Flat top beam laser processing schemes are disclosed for producing various types of hetero-junction and homo-junction solar cells. The methods include base and emitter contact opening, back surface field formation, selective doping, and metal ablation. Also, laser processing schemes are disclosed that are suitable for selective amorphous silicon ablation and selective doping for hetero-junction solar cells. These laser processing techniques may be applied to semiconductor substrates, including crystalline silicon substrates, and further including crystalline silicon substrates which are manufactured either through wire saw wafering methods or via epitaxial deposition processes, that are either planar or textured/three-dimensional. These techniques are highly suited to thin crystalline semiconductor, including thin crystalline silicon films.

Solar cell element with a carrier (14), a thin film layer structure on a surface of the carrier, the thin film layer structure comprises a transparent first electrode layer (20), active layers (22, 23) in which a portion of the energy of the incident light is absorbed and a second electrode layer (24), the thin film layer structure has a light reflecting rear boundary surface, and the surface of said carrier (14) comprises at least two planar surface regions that close and angle with and form continuation of each other so that between them a recess is formed, and a portion of light reflected from the rear boundary surface of a first surface region will pass through the recess to fall on the second surface region and generates additional charge carriers therein, and the thin film structure on the surface regions constitutes a uniform uninterrupted thin film structure, wherein the extent of absorption of the thin film structure in the visible spectral region of light is at most 90% of the energy of the incident light. A plurality of the solar cell elements forms a solar cell arrangement, in which the carrier (14) is common for all cell elements and a surface of the carrier (14) has a plurality of juxtaposed pyramid-like recesses on which the thin film layers are provided.

A method of manufacturing a thin-film solar cell includes forming a first electrode on a substrate; forming a first petition groove for dividing the first electrode; forming a semiconductor layer on the first electrode and in the first partition groove; forming a second partition groove for dividing the semiconductor layer; forming a second electrode on the semiconductor layer and in the second partition groove; and forming a third partition groove for dividing the second electrode and the semiconductor layer. At least one of the steps of forming the first partition groove, the second partition groove, and the third partition groove includes forming an opening in a partition groove forming layer to expose a lower layer surface below the partition groove forming layer, bringing a needle into contact with the lower layer surface, and forming the partition groove by moving the needle in a predetermined direction.

A method of manufacturing a thin-film solar cell includes forming a first electrode on a substrate; forming a first petition groove for dividing the first electrode; forming a semiconductor layer on the first electrode and in the first partition groove; forming a second partition groove for dividing the semiconductor layer; forming a second electrode on the semiconductor layer and in the second partition groove; and forming a third partition groove for dividing the second electrode and the semiconductor layer. At least one of the steps of forming the first partition groove, the second partition groove, and the third partition groove includes forming an opening in a partition groove forming layer to expose a lower layer surface below the partition groove forming layer, bringing a needle into contact with the lower layer surface, and forming the partition groove by moving the needle in a predetermined direction.

A manufacturing method of a thin film solar cell panel includes a step of providing an ultra-thin glass substrate, a step of depositing a first electrode, a photoelectric conversion layer and a second electrode sequentially on the ultra-thin glass substrate, a step of dividing the solar cell panel into a plurality of smaller cell units in series connection through laser scribing respectively after depositing, a step of performing a laser or chemical etching treatment on a cell structure of the solar cell panel, a step of disposing the gate electrode to form the thin film solar cell panel, and a step of performing a bending treatment on the solar cell panel. The manufacturing method of the bendable thin film solar cell panel is improved so as to avoid increase of additional costs, and to greatly increase general applicability onto various bendable thin film solar cell panels.

Disclosed are a solar cell and a method of fabricating the same. The solar cell includes a support substrate, a back electrode layer on the support substrate, a light absorbing layer on the back electrode layer, and a front electrode layer on the light absorbing layer. The back electrode layer includes at least three layers. The method includes forming a first layer on a support substrate, forming a second layer on the first layer, forming a third layer on the second layer, forming a light absorbing layer on the third layer, and forming a front electrode layer on the light absorbing layer.

Disclosed are a solar cell and a method of fabricating the same. The solar cell includes a support substrate, a back electrode layer on the support substrate, a light absorbing layer on the back electrode layer, and a front electrode layer on the light absorbing layer. The back electrode layer includes at least three layers. The method includes forming a first layer on a support substrate, forming a second layer on the first layer, forming a third layer on the second layer, forming a light absorbing layer on the third layer, and forming a front electrode layer on the light absorbing layer.

A method for producing an intermediate product for obtaining a photovoltaic module comprising a plurality of solar cells, said method comprising the following steps: (a) localized deposition on a substrate (4) of a layer of metal (8) so as to cover at least one portion (401) of the substrate, (b) deposition on this localized layer (8) of a layer (41) of conductive material, said layer coating the localized layer (8).

A method for producing an intermediate product for obtaining a photovoltaic module comprising a plurality of solar cells, said method comprising the following steps: (a) localized deposition on a substrate (4) of a layer of metal (8) so as to cover at least one portion (401) of the substrate, (b) deposition on this localized layer (8) of a layer (41) of conductive material, said layer coating the localized layer (8).

The invention concerns a method of manufacturing a photovoltaic module comprising at least two electrically connected photovoltaic cells, each photovoltaic cell (4.sub.i) being multi-layered structure disposed on a substrate (6) having down-web direction (X) and a cross-web direction (Y). The method comprises providing a plurality of spaced-apart first electrode strips (8.sub.i) over the substrate (6), each first electrode strip extending along the cross-web direction (Y), and providing, over the first electrode strips layer, at least one insulating strip (14a, 14b) of an insulator material extending along the down-web direction (X), each insulating strip defining a connecting area and an active area. A functional stack (20) comprising a full web coated layer of photoactive semiconductor material is formed over the first layer and within the active area. A plurality of spaced-apart second electrode strips (28.sub.i) are provided within the active area, each second electrode strip extending along the cross-web direction (Y), so as to form photovoltaic cells and a photovoltaic module is formed by electrically connecting at least two adjacent photovoltaic cells, by extending over the insulating strips (14a, 14b) electrical connection patterns to electrically connect, within the connecting area(s), the second electrode strip of an photovoltaic cell to the first electrode strip of an adjacent photovoltaic cell.