A bipolar solar cell includes a backside junction formed by a silicon substrate and a first doped layer of a first dopant type on the backside of the solar cell. A second doped layer of a second dopant type makes an electrical connection to the substrate from the front side of the solar cell. A first metal contact of a first electrical polarity electrically connects to the first doped layer on the backside of the solar cell, and a second metal contact of a second electrical polarity electrically connects to the second doped layer on the front side of the solar cell. An external electrical circuit may be electrically connected to the first and second metal contacts to be powered by the solar cell.

Methods of fabricating solar cells using simplified deposition processes, and the resulting solar cells, are described. In an example, a method of fabricating a solar cell involves loading a template substrate into a deposition chamber and, without removing the template substrate from the deposition chamber, performing a deposition method. The deposition method involves forming a first silicon layer on the template substrate, the first silicon layer of a first conductivity type. The deposition method also involves forming a second silicon layer on the first silicon layer, the second silicon layer of the first conductivity type. The deposition method also involves forming a third silicon layer above the second silicon layer, the third silicon layer of a second conductivity type. The deposition method also involves forming a solid state doping layer on the third silicon layer, the solid state doping layer of the first conductivity type.

A solar cell can include a conductive foil having a first portion with a first yield strength coupled to a semiconductor region of the solar cell. The solar cell can be interconnected with another solar cell via an interconnect structure that includes a second portion of the conductive foil, with the interconnect structure having a second yield strength greater than the first yield strength.

The invention relates to a photoactive semiconductor component, especially a photovoltaic solar cell, having a semiconductor substrate, a carbon-containing SiC layer disposed indirectly upon a surface of the semiconductor substrate, and a passivating intermediate layer disposed indirectly or directly between the SiC layer and semiconductor substrate, and a metallic contact connection disposed indirectly or directly upon a side of the SiC layer facing away from the passivating intermediate layer and in electrically conductive connection with the SiC layer, where the SiC layer has p-type or n-type doping, which is characterized in that the SiC layer partly has a partly amorphous structure and partly has a crystalline structure.

Approaches for the foil-based metallization of solar cells and the resulting solar cells are described. A method involves patterning a first surface of a metal foil to provide a plurality of alternating grooves and ridges in the metal foil. Non-conductive material regions are formed in the grooves in the metal foil. The metal foil is located above a plurality of alternating N-type and P-type semiconductor regions disposed in or above a substrate to provide the non-conductive material regions in alignment with locations between the alternating N-type and P-type semiconductor regions and to provide the ridges in alignment with the alternating N-type and P-type semiconductor regions. The ridges of the metal foil are adhered to the alternating N-type and P-type semiconductor regions. The metal foil is patterned through the metal foil from a second surface of the metal foil at regions in alignment with the non-conductive material regions.

A silicon solar cell has doped amorphous silicon contacts formed on a tunnel silicon oxide layer on a surface of a silicon substrate. High temperature processing is unnecessary in fabricating the solar cell.

A method of forming an integrated photonic semiconductor structure having a photodetector and a CMOS device may include forming the CMOS device on a first silicon-on-insulator region, forming a silicon optical waveguide on a second silicon-on-insulator region, and forming a shallow trench isolation (STI) region surrounding the silicon optical waveguide such that the shallow trench isolation electrically isolating the first and second silicon-on-insulator region. Within a first region of the STI region, a first germanium material is deposited adjacent a first side wall of the semiconductor optical waveguide. Within a second region of the STI region, a second germanium material is deposited adjacent a second side wall of the semiconductor optical waveguide, whereby the second side wall opposes the first side wall. The first and second germanium material form an active region that evanescently receives propagating optical signals from the first and second side wall of the semiconductor optical waveguide.

A solar cell can include a silicon layer formed over a silicon substrate. The silicon layer can have a P-type doped region and an N-type doped region. Portions of the silicon layer can have a grain size larger than other portions of the silicon layer. For example, larger grains of the silicon layer formed within a depletion region between P-type and N-type doped regions can minimize recombination loss at the P-type and N-type doped region boundaries and improve solar cell efficiency.

A solar cell module includes a plurality of solar cells, each solar cell including a semiconductor substrate, an emitter region, a back surface field region a first electrode connected to the emitter region, a second electrode connected to the back surface field region, and a conductive line connected to one electrode of the first and second electrodes using a conductive adhesive and insulated from the other electrode of the first and second electrodes through an insulating layer, the conductive line being used to connect a plurality of solar cells in series. A thickness of the conductive adhesive between the one electrode and the conductive line is greater than a thickness of the insulating layer between the other electrode and the conductive line.

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.