has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 10808330
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for producing one or more electrical contacts on a component, comprising (a) applying one or more coatings on the component, where at least one of the coatings is a coating of an electrically conductive material, (b) applying a self-passivating metal or semiconductor and/or a dielectric material on the coated component, (c) structuring the passivating coating by laser treatment or etching, (d) contacting the structured coating with an electroplating bath, (e) etching the regions not covered with the galvanically deposited metal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2020
    Assignee: FRAUNHOFER-GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FORDERUNG DER ANGEWANDTEN FORSCHUNG E.V.
    Inventors: Markus Glatthaar, Jonas Bartsch, Sven Kluska, Thibaud Hatt, Andreas Rodofili, Martin Hermle
  • Publication number: 20200098945
    Abstract: A process for producing a photovoltaic solar cell having at least one diffused-in diffusion region and at least one heterojunction, including (A) providing at least one semiconductor substrate having a base doping, (B) producing the heterojunction on a rear side of the semiconductor substrate, which heterojunction includes a doped, silicon-containing heterojunction layer and a dielectric tunneling layer arranged indirectly or directly between heterojunction layer and semiconductor substrate, (C) texturing the surface of the semiconductor substrate at least on a front side of the semiconductor substrate; and (D) producing the diffusion region on the front side of the semiconductor substrate by diffusing at least one diffusion dopant having a doping type opposite to the base doping into the semiconductor substrate. These steps are, with or without intervening process steps, carried out in the order A-C-B-D.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 23, 2019
    Publication date: March 26, 2020
    Applicant: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung E.V.
    Inventors: Martin Hermle, Stefan Janz
  • Publication number: 20190256996
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for producing one or more electrical contacts on a component, comprising (a) applying one or more coatings on the component, where at least one of the coatings is a coating of an electrically conductive material, (b) applying a self-passivating metal or semiconductor and/or a dielectric material on the coated component, (c) structuring the passivating coating by laser treatment or etching, (d) contacting the structured coating with an electroplating bath, (e) etching the regions not covered with the galvanically deposited metal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 13, 2019
    Publication date: August 22, 2019
    Inventors: Markus Glatthaar, Jonas Bartsch, Sven Kluska, Thibaud Hatt, Andreas Rodofili, Martin Hermle
  • Publication number: 20170236970
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for producing doping regions in a semiconductor layer of a semiconductor component, wherein the method includes the following steps: A) implanting a first dopant of a first doping type into at least one implantation region in the semiconductor layer, which implantation region adjoins a first side of the semiconductor layer; B) applying a doping layer, which contains a second dopant of a second doping type, indirectly or directly at least to the first side of the semiconductor layer, wherein the first and the second doping type are opposite; C) by the effect of heat, simultaneously driving the second dopant from the doping layer into the semiconductor layer and performing one or more of the processes of at least partially activating the implanted dopant in the implantation region and/or performing at least partial recovery of crystal damage in the semiconductor layer, which crystal damage was produced by the implantation, and/or driving in the first dopant from the implantatio
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 3, 2015
    Publication date: August 17, 2017
    Applicant: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.
    Inventors: Martin Hermle, Christian Reichel, Jan Benick, Ralph Muller, Julian Schrof
  • Publication number: 20170018662
    Abstract: The invention relates to a photoactive semiconductor component, especially a photovoltaic solar cell, having a semiconductor substrate, a carbon-containing SiC layer disposed indirectly upon a surface of the semiconductor substrate, and a passivating intermediate layer disposed indirectly or directly between the SiC layer and semiconductor substrate, and a metallic contact connection disposed indirectly or directly upon a side of the SiC layer facing away from the passivating intermediate layer and in electrically conductive connection with the SiC layer, where the SiC layer has p-type or n-type doping, which is characterized in that the SiC layer partly has a partly amorphous structure and partly has a crystalline structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 6, 2015
    Publication date: January 19, 2017
    Applicant: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Forderung Der Angewandten Forschung E.V.
    Inventors: Frank FELDMANN, Martin HERMLE
  • Publication number: 20120227805
    Abstract: A solar cell, having a silicon layer which has a dopant of a first dopant type, a front designed for the light coupling, and a rear. The silicon layer has a doped base layer, at least one textured layer and a metal layer being arranged on the rear of the silicon layer, optionally on additional intermediate layers, and the textured layer including a rear texture in at least a section thereof which rear texture is designed as an optical diffraction structure. At least one textured intermediate structure (3, 23, 33) is arranged between the textured layer (2, 22, 32) and the metal layer (4, 24, 34), the metal layer (4, 24, 34) being connected to the textured layer (2, 22, 32) and/or to the base layer (1, 21, 31) in an electrically conducting manner. The textured intermediate structure (3, 23, 33) is substantially transparent at least in the wavelength range of 800 nm to 1100 nm and has a refractive index n smaller than the refractive index of the textured layer in at least this wavelength range.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2010
    Publication date: September 13, 2012
    Applicants: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft Zur Förderung Der Angewandten Forschung E.V., ALBERT-LUDWIGS-UNIVERSITAT FREIBURG
    Inventors: Martin Hermle, Hubert Hauser, Pauline Berger, Benedikt Blasi, Marius Peters, Jan Christoph Goldschmidt
  • Publication number: 20120152299
    Abstract: The present invention relates to rear-side contact solar cells and also solar cell modules manufactured therefrom, said modules having a special electrode structure, and also to a method for the production thereof. The electrodes, via which the current of the rear-side contact cell is tapped, are thereby separated by an insulating layer from the finger contacts which are in contact with the n- or p-semiconductor element of the solar cell through an insulating layer. The method makes possible a substantial simplification relative to the production methods described in the state of the art by means of spatial decoupling of the structuring of the electrodes from the solar cell.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2007
    Publication date: June 21, 2012
    Applicant: FRAUNHOFER-GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FÖRDERUNG DER ANGEWANDTEN FORSCHUNG E.V.
    Inventors: Oliver Schultz-Wittmann, Stefan Glunz, Martin Hermle
  • Publication number: 20120097240
    Abstract: A solar cell, including a silicon substrate (1), a front side (2) designed for coupling light, and a rear side (3) is provided. It is essential that the front side, at least in a partial region, has a front side texture, which along a spatial direction A is periodic, the period length being greater than 1 ?m, and that the rear side, at least in a partial region, has a rear side texture, which along a spatial direction B is periodic, with the period length being smaller than 1 ?m. The spatial direction A is disposed at an 80° to 100° angle to the spatial direction B.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 7, 2010
    Publication date: April 26, 2012
    Applicants: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft Zur Förderung Der Angewandten Forschung E.V., ALBERT-LUDWIGS-UNIVERSITAT FREIBURG
    Inventors: Benedikt Blasi, Marius Peters, Jan Christoph Goldschmidt, Martin Hermle, Hubert Hauser, Pauline Berger