The disclosed invention provides a photovoltaic module with an improved electrode structure of a solar cell and having any of various shapes. The photovoltaic module includes electrode members each including a finger electrode and a busbar electrode on a front surface of a solar cell to correspond to the number of divided cells, wherein the finger electrode is disposed as a plurality of finger electrodes in a first direction parallel to a short side of a divided unit cell, and the busbar electrode includes a collection electrode line which extends in a second direction parallel to a long side of the divided unit cell and connects ends of the plurality of finger electrodes and a connecting electrode line which is branched off from an end of the collection electrode line and extends in the first direction to be electrically connected to another unit cell.

Provided is a solar cell and a photovoltaic module. The solar cell includes a silicon substrate, and the silicon substrate includes a front surface and a back surface arranged opposite to each other. P-type conductive regions and N-type conductive regions are alternately arranged on the back surface of the silicon substrate. Front surface field regions are located on the front surface of the silicon substrate and spaced from each other. The front surface field regions each corresponds to one of the P-type conductive regions or one of the N-type conductive regions. At least one front passivation layer is located on the front surface of the silicon substrate. At least one back passivation layer is located on surfaces of the P-type conductive regions and N-type conductive regions.

A method for on-silicon integration of a III-V-based material component includes providing a first substrate having a silicon-based optical layer including a waveguide, transferring a second substrate of III-V-based material on the optical layer, and forming the III-V component from the second substrate, so as to enable a coupling between the waveguide and the III-V component, by preserving a III-V-based material layer extending laterally. The method also includes forming by epitaxy from the III-V layer, an InP:Fe-based structure laterally bordering the III-V component, forming a layer including contacts configured to contact the III-V component, and transferring a third silicon-based substrate onto the layer including the contacts.

A laminated passivation structure of solar cell and a preparation method thereof are disclosed herein. The laminated passivation structure of solar cell includes a P-type silicon substrate, a first dielectric layer, a second dielectric layer, and a third dielectric layer sequentially arranged on the back side of the P-type silicon substrate from inside to outside. The preparation method includes generating a first dielectric layer on the back surface of the P-type silicon substrate, and then sequentially depositing a second dielectric layer and a third dielectric layer on the first dielectric layer.

A solar cell can include a silicon semiconductor substrate; an oxide layer on a first surface of the silicon semiconductor substrate; a polysilicon layer on the oxide layer; a diffusion region at a second surface of the silicon semiconductor substrate; a dielectric film on the polysilicon layer; a first electrode connected to the polysilicon layer through the dielectric film; a passivation film on the diffusion region; and a second electrode connected to the diffusion region through the passivation film.

A reactive heat treatment apparatus is provided to treat a thin-film device. The reactive heat treatment apparatus includes a furnace pipe. The furnace pipe extends in a direction and has a first end and a second end. The furnace pipe further includes a high-temperature portion, a low-temperature portion, and a furnace door. The high-temperature portion is disposed close to the second end and configured to receive the thin-film device. The low-temperature portion is disposed close to the first end and provided with an airtight configuration. The furnace door is disposed close to the first end. An inner side wall of the low-temperature portion has a sunken portion. A height differential is formed between the sunken portion and an inner side wall of the high-temperature portion.

A photovoltaic device with an improved n-type partner and a method for making the same. The device includes: a transparent substrate; a transparent conductive electrode layer disposed on the transparent substrate; an n-type layer of Zn.sub.1-xMg.sub.xO, wherein 0<x≦1, disposed on the transparent conductive electrode layer; a chalcogen absorber layer disposed on the n-type layer; and a conductive layer disposed on the chalcogen absorber layer. The method includes: forming a transparent conductive electrode layer on a transparent substrate; forming an n-type layer of Zn.sub.1-xMg.sub.xO, wherein 0<x≦1, on the transparent conductive electrode layer; forming a chalcogen absorber layer on the n-type layer; forming a conductive layer on the chalcogen absorber layer; and annealing to form the device. Another device having a superstrate configuration with the order of the layers reversed and a method for making the same is provided.

A photovoltaic device includes a substrate, a transparent conductive oxide, an n-type window layer, a p-type absorber layer and an electron reflector layer. The electron reflector layer may include zinc telluride doped with copper telluride, zinc telluride alloyed with copper telluride, or a bilayer of multiple layers containing zinc, copper, cadmium and tellurium in various compositions. A process for manufacturing a photovoltaic device includes forming a layer over a substrate by at least one of sputtering, evaporation deposition, CVD, chemical bath deposition process, and vapor transport deposition process. The process includes forming an electron reflector layer over a p-type absorber layer.

The present invention relates to a process for the production of structured, highly efficient solar cells and of photovoltaic elements which have regions of different doping. The invention likewise relates to the solar cells having increased efficiency produced in this way.

In one aspect, a method of processing a semiconductor substrate is disclosed, which comprises incorporating at least one dopant in a semiconductor substrate so as to generate a doped polyphase surface layer on a light-trapping surface, and optically annealing the surface layer via exposure to a plurality of laser pulses having a pulsewidth in a range of about 1 nanosecond to about 50 nanoseconds so as to enhance crystallinity of said doped surface layer while maintaining high above-bandgap, and in many embodiments sub-bandgap optical absorptance.