A bi-facial solar cell includes a silicon substrate, a first doped region formed on a front surface of the silicon substrate, an oxide layer formed on a back surface of the silicon substrate, a second doped region formed on the oxide layer and formed of a polycrystalline silicon layer, a first passivation layer formed on the first doped region, a first anti-reflection layer formed on the first passivation layer, a plurality of first finger electrodes connected to the first doped region through a first opening in the first passivation layer and the first anti-reflection layer, a second passivation layer formed on the second doped region, a second anti-reflection layer formed on the second passivation layer, and a plurality of second finger electrodes connected to the second doped region through a second opening in the second passivation layer and the second anti-reflection layer.

The invention relates to a method for manufacturing a semiconductor component comprising a thin layer of crystalline silicon on a substrate, comprising the steps of: providing a silicon-rich aluminum substrate (S0), depositing a thin layer of amorphous silicon on the substrate (S1), and applying thermal annealing (S2) to the thin layer of amorphous silicon to obtain a thin layer of crystalline silicon on the substrate.

A method for preparing a P-type crystalline silicon rear electrode, comprising: printing an all-aluminum paste on a P-type crystalline silicon rear passivation layer, then printing a linear interlayer-glass paste on the all-aluminum paste, and finally overprinting rear silver electrodes on the linear middle layer-glass paste. In a solar cell prepared using the method, good contact with silver and aluminum is kept without causing damage to the passivation layer and compromising the conductivity. In the present invention, a complete all-aluminum back surface field can be formed, leading to an improved field passivation property of an electrode region and reduced carrier recombination.

Photosensitive devices and associated methods are provided. In one aspect, for example, a photosensitive imager device can include a semiconductor layer having multiple doped regions forming a least one junction, a textured region coupled to the semiconductor layer and positioned to interact with electromagnetic radiation. The textured region can be formed from a series of shallow trench isolation features.

A method of forming crystalline sheets using a Horizontal Ribbon Growth process, where the sheet of material formed in the process is withdrawn from a crucible in a specified manner to reduce instabilities in the process and to regulate crystal growth dynamics.

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a photovoltaic device comprising: forming a porous first conducting layer on one side of a porous insulating substrate, coating the first conducting layer with a layer of grains of a doped semiconducting material to form a structure, performing a first heat treatment of the structure to bond the grains to the first conducting layer, forming electrically insulating layers on surfaces of the first conducting layer, forming a second conducting layer on an opposite side of the porous insulating substrate, applying a charge conducting material onto the surfaces of the grains, inside pores of the first conducting layer, and inside pores of the insulating substrate, and electrically connecting the charge conducting material to the second conducting layer.

A method of manufacturing a photoelectric conversion element according to the present disclosure includes: a first placement step in which a first semiconductor substrate on which a first thin film and a second thin film are not formed is placed in a first film forming place (81) in a first film forming chamber (61); a second placement step in which a second semiconductor substrate on which the first thin film is formed on a first-principal-surface side and the second thin film is not formed on a second-principal-surface side is placed in a second film forming place (82) in the chamber (61); and a first film forming step in which forming of the first thin film on the first-principal-surface side of the first semiconductor substrate and forming of the second thin film on the second-principal-surface side of the second semiconductor substrate are executed in the same period in the chamber (61).

An ingot includes a first surface, a second surface opposite to the first surface, and a third surface positioned along a first direction and connecting the first surface and the second surface. The ingot includes: a first pseudo single crystal region; an intermediate region containing one or more pseudo single crystal regions; and a second pseudo single crystal region. The first pseudo single crystal region, the intermediate region, and the second pseudo single crystal region are positioned adjacent sequentially in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. In the second direction, a width of each of the first and second pseudo single crystal regions is larger than a width of the first intermediate region. Each of a boundary between the first pseudo single crystal region and the intermediate region and a boundary between the second pseudo single crystal region and the intermediate region includes a coincidence boundary.

Photosensitive devices and associated methods are provided. In one aspect, for example, a photosensitive imager device can include a semiconductor layer having multiple doped regions forming a least one junction, a textured region coupled to the semiconductor layer and positioned to interact with electromagnetic radiation. The textured region can be formed from a series of shallow trench isolation features.

Described herein are methods of fabricating solar cells. In an example, a method of fabricating a solar cell includes forming an amorphous dielectric layer on the back surface of a substrate opposite a light-receiving surface of the substrate. The method also includes forming a microcrystalline silicon layer on the amorphous dielectric layer by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). The method also includes forming an amorphous silicon layer on the microcrystalline silicon layer by PECVD. The method also includes annealing the microcrystalline silicon layer and the amorphous silicon layer to form a homogeneous polycrystalline silicon layer from the microcrystalline silicon layer and the amorphous silicon layer. The method also includes forming an emitter region from the homogeneous polycrystalline silicon layer.