Abstract: A semiconductor substrate having an electrode formed thereon, the electrode including at least silver and glass frit, the electrode including: a multi-layered structure with a first electrode layer joined directly to the semiconductor substrate, and an upper electrode layer formed of at least one layer and disposed on the first electrode layer. The upper electrode layer is formed by firing a conductive paste having a total silver content of 75 wt % or more and 95 wt % or less, the content of silver particles having an average particle diameter of 4 ?m or greater and 8 ?m or smaller with respect to the total silver content in the upper electrode layer being higher than that in the first electrode layer.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a semiconductor substrate having at least an electrode formed thereon, in which the electrode has a multilayer structure including two or more layers, of the multilayer structure, at least a first electrode layer directly bonded to the semiconductor substrate contains at least silver and a glass frit, and contains, as an additive, at least one of oxides of Ti, Bi, Zr, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, W, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Si, Al, Ge, Sn, Pb, and Zn, and, of an electrode layer formed on the first electrode layer, at least an uppermost electrode layer to be bonded to a wire contains at least silver and a glass frit and does not contain the additive. This makes it possible to form, on a semiconductor substrate, an electrode adhered to the semiconductor substrate with sufficient adhesive strength and adhered to a wire via solder with sufficient adhesive strength by lowering both contact resistance and interconnect resistance.

Abstract: A semiconductor substrate having an electrode formed thereon, the electrode including at least silver and glass frit, the electrode including: a multi-layered structure with a first electrode layer joined directly to the semiconductor substrate, and an upper electrode layer formed of at least one layer and disposed on the first electrode layer. The upper electrode layer is formed by firing a conductive paste having a total silver content of 75 wt % or more and 95 wt % or less, the content of silver particles having an average particle diameter of 4 ?m or greater and 8 ?m or smaller with respect to the total silver content in the upper electrode layer being higher than that in the first electrode layer.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a semiconductor substrate having an electrode formed thereon, the electrode including at least silver and glass frit, the electrode including: a multi-layered structure constituted of a first electrode layer joined directly to the semiconductor substrate, and an upper electrode layer formed of at least one layer and disposed on the first electrode layer; wherein the upper electrode layer is formed by firing a conductive paste having a total silver content of 75 wt % or more and 95 wt % or less, the content of silver particles having an average particle diameter of 4 ?m or greater and 8 ?m or smaller with respect to the total silver content in the upper electrode layer being higher than that in the first electrode layer. As a consequence, it is possible to form the electrode, which has the high aspect ratio and hardly suffers an inconvenience such as a break, on the semiconductor substrate by a simple method.

Abstract: A screen printing plate having at least an opening portion that discharges a printing material for forming a target printing pattern on a matter to be printed is provided in screen printing, and the screen printing plate is characterized in that the size of the opening portion is reduced from the target printing pattern and an opening end portion of the opening portion has a projection and recess pattern shaped differently from the target printing pattern shape. By this arrangement, bleeding of the printing material of the screen printing can be controlled and a high-quality and low-cost screen printing plate is provided which can print a target printing pattern accurately and with high transfer performance even for a fine design.

Abstract: The present invention is an electrode material comprising at least, a silver powder, a glass frit, and an organic vehicle, wherein a rate of Ag content of the electrode material is 75 wt % to 95 wt %, and a ratio of contents of Ag grains having an average grain diameter of 0.5 ?m to 3 ?m and Ag grains having an average grain diameter of 4 ?m to 8 ?m in the electrode material is (the Ag grains having an average grain diameter of 0.5 ?m to 3 ?m):(the Ag grains having an average grain diameter of 4 ?m to 8 ?m)=20-80 wt %:80-20 wt %, and a solar cell comprising an electrode formed by using the electrode material. Thereby, an electrode material that can be stably filled in an electrode groove formed on a semiconductor device and that an electrode with narrow line width and small resistance loss can be easily formed by, and a solar cell with high power having an electrode formed by using the electrode material are provided.

Abstract: A method of fabricating a solar cell forms a large number of grooves on a first main surface of a p-type silicon single crystal substrate sliced out from a silicon single crystal ingot as described below. First an edge portion of a groove-carving blade is projected out from a flat substrate feeding surface of a working table by a predetermined height. The p-type silicon single crystal substrate is moved along the substrate feeding surface towards the rotating groove-carving blade while keeping a close contact of the first main surface thereof with the substrate feeding surface. Electrodes are then formed on the inner side face of thus-carved grooves only on one side in the width-wise direction thereof.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a semiconductor substrate having an electrode formed thereon, the electrode including at least silver and glass frit, the electrode including: a multi-layered structure constituted of a first electrode layer joined directly to the semiconductor substrate, and an upper electrode layer formed of at least one layer and disposed on the first electrode layer; wherein the upper electrode layer is formed by firing a conductive paste having a total silver content of 75 wt % or more and 95 wt % or less, the content of silver particles having an average particle diameter of 4 ?m or greater and 8 ?m or smaller with respect to the total silver content in the upper electrode layer being higher than that in the first electrode layer. As a consequence, it is possible to form the electrode, which has the high aspect ratio and hardly suffers an inconvenience such as a break, on the semiconductor substrate by a simple method.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a semiconductor substrate having at least an electrode formed thereon, in which the electrode has a multilayer structure including two or more layers, of the multilayer structure, at least a first electrode layer directly bonded to the semiconductor substrate contains at least silver and a glass frit, and contains, as an additive, at least one of oxides of Ti, Bi, Zr, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, W, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Si, Al, Ge, Sn, Pb, and Zn, and, of an electrode layer formed on the first electrode layer, at least an uppermost electrode layer to be bonded to a wire contains at least silver and a glass frit and does not contain the additive. This makes it possible to form, on a semiconductor substrate, an electrode adhered to the semiconductor substrate with sufficient adhesive strength and adhered to a wire via solder with sufficient adhesive strength by lowering both contact resistance and interconnect resistance.

Abstract: The present invention is a solar cell comprising at least a semiconductor substrate 5 formed with a PN-junction, a finger electrode 4 formed comb-like on at least one surface of the semiconductor substrate 5, and a bus bar electrode 3 connected to the finger electrode 4 on the semiconductor substrate 5, wherein the bus bar electrode 3 has a recess-and-projection pattern 1 formed on a surface thereof. As a result, a low cost and high efficiency solar cell and the manufacturing method of the solar cell are provided in which a connector soldered to the bus bar electrode is difficult to be peeled off, and the shielding of the sunlight by the bus bar electrode is small.

Abstract: The present invention is a method for manufacturing a solar cell by forming a p-n junction in a semiconductor substrate having a first conductivity type, wherein, at least: a first coating material containing a dopant and an agent for preventing a dopant from scattering, and a second coating material containing a dopant, are coated on the semiconductor substrate having the first conductivity type so that the second coating material may be brought into contact with at least the first coating material; and, a first diffusion layer formed by coating the first coating material, and a second diffusion layer formed by coating the second coating material the second diffusion layer having a conductivity is lower than that of the first diffusion layer are simultaneously formed by a diffusion heat treatment; a solar cell manufactured by the method; and a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device.

Abstract: The present invention is a screen printing plate 1 in which at least an opening portion 2 that discharges a printing material for forming a target printing pattern 4 on a matter to be printed is provided in screen printing, and the screen printing plate is characterized in that the size of the opening portion 2 is reduced from the target printing pattern 4 and an opening end portion 3 of the opening portion 2 has a projection and recess pattern shape different from the target printing pattern shape. By this arrangement, bleeding of the printing material of the screen printing can be controlled and a high-quality and low-cost screen printing plate is provided which can print a target printing pattern accurately and with high transfer performance even for a fine design.

Abstract: An OECO solar cell using a semiconductor single crystal substrate having a plurality of grooves, wherein a minimum groove depth h of each groove always satisfies the relation of h?W1tan ? where ? represents an angle between a line connecting the lower end, along the thickness-wise direction of the semiconductor single crystal substrate, of an electrode formed in the groove and the upper end of the inner side face of the same groove having no electrode formed thereon, and a reference line normal to the thickness-wise direction, and W1 represents a distance between both opening edges of the groove; wherein the semiconductor single crystal substrate has thickness decreasing from a first side of a first main surface to a second side opposed to the first side; and wherein the plurality of grooves have a depth distribution of being deepest at a thickest position of the substrate, and a gradually becoming shallower towards a thinnest position of the substrate.

Abstract: A solar cell 1 has a number of grooves 2 formed in parallel with each other on a first main surface 24a of a silicon single crystal substrate. An electrode 6 is formed on the inner side face of each groove 2 on one side. Each groove 2 is formed in the direction in disagreement with the <110> direction on the first main surface 24a. This raises mechanical strength of the solar cell 1. The direction of formation of the grooves 2 preferably crosses the <110> direction nearest to the direction of formation at an angle of 4°˜45° on the acute angle side.

Abstract: A method of fabricating a solar cell forms a large number of grooves on a first main surface of a p-type silicon single crystal substrate sliced out from a silicon single crystal ingot as described below. First an edge portion of a groove-carving blade is projected out from a flat substrate feeding surface of a working table by a predetermined height. The p-type silicon single crystal substrate is moved along the substrate feeding surface towards the rotating groove-carving blade while keeping a close contact of the first main surface thereof with the substrate feeding surface. Electrodes are then formed on the inner side face of thus-carved grooves only on one side in the width-wise direction thereof.

Abstract: The present invention is an electrode material comprising at least, a silver powder, a glass frit, and an organic vehicle, wherein a rate of Ag content of the electrode material is 75 wt % to 95 wt %, and a ratio of contents of Ag grains having an average grain diameter of 0.5 ?m to 3 ?m and Ag grains having an average grain diameter of 4 ?m to 8 ?m in the electrode material is (the Ag grains having an average grain diameter of 0.5 ?m to 3 ?m):(the Ag grains having an average grain diameter of 4 ?m to 8 ?m)=20-80 wt %:80-20 wt %, and a solar cell comprising an electrode formed by using the electrode material. Thereby, an electrode material that can be stably filled in an electrode groove formed on a semiconductor device and that an electrode with narrow line width and small resistance loss can be easily formed by, and a solar cell with high power having an electrode formed by using the electrode material are provided.

Abstract: A solar cell module 60 has a plurality of solar cells 14 having a plurality of parallel grooves 8 on the individual light-receiving surfaces thereof, each of the grooves having an electrode 5 for extracting output on the inner side face (electrode-forming inner side face) on one side in the width-wise direction thereof; and a support 10, 50 for supporting the solar cells 14 in an integrated manner so as to direct the light-receiving surfaces upward. The annual power output can be increased by adjusting the direction of arrangement of the electrode-forming inner side faces of the grooves 8 while taking the angle of inclination ? of the light-receiving surface of the individual as-installed solar cells 14 relative to the horizontal plane and the latitude ? of the installation site of the solar cell module into consideration.

Abstract: A solar cell according to a first aspect of the invention is an OECO solar cell using a silicon single crystal substrate, wherein a minimum depth h of each groove always satisfies the relation of h≧W1tan &thgr;, where &thgr; represents an angle between a line which connects the lower end, along the thickness-wise direction of the semiconductor single crystal substrate, of the electrode formed in one groove having the largest depth among all grooves as viewed along an arbitrary section normal to the longitudinal direction of the individual grooves, and the upper end of the inner side face of the same groove having no electrode formed thereon, and a reference line normal to the thickness-wise direction, and W1 represents a distance between both opening edges of the groove.

Abstract: A solar cell module 60 has a plurality of solar cells 14 having a plurality of parallel grooves 8 on the individual light-receiving surfaces thereof, each of the grooves having an electrode 5 for extracting output on the inner side face (electrode-forming inner side face) on one side in the width-wise direction thereof; and a support 10, 50 for supporting the solar cells 14 in an integrated manner so as to direct the light-receiving surfaces upward. The annual power output can be increased by adjusting the direction of arrangement of the electrode-forming inner side faces of the grooves 8 while taking the angle of inclination &bgr; of the light-receiving surface of the individual as-installed solar cells 14 relative to the horizontal plane and the latitude &dgr; of the installation site of the solar cell module into consideration.

Abstract: A plurality of nearly-parallel grooves 2 are formed on a first main surface 24a of a semiconductor single crystal substrate 24, and a metal electrode 6 for extracting cell is formed on the inner side face of each groove 2, which is used as an electrode-forming area, on one side as viewed in the width-wise direction of the groove. After a metal-containing underlying layer 49 is formed on the electrode-forming area, a main electrode metal layer 50 containing at least any one of an electroless-plated layer, electroplated layer and hot-dipped layer is formed on the metal-containing underlying layer 49.