Abstract: Frontside metallization pastes for solar cell electrodes contain siloxanes. Metallization pastes containing siloxanes can be used to fabricate fine line, high aspect ratio, solar cell gridlines.

Abstract: Screen-printable metallization pastes for forming thin oxide tunnel junctions on the back-side surface of solar cells are disclosed. Interdigitated metal contacts can be deposited on the oxide tunnel junctions to provide all-back metal contact to a solar cell.

Abstract: Screen-printable metallization pastes for forming thin oxide tunnel junctions on the back-side surface of solar cells are disclosed. Interdigitated metal contacts can be deposited on the oxide tunnel junctions to provide all-back metal contact to a solar cell.

Abstract: Frontside metallization pastes for solar cell electrodes contain siloxanes. Metallization pastes containing siloxanes can be used to fabricate fine line, high aspect ratio, solar cell gridlines.

Abstract: Screen-printable metallization pastes for forming thin oxide tunnel junctions on the back-side surface of solar cells are disclosed. Interdigitated metal contacts can be deposited on the oxide tunnel junctions to provide all-back metal contact to a solar cell.

Abstract: Frontside metallization pastes for solar cell electrodes prepared from glass frit containing rare earth metals such as lanthanum and yttrium are disclosed. Electrodes prepared from the metallization pastes exhibit improved adhesion, reliability, and excellent electrical properties.

Abstract: Systems and methods for fabrication of nanostructured solar cells having arrays of nanostructures are described, including nanostructured solar cells having a repeating pattern of pyramid nanostructures, providing for low cost thin-film solar cells with improved PCE.

Abstract: Systems and methods for fabrication of nanostructured solar cells having arrays of nanostructures are described, including nanostructured solar cells having a repeating pattern of pyramid nanostructures, providing for low cost thin-film solar cells with improved PCE.

Abstract: Systems and methods for fabrication of nanostructured solar cells having arrays of nanostructures are described, including nanostructured solar cells having a repeating pattern of pyramid nanostructures, providing for low cost thin-film solar cells with improved PCE.

Abstract: In aspects of the present invention, a lamina is formed having opposing first and second surfaces. Heavily doped contact regions extend from the first surface to the second surface. Generally the lamina is formed by affixing a semiconductor donor body to a receiver element, then cleaving the lamina from the semiconductor donor body wherein the lamina remains affixed to the receiver element. In the present invention, the heavily doped contact regions are formed by doping the semiconductor donor body before cleaving of the lamina. A photovoltaic cell comprising the lamina is then fabricated. By forming the heavily doped contact regions before bonding to the receiver element and cleaving, post-bonding high-temperature steps can be avoided, which may be advantageous.

Abstract: A semiconductor assembly is described in which a support element is constructed on a surface of a semiconductor lamina. Following formation of the thin lamina, which may have a thickness about 50 microns or less, the support element is formed, for example by plating, or by application of a precursor and curing in situ, resulting in a support element which may be, for example, metal, ceramic, polymer, etc. This is in contrast to pre-formed support element which is affixed to the lamina following its formation, or to a donor wafer from which the lamina is subsequently cleaved. Fabricating the support element in situ may avoid the use of adhesives to attach the lamina to a permanent support element. In some embodiments, this process flow allows the lamina to be annealed at high temperature, then to have an amorphous silicon layer formed on each face of the lamina following that anneal.

Abstract: Fabrication of a photovoltaic cell comprising a thin semiconductor lamina may require additional processing after the semiconductor lamina is bonded to a receiver. To minimize high-temperature steps after bonding, the p?n junction is formed at the back of the cell, at the bonded surface. In some embodiments, the front surface of the semiconductor lamina is not doped or is locally doped using low-temperature methods. The base resistivity of the photovoltaic cell may be reduced, allowing a front surface field to be reduced or omitted.

Abstract: A cleave plane is defined in a semiconductor donor body by implanting ions into the wafer. A lamina is cleaved from the donor body, and a photovoltaic cell is formed which comprises the lamina. The implant may cause some damage to the crystal structure of the lamina. This damage can be repaired by annealing the lamina using microwave energy. If the lamina is bonded to a receiver element, the receiver element may be either transparent to microwaves, or may reflect microwaves, while the semiconductor material absorbs the microwaves. In this way the lamina can be annealed at high temperature while the receiver element remains cooler.

Abstract: A semiconductor assembly is described in which a support element is constructed on a surface of a semiconductor lamina. Following formation of the thin lamina, which may have a thickness about 50 microns or less, the support element is formed, for example by plating, or by application of a precursor and curing in situ, resulting in a support element which may be, for example, metal, ceramic, polymer, etc. This is in contrast to pre-formed support element which is affixed to the lamina following its formation, or to a donor wafer from which the lamina is subsequently cleaved. Fabricating the support element in situ may avoid the use of adhesives to attach the lamina to a permanent support element. In some embodiments, this process flow allows the lamina to be annealed at high temperature, then to have an amorphous silicon layer formed on each face of the lamina following that anneal.

Abstract: A semiconductor assembly is described in which a support element is constructed on a surface of a semiconductor lamina. Following formation of the thin lamina, which may have a thickness about 50 microns or less, the support element is formed, for example by plating, or by application of a precursor and curing in situ, resulting in a support element which may be, for example, metal, ceramic, polymer, etc. This is in contrast to a rigid or semi-rigid pre-formed support element which is affixed to the lamina following its formation, or to a donor wafer from which the lamina is subsequently cleaved. Fabricating the support element in situ may avoid the use of adhesives to attach the lamina to a permanent support element; such adhesives may be unable to tolerate processing temperatures and conditions required to complete the device.

Abstract: Fabrication of a photovoltaic cell comprising a thin semiconductor lamina may require additional processing after the semiconductor lamina is bonded to a receiver. To minimize high-temperature steps after bonding, the p-n junction is formed at the back of the cell, at the bonded surface. In some embodiments, the front surface of the semiconductor lamina is not doped or is locally doped using low-temperature methods. The base resistivity of the photovoltaic cell may be reduced, allowing a front surface field to be reduced or omitted.

Abstract: A method is provided to adhere a lamina to a receiver element using a glass frit mixture. A donor body having a previously defined cleave plane and a receiver element are provided. The glass frit mixture is applied to either the donor body or the receiver element, or both, and is first dried to drive off solvents, then heated to burn out organics. If the glass frit mixture is applied to the receiver, the receiver element and glass frit mixture may be heated to the flow temperature of the frit. Following burn out of organics, the glass frit mixture will undergo no additional outgassing or densification. The receiver element and the donor body are then juxtaposed, the glass frit layer between them. The structure is heated further to permanently adhere the surfaces and to cleave a lamina from the donor body at the cleave plane. A device such as a photovoltaic cell is fabricated, the cell comprising the lamina.

Abstract: A semiconductor assembly is described in which a support element is constructed on a surface of a semiconductor lamina. Following formation of the thin lamina, which may have a thickness about 50 microns or less, the support element is formed, for example by plating, or by application of a precursor and curing in situ, resulting in a support element which may be, for example, metal, ceramic, polymer, etc. This is in contrast to a rigid or semi-rigid pre-formed support element which is affixed to the lamina following its formation, or to a donor wafer from which the lamina is subsequently cleaved. Fabricating the support element in situ may avoid the use of adhesives to attach the lamina to a permanent support element; such adhesives may be unable to tolerate processing temperatures and conditions required to complete the device.

Abstract: Systems and methods for fabrication of nanostructured solar cells having arrays of nanostructures are described, including nanostructured solar cells having a repeating pattern of pyramid nanostructures, providing for low cost thin-film solar cells with improved PCE.

Abstract: Ions are implanted into a silicon donor body, defining a cleave plane. A first surface of the donor body is affixed to a receiver element, and a lamina is exfoliated at the cleave plane, creating a second surface of the lamina. There is damaged silicon at the second surface, which will compromise the efficiency of a photovoltaic cell formed from the lamina. A selective etchant, having an etch rate which is positively correlated with the concentration of structural defects in silicon, is used to remove the damaged silicon at the second surface, while removing very little of the relatively undamaged lamina.