A process for producing conductive pastes for forming solar cell electrodes, including a step of measuring binding energies of oxygen in a glass frit by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, a step of selecting a glass frit providing an X-ray photoelectron spectrum representing binding energies of oxygen in which the signal intensity of a peak with a peak top at a range from 529 eV to less than 531 eV has a proportion of 40% or more relative to the total of signal intensities from 526 eV to 536 eV, and a step of mixing together a conductive powder, the glass frit and an organic vehicle.

A solar cell module and a method of manufacturing the same are discussed. The solar cell module includes a plurality of back contact solar cells, an interconnector that is positioned on back surfaces of the plurality of back contact solar cells and electrically connects adjacent back contact solar cells to one another, upper and lower protective layers for protecting the plurality of back contact solar cells, a transparent member that is positioned on the upper protective layer on light receiving surfaces of the plurality of back contact solar cells, and a back sheet that is positioned under the lower protective layer on surfaces opposite the light receiving surfaces of the plurality of back contact solar cells. The upper protective layer and the lower protective layer are formed of different materials.

A method of manufacturing an all back contact solar cell which has a hybrid emitter design. The solar cell has a thin dielectric layer formed on a backside surface of a single crystalline silicon substrate. One emitter of the solar cell is made of doped polycrystalline silicon that is formed on the thin dielectric layer. A second emitter of the solar cell is formed in the single crystalline silicon substrate and is made of doped single crystalline silicon. The method further includes forming contact holes that allow metal contacts to connect to corresponding emitters.

Provided is a photoelectric conversion device capable of suppressing diffusion of a dopant in a p layer or n layer into an adjacent layer. A photoelectric conversion device is provided with a silicon substrate, a substantially intrinsic amorphous layer formed on one surface of the silicon substrate, and a first conductive amorphous layer that is formed on the intrinsic amorphous layer. The first conductive amorphous layer includes a first concentration layer and a second concentration layer that is stacked on the first concentration layer. The dopant concentration of the second concentration layer is 810.sup.17 cm.sup.3 or more, and is lower than the dopant concentration of the first concentration layer.

Disclosed is a solar cell including a semiconductor substrate, a conductive area including first and second conductive areas disposed on one surface of the semiconductor substrate, and an electrode including a first electrode connected to the first conductive area and a second electrode connected to the second conductive area. The electrode includes an adhesive layer disposed on the semiconductor substrate or the conductive area, an electrode layer disposed on the adhesive layer and including a metal as a main component, and a barrier layer disposed on the electrode layer and including a metal that is different from the metal of the electrode layer as a main component. The electrode layer has a thickness greater than a thickness of each of the adhesive layer and the barrier layer, and the barrier layer has a higher melting point than a melting point of the electrode layer.

A solar cell and a method for manufacturing the solar cell are discussed. The method for manufacturing the solar cell includes applying an electrode paste on a semiconductor substrate and sintering the electrode paste using a light sintering device to form an electrode. The electrode paste includes fine metal particles, a binder, and a solvent. An amount of the fine metal particles is greater than a sum of an amount of the binder and an amount of the solvent, and the amount of the binder is greater than the amount of the solvent.

Solar cells with doped groove regions separated by ridges and methods of fabricating solar cells are described. In an example, a solar cell includes a substrate having a surface with a plurality of grooves and ridges. A first doped region of a first conductivity type is disposed in a first of the grooves. A second doped region of a second conductivity type, opposite the first conductivity type, is disposed in a second of the grooves. The first and second grooves are separated by one of the ridges.

Methods of fabricating solar cell emitter regions using silicon nano-particles and the resulting solar cells are described. In an example, a method of fabricating an emitter region of a solar cell includes forming a region of doped silicon nano-particles above a dielectric layer disposed above a surface of a substrate of the solar cell. A layer of silicon is formed on the region of doped silicon nano-particles. At least a portion of the layer of silicon is mixed with at least a portion of the region of doped silicon nano-particles to form a doped polycrystalline silicon layer disposed on the dielectric layer.

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.

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.