Solar cell and method of manufacturing a solar cell. The solar cell has a silicon substrate (2) and a layer (4) disposed on a substrate side (2a) of the silicon substrate (2). It further has a contact structure (6) extending through the layer (4) from a cell side (1a) of the solar cell (1) to the silicon substrate (2). The layer (4) is composed of a polycrystalline silicon layer (8) and a tunnel oxide layer (10) interposed between the polycrystalline silicon layer (8) and the silicon substrate (2).

The present invention is directed to a method as well as to a machine for producing a starting material for a silicon solar cell with passivated contacts.

Discussed is a solar cell including a single crystalline silicon substrate, a polycrystalline silicon layer on a back surface and side surfaces of the single crystalline silicon substrate, a diffusion region on a front surface of the single crystalline silicon substrate, a front passivation layer on the diffusion region, a back passivation layer on the polycrystalline silicon layer, a first electrode connected to the diffusion region through the front passivation layer, and a second electrode connected to the polycrystalline silicon layer through the back passivation layer, wherein the side surfaces of the single crystalline silicon substrate includes a first portion without the polycrystalline silicon layer and a second portion with the polycrystalline silicon 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 solar cell includes polysilicon P-type and N-type doped regions on a backside of a substrate, such as a silicon wafer. A trench structure separates the P-type doped region from the N-type doped region. Each of the P-type and N-type doped regions may be formed over a thin dielectric layer. The trench structure may include a textured surface for increased solar radiation collection. Among other advantages, the resulting structure increases efficiency by providing isolation between adjacent P-type and N-type doped regions, thereby preventing recombination in a space charge region where the doped regions would have touched.

A thin film solar cell including a substrate, an insulating layer, a first electrode layer, a photovoltaic conversion layer and a second electrode layer is provided. The insulating layer is disposed on the substrate and includes a plurality of microstructures. An orthographic projection of the plurality of microstructures is a regular geometric shape or an irregular geometric shape regarding to a normal direction of the substrate. The first electrode layer is disposed on the insulating layer. A thickness of the first electrode layer is less than 1 μm or is equal to 1 μm. The photovoltaic conversion layer is disposed on the first electrode layer. The second electrode layer is disposed on the photovoltaic conversion layer.

The present invention relates to a photovoltaic device (10) comprising: a first conducting layer (16), a second conducting layer electrically insulated from the first conducting layer, a porous substrate (20) made of an insulating material arranged between the first and second conducting layers, a light absorbing layer (1) comprising a plurality of grains (2) of a doped semiconducting material disposed on the first conducting layer (16) so that the grains are in electrical and physical contact with the first conducting layer, and a charge conductor (3) made of a charge conducting material partly covering the grains and arranged to penetrate through the first conducting layer (16) and the porous substrate such that a plurality of continuous paths (22) of charge conducting material is formed from the surface of the grains (2) to the second conducting layer (18), wherein the first conducting layer (16) comprises a conducting material, an oxide layer (28) formed on the surface of conducting material, and an insulating coating (29) made of an insulating material deposited on the oxide layer (28) so that the oxide layer and the insulating coating together electrically insulate said paths (22) from the conducting material of the first conducting layer (16).

The formation of solar cell contacts using a laser is described. A method of fabricating a back-contact solar cell includes forming a poly-crystalline material layer above a single-crystalline substrate. The method also includes forming a dielectric material stack above the poly-crystalline material layer. The method also includes forming, by laser ablation, a plurality of contacts holes in the dielectric material stack, each of the contact holes exposing a portion of the poly-crystalline material layer; and forming conductive contacts in the plurality of contact holes.

A method for preparing a P-type crystalline silicon rear electrode, comprising: printing an all-aluminum paste on a P-type crystalline silicon rear passivation layer, then printing a linear interlayer-glass paste on the all-aluminum paste, and finally overprinting rear silver electrodes on the linear middle layer-glass paste. In a solar cell prepared using the method, good contact with silver and aluminum is kept without causing damage to the passivation layer and compromising the conductivity. In the present invention, a complete all-aluminum back surface field can be formed, leading to an improved field passivation property of an electrode region and reduced carrier recombination.

A detection device comprising: an insulating substrate; a plurality of gate lines that are provided on the insulating substrate, and extend in a first direction; a plurality of signal lines that are provided on the insulating substrate, and extend in a second direction intersecting the first direction; a switching element coupled to each of the gate lines and each of the signal lines; a first photoelectric conversion element that comprises a first semiconductor layer containing amorphous silicon, and is coupled to the switching element; and a second photoelectric conversion element that comprises a second semiconductor layer containing polysilicon, and is coupled to the switching element.