A photovoltaic device that includes an upper cell that absorbs a first range of wavelengths of light and a bottom cell that absorbs a second range of wavelengths of light. The bottom cell includes a heterojunction comprising a crystalline germanium containing (Ge) layer. At least one surface of the crystalline germanium (Ge) containing layer is in contact with a silicon (Si) containing layer having a larger band gap than the crystalline (Ge) containing layer.

A flexible solar cell includes an interdigitated back contact having a first electrode coupled to a first plurality of contacts and a second electrode coupled to a second plurality of contacts. The first plurality of contacts run in a first direction from the first electrode towards the second electrode and the second plurality of contacts run in a second direction from the second electrode towards the first electrode. The flexible solar cell also includes a plurality of light-collecting segments coupled to the first and second plurality of contacts of the interdigitated back contact. Adjacent ones of the plurality of light-collecting segments are spaced apart from each other in the first or second direction. A length of each of the plurality of light-collecting segments runs along the interdigitated back contact in a third direction, which is perpendicular to the first and second directions.

Disclosed is a solar cell including a control passivation film on one surface of a semiconductor substrate, and being formed of a dielectric material; and a semiconductor layer on the control passivation film, wherein the semiconductor layer including a first conductive region having a first conductive type and a second conductive region having a second conductive type opposite to the first conductive type. The semiconductor substrate includes a diffusion region including at least one of a first diffusion region and a second diffusion region adjacent to the control passivation film, wherein the first diffusion region being locally formed to correspond to the first conductive region and having a doping concentration lower than a doping concentration of the first conductive region, wherein the second diffusion region being locally formed to correspond to the second conductive region and having a doping concentration lower than a doping concentration of the second conductive region.

Provided are optical devices and systems fabricated, at least in part, via printing-based assembly and integration of device components. In specific embodiments the present invention provides light emitting systems, light collecting systems, light sensing systems and photovoltaic systems comprising printable semiconductor elements, including large area, high performance macroelectronic devices. Optical systems of the present invention comprise semiconductor elements assembled, organized and/or integrated with other device components via printing techniques that exhibit performance characteristics and functionality comparable to single crystalline semiconductor based devices fabricated using conventional high temperature processing methods. Optical systems of the present invention have device geometries and configurations, such as form factors, component densities, and component positions, accessed by printing that provide a range of useful device functionalities. Optical systems of the present invention include devices and device arrays exhibiting a range of useful physical and mechanical properties including flexibility, shapeability, conformability and stretchablity.

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.

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.

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.

The present disclosure pertains to the field of back contact cell technologies, and particularly relates to a hybrid passivation back contact cell and a fabrication method thereof, the hybrid passivation back contact cell including: an N-type doped silicon substrate having a light receiving surface and a back surface, and a first semiconductor layer and a second semiconductor layer which are arranged on the back surface, wherein the second semiconductor layer includes an intrinsic silicon layer and a P-type doped silicon layer sequentially arranged in an outward direction perpendicular to the back surface, and the first semiconductor layer includes a tunneling oxide layer and an N-type doped silicon crystal layer sequentially arranged in the outward direction perpendicular to the back surface.

Provided are a solar cell, a manufacturing method thereof, and a photovoltaic module. The solar cell includes: a semiconductor substrate, in which a rear surface of the semiconductor substrate having a first texture structure, the first texture structure includes two or more first substructures at least partially stacked on one another, and in a direction away from the rear surface and perpendicular to the rear surface, a distance between a top surface of an outermost first substructure and a top surface of an adjacent first substructure being less than or equal to 2 m; a first passivation layer located on a front surface of the semiconductor substrate; a tunnel oxide layer located on the first texture structure; a doped conductive layer located on a surface of the tunnel oxide layer; and a second passivation layer located on a surface of the doped conductive layer.

A heterojunction solar cell and a manufacturing method thereof are provided. The manufacturing method includes the following steps: A: forming a tunnel oxide layer on a surface of a semiconductor substrate; B: forming an N-type polysilicon layer on the tunnel oxide layer; C: forming a mask layer on the N-type polysilicon layer of a first main surface of the semiconductor substrate; D: performing texturing and cleaning on a second main surface of the semiconductor substrate, and removing the mask layer; E: forming a second intrinsic amorphous silicon layer on the second main surface of the semiconductor substrate; and F: forming a P-type oxygen-doped microcrystalline silicon layer on the second intrinsic amorphous silicon layer.