An apparatus is disclosed for transferring a pattern of a composition containing particles of an electrically conductive material and a thermally activated adhesive from a surface of a flexible web to a surface of a substrate. The apparatus comprises: respective drive mechanisms for advancing the web and the substrate to a nip through which the web and the substrate pass at the same time and where a pressure roller acts to press the surfaces of the web and the substrate against one another, a heating station for heating at least one of the web and the substrate prior to, or during, passage through the nip, to a temperature at which the adhesive in the composition is activated, a cooling station for cooling the web after passage through the nip, and a separating device for peeling the web away from the substrate after passage through the cooling station, to leave the pattern of composition adhered to the surface of the substrate.

Disclosed is a solar cell including a semiconductor substrate, and a dopant layer disposed over one surface of the semiconductor substrate and having a crystalline structure different from that of the semiconductor substrate, the dopant layer including a dopant. The dopant layer includes a plurality of semiconductor layers stacked one above another in a thickness direction thereof, and an interface layer interposed therebetween. The interface layer is an oxide layer having a higher concentration of oxygen than that in each of the plurality of semiconductor layers.

Provided are a solar cell, a method for manufacturing a solar cell and a photovoltaic module. The solar cell includes a semiconductor substrate including a surface having a first texture structure and a first passivation layer located on the first texture structure of the semiconductor substrate. The first texture structure includes a pyramid-shaped microstructure, a length of a bevel edge of the pyramid-shaped microstructure is C μm, and 0.4≤C≤1.9. A non-uniformity of the first passivation layer is N≤4%, and N=(D.sub.max−D.sub.min)/D.sub.max. D.sub.max is a maximum thickness of the first passivation layer on the pyramid-shaped microstructure, and D.sub.min is a minimum thickness of the first passivation layer on the pyramid-shaped microstructure.

A solar cell includes a substrate having a front surface and a back surface opposite to the front surface; a first passivation layer, a second passivation layer and a third passivation layer sequentially formed on the front surface of the substrate and in a direction away from the substrate; where the first passivation layer includes a dielectric material; the second passivation layer includes a first Si.sub.uN.sub.v material, and a value of v/u is 1.3≤v/u≤1.7; and the third passivation layer includes a Si.sub.rO.sub.s material, and a value of s/r is 1.9≤s/r≤3.2; and a tunneling oxide layer and a doped conductive layer sequentially formed on the back surface of the substrate and in a direction away from the back surface; the doped conductive layer and the substrate are doped to have a same conductivity type.

Provided is a solar cell, including: an N-type semiconductor substrate having a front surface and a rear surface opposite to the front surface; a boron diffusion layer arranged on the front surface of the N-type semiconductor substrate, a first passivation layer is provided on a surface of the boron diffusion layer, and a first electrode is provided passing through the first passivation layer to form an electrical connection with the N-type semiconductor substrate; and a phosphorus-doped polysilicon layer arranged on the rear surface of the N-type semiconductor substrate. A silicon oxide layer containing nitrogen and phosphorus is provided between the rear surface of the N-type semiconductor substrate and the phosphorus-doped polysilicon layer, a second passivation layer is provided on a surface of the phosphorus-doped polysilicon layer, and a second electrode is provided passing through the second passivation layer to form an electrical connection with the phosphorus-doped polysilicon layer.

Separation of individual strips from a solar cell workpiece, is accomplished by excluding a junction (e.g., a homojunction such as a p-n junction, or a heterojunction such as a p-i-n junction) from regions at which separation is expected to occur. According to some embodiments, the junction is excluded by physical removal of material from inter-strip regions of the workpiece. According to other embodiments, exclusion of the junction is achieved by changing an effective doping level (e.g., counter-doping, deactivation) at inter-strip regions. For still other embodiments, the junction is never formed at inter-strip regions in the first place (e.g., using masking during original dopant introduction). By imposing distance between the junction and defects arising from separation processes (e.g., backside crack propagation), losses attributable to electron-hole recombination at such defects are reduced, and collection efficiency of shingled modules is enhanced.

Solar cells having emitter regions composed of wide bandgap semiconductor material are described. In an example, a method includes forming, in a process tool having a controlled atmosphere, a thin dielectric layer on a surface of a semiconductor substrate of the solar cell. The semiconductor substrate has a bandgap. Without removing the semiconductor substrate from the controlled atmosphere of the process tool, a semiconductor layer is formed on the thin dielectric layer. The semiconductor layer has a bandgap at least approximately 0.2 electron Volts (eV) above the bandgap of the semiconductor substrate.

A method for manufacturing a solid state device with a self-forming nanogap includes patterning a first metallic layer (M1) to form a first electrode on a substrate; depositing a self-assembling monolayer, SAM, layer over and around the first electrode; forming a second metallic layer (M2) in contact with the SAM layer and the substrate; and touchlessly removing parts of the second metallic layer (M2) that is formed directly above the SAM layer, to form a second electrode, and a nanogap between the first electrode and the second electrode.

A solar cell, a manufacturing method therefor, and a photovoltaic module are provided. The solar cell includes a substrate having a front surface and a rear surface, a passivation stack disposed on the front surface, and a tunneling oxide layer and a doped conductive layer disposed on the rear surface. The passivation stack includes an oxygen-containing dielectric layer, a first passivation layer and a second passivation layer. The first passivation layer includes a first interface adjacent to the oxygen-containing dielectric layer and a second interface adjacent to the second passivation layer, the second passivation layer includes a third interface opposite to the second interface, a nitrogen content and a silicon content at the second interface are higher than those at the first interface and the third interface, respectively, and an oxygen content at the second interface is lower than that at the first interface and the third interface, respectively.

A passivated contact solar cell includes a silicon substrate and a back passivation assembly which includes a tunnel oxide layer, an N-type doped polysilicon film and a cover layer. The tunnel oxide layer is formed on the silicon substrate, the N-type doped polysilicon film is formed on the tunnel oxide layer by PECVD and has a thickness between 30 nm and 100 nm, the cover layer is formed on the N-type doped polysilicon film. The N-type doped polysilicon film formed by PECVD allows the tunnel oxide layer to retain fine passivation ability so as to enhance conversion efficiency of the passivated contact solar cell.