The present disclosure provides a solar cell and a method for producing same. The solar cell includes: a substrate; a first passivation film, an anti-reflection layer and at least one first electrode formed on a front surface of the substrate; and a tunneling layer, a field passivation layer and at least one second electrode formed on a rear surface. The field passivation layer includes a first field passivation sub-layer and a second field passivation sub-layer; a conductivity of the first field passivation sub-layer is greater than a conductivity of the second field passivation sub-layer, and a thickness of the second field passivation sub-layer is smaller than a thickness of the first field passivation sub-layer; either the at least one first electrode or the at least one second electrode includes a silver electrode, a conductive adhesive and an electrode film that are sequentially formed in a direction away from the substrate.

After forming a doped semiconductor layer on a backside of a semiconductor substrate that has a conductivity type opposite a conductivity type of the doped semiconductor layer so as to provide a p-n junction for a photovoltaic cell, transistors are formed in a front side of the semiconductor substrate. The photovoltaic cell is then electrically connected to the transistors from the front side of the semiconductor substrate using through-dielectric (TDV) via structures embedded in the semiconductor substrate.

Contact holes of solar cells are formed by laser ablation to accommodate various solar cell designs. Use of a laser to form the contact holes is facilitated by replacing films formed on the diffusion regions with a film that has substantially uniform thickness. Contact holes may be formed to deep diffusion regions to increase the laser ablation process margins. The laser configuration may be tailored to form contact holes through dielectric films of varying thicknesses.

A backside emitter solar cell structure having a heterojunction, and a method and a device for producing the same. A backside intrinsic layer is first formed on the back side of the substrate, then a frontside intrinsic layer and a frontside doping layer are formed on the front side of the substrate, and finally a backside doping layer is formed on the back side of the substrate.

Methods of passivating light-receiving surfaces of solar cells with high energy gap (Eg) materials, and the resulting solar cells, are described. In an example, a solar cell includes a substrate having a light-receiving surface. A passivating dielectric layer is disposed on the light-receiving surface of the substrate. A Group III-nitride material layer is disposed above the passivating dielectric layer. In another example, a solar cell includes a substrate having a light-receiving surface. A passivating dielectric layer is disposed on the light-receiving surface of the substrate. A large direct band gap material layer is disposed above the passivating dielectric layer, the large direct band gap material layer having an energy gap (Eg) of at least approximately 3.3. An anti-reflective coating (ARC) layer disposed on the large direct band gap material layer, the ARC layer comprising a material different from the large direct band gap material layer.

Disclosed herein are approaches to fabricating solar cells, solar cell strings and solar modules using roll-to-roll foil-based metallization approaches. Methods disclosed herein can comprise the steps of providing at least one solar cell wafer on a first roll unit and conveying a metal foil to the first roll unit. The metal foil can be coupled to the solar cell wafer on the first roll unit to produce a unified pairing of the metal foil and the solar cell wafer. We disclose solar energy collection devices and manufacturing methods thereof enabling reduction of manufacturing costs due to simplification of the manufacturing process by a high throughput foil metallization process.

A photoelectric conversion element includes a semiconductor, an intrinsic layer disposed on the semiconductor and containing hydrogenated amorphous silicon, a first-conductivity-type layer that covers a part of the intrinsic layer and contains hydrogenated amorphous silicon of a first conductivity type, a second-conductivity-type layer that covers a part of the intrinsic layer and contains hydrogenated amorphous silicon of a second conductivity type, an insulating film covering an end region of the first-conductivity-type layer, a first electrode disposed on the first-conductivity-type layer, and a second electrode disposed on the second-conductivity-type layer. An end portion of the second-conductivity-type layer is located on the insulating film or above the insulating film.

A back contact solar cell is described which includes a semiconductor light absorbing layer; a first-level metal layer (M1), the M1 metal layer on a back side of the light absorbing layer, the back side being opposite from a front side of the light absorbing layer designed to receive incident light; an electrically insulating backplane sheet backside of said solar cell with the M1 layer, the backplane sheet comprising a plurality of via holes that expose portions of the M1 layer beneath the backplane sheet; and an M2 layer in contact with the backplane sheet, the M2 layer made of a sheet of pre-fabricated metal foil material comprising a thickness of between 5-250 μm, the M2 layer electrically connected to the M1 layer through the via holes in the backplane sheet.

A thin epitaxial silicon solar cell includes one or more layers of doped oxides on the backside. A silicon nitride layer that serves as a moisture barrier is formed on the one or more layers of doped oxides. The doped oxides provide dopants for forming doped regions in an epitaxial silicon layer. Metal contacts are electrically coupled to the doped regions through the silicon nitride layer and the one or more layers of doped oxides.

Dopant ink compositions and methods of fabricating solar cells there from are described. A dopant ink composition may include a cross-linkable matrix precursor, a bound dopant species, and a solvent. A method of fabricating a solar cell may include delivering a dopant ink composition to a region above a substrate. The dopant ink composition includes a cross-linkable matrix precursor, a bound dopant species, and a solvent. The method also includes baking the dopant ink composition to remove a substantial portion of the solvent of the dopant ink composition, curing the baked dopant ink composition to cross-link a substantial portion of the cross-linkable matrix precursor of the dopant ink composition, and driving dopants from the cured dopant ink composition toward the substrate.