Abstract: A method for producing a solar cell, which produces a single-crystal silicon solar cell by using a single-crystal silicon substrate, including: a high-temperature heat treatment process in which the single-crystal silicon substrate is subjected to heat treatment at 800° C. or higher and 1200° C. or lower, wherein the high-temperature heat treatment process includes a conveying step of loading the single-crystal silicon substrate into a heat treatment apparatus, a heating step of heating the single-crystal silicon substrate, a temperature keeping step of keeping the single-crystal silicon substrate at a predetermined temperature of 800° C. or higher and 1200° C. or lower, and a cooling step of cooling the single-crystal silicon substrate, and, in the high-temperature heat treatment process, the length of time during which the temperature of the single-crystal silicon substrate is 400° C. or higher and 650° C. or lower is set at 5 minutes or less throughout the conveying step and the heating step.

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: The present invention provides a method for manufacturing a solar cell including: preparing a semiconductor silicon substrate which has an electrode, which is formed by baking an electrode precursor on at least one main surface, has a PN junction, and is less than 100° C.; and performing an annealing treatment to the semiconductor silicon substrate at 100° C. or more and 450° C. or less. Consequently, there is provided the method for manufacturing a solar cell which suppresses a degradation phenomenon that an output of the solar cell is lowered when the solar cell is left as it stands at a room temperature in the atmosphere.

Abstract: A method for producing a solar cell having good photoelectric conversion characteristics with high productivity, including the steps of: forming a first electrode on a first main surface of a semiconductor substrate; applying an insulator film precursor to cover at least part of the first electrode; temporarily curing the insulator film precursor; applying a conductive paste to at least the insulator film precursor; curing the conductive paste to form a second electrode; and completely curing the insulator film precursor to form an insulator film, the method in which the step of applying the conductive paste so as to be electrically insulated from the first electrode is performed after the step of temporarily curing the insulator film precursor and at least part of the steps of curing the conductive paste to form the second electrode and completely curing the insulator film precursor to form the insulator film are concurrently performed.

Abstract: Provided is a solar cell including, on a first main surface of a semiconductor substrate having a first conductivity type, a base layer which has the first conductivity type, and an emitter layer which is adjacent to the base layer and has a second conductivity type which is a conductivity type opposite to the first conductivity type, and further including a base collecting electrode provided on at least the base layer, and a part of the base collecting electrode is also arranged on the emitter layer adjacent to the base layer on which the base collecting electrode is arranged. Consequently, the inexpensive solar cell having high photoelectric conversion efficiency can be provided.

Abstract: Solar cell including: a semiconductor substrate of a first conductivity type having a region of the first conductivity type and region of a second conductivity type on the back side; a first finger electrode composed of a first contact portion and first current collector, a second finger electrode composed of a second contact portion and second current collector, a first bus bar electrode, a second bus bar electrode on the backside; an insulator film disposed at least in the area just under the first bus bar electrode and second bus bar electrode; wherein the electrical contact between the first current collector and first bus bar electrode as well as electrical contact between the second current collector and the second bus bar electrode are made on the insulator film; and first contact portion and the second contact portion are in a continuous line shape at least just under the insulator film.

Abstract: A solar cell 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 of 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. Furthermore, an annealing step, which has been necessary to achieve the passivation effects of the aluminum oxide film in the past, can be eliminated, thus dramatically reducing costs.

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: A solar cell wherein: an emitter layer is 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 said emitter layer; a passivation film is formed on the surface of the silicon substrate; and an extraction electrode and a collector electrode are formed. Said extraction electrode extracts photogenerated charge from the silicon substrate, and said collector electrode contacts the extraction electrode at least partially and collects the charge collected at the extraction electrode. The extraction electrode contains a first electrode that consists of a sintered conductive paste containing a dopant that makes silicon conductive. Said first electrode, at least, is formed so as to pass through the abovementioned passivation layer. The collection electrode contains a second electrode that has a higher conductivity than the aforementioned first electrode.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a solar cell, including the steps of: forming an SiNx film over a second principal surface of an n-type semiconductor substrate; forming a p-type diffusion layer over a first principal surface of the n-type semiconductor substrate after the SiNx film forming step; and forming an SiO2 film or an aluminum oxide film over the p-type diffusion layer.

Abstract: A solar cell has a P-type silicon substrate in which one main surface is a light-receiving surface and another main surface is a backside, a dielectric film on the backside, and an N-conductivity type layer in at least a part of the light-receiving surface of the P-type silicon substrate, wherein the P-type silicon substrate is a silicon substrate doped with gallium, and the backside of the P-type silicon substrate contains a diffused group III element. This provides a solar cell with excellent conversion efficiency provided with a gallium-doped substrate, and a method for manufacturing the same.

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: The present invention is a solar cell comprising a gallium-doped silicon substrate having a p-n junction formed therein, wherein the silicon substrate is provided with a silicon thermal oxide film at least on the first main surface of main surfaces of the silicon substrate, the first main surface being a main surface having a p-type region, and the silicon substrate is further doped with boron. This provides a solar cell that can possess high conversion efficiency while suppressing the photo-degradation even though having a silicon thermal oxide film as a passivation film of the substrate surface, and a method for manufacturing such a solar cell.

Abstract: A solar cell includes: first and second conductivity type diffusion layers which are formed on a backside of a light-receiving surface of a substrate, first and second electrode portions, first and second electrode line portions, and first and a second electrode bus bar portions; a first insulator film which is formed to cover a side portion and a top of the second electrode portion in an intersection region of the second electrode portion and the first electrode bus bar portion, a second insulator film which is formed to cover a side portion and a top of the first electrode portion in an intersection region of the first electrode portion and the second electrode bus bar portion, wherein the second electrode portion is formed continuously in a line shape under the first insulator film, and the first electrode portion is formed continuously in a line shape under the second insulator film.

Abstract: Provided is a solar battery cell with low price, high reliability, and high conversion efficiency. A manufacturing method for the solar battery cell including the following processes. That is: forming and laminating a second conductive-type layer and an antireflection film on a first conductive-type semiconductor substrate; applying a conductive paste containing a conductive particle and a glass frit to a predetermined position of the antireflection film; firing the semiconductor substrate with the conductive paste applied thereto; and forming an electrode penetrating the antireflection film and electrically connected to the second conductive-type layer. The semiconductor substrate with the conductive paste applied thereto is consecutively subjected to heat treatment just after the firing instead of being returned to room temperature.

Abstract: Solar cell including: a semiconductor substrate of a first conductivity type having a region of the first conductivity type and region of a second conductivity type on the back side; a first finger electrode composed of a first contact portion and first current collector, a second finger electrode composed of a second contact portion and second current collector, a first bus bar electrode, a second bus bar electrode on the backside; an insulator film disposed at least in the area just under the first bus bar electrode and second bus bar electrode; wherein the electrical contact between the first current collector and first bus bar electrode as well as electrical contact between the second current collector and the second bus bar electrode are made on the insulator film; and first contact portion and the second contact portion are in a continuous line shape at least just under the insulator film.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a solar cell having excellent long-term reliability and high efficiency, said method including: a step (7) for applying a paste-like electrode agent to an antireflection film formed on the light receiving surface side of a semiconductor substrate having at least a pn junction, said electrode agent containing a conductive material; and an electrode firing step (9) having local heat treatment (step (9a)) for applying heat such that at least a part of the conductive material is fired by irradiating merely the electrode agent-applied portion with a laser beam, and whole body heat treatment (step (9b)) for heating the whole semiconductor substrate to a temperature below 800° C.

Abstract: This solar cell production method involves productively forming an antireflection film comprising silicon nitride, said antireflection film having an excellent passivation effect. In an embodiment, a remote plasma CVD is used to form a first silicon nitride film on a semiconductor substrate (102) using the plasma flow from a first plasma chamber (111), then to form a second silicon nitride film, which has a different composition than the first silicon nitride film, using the plasma flow from a second plasma chamber (112), into which ammonia gas and silane gas have been introduced at a different flow ratio than that of the first plasma chamber (111). The plasma chambers (111, 112) have excitation parts (111a, 112a) that excite the ammonia gas, and activation reaction parts (111b, 112b) and a flow controller (113).