Light receiving elements of a back connection type including first and second electrodes on their back sides are connected by an inter-element connecting body including a tabular main body section and an inter-element connecting section to form a light receiving element module. The main body section is selectively directly connected to the first electrode and arranged on the second electrode via an insulating layer. The main body section covers substantially the entire back side of each of the light receiving elements excluding a part of the second electrode. The second electrode is connected to the inter-element connecting section of an adjacent light receiving element. The main body section forms a reflecting section between the main body section and the light receiving element to enable reflected light to be made incident on the light receiving element from a gap between the first and second electrodes.

Approaches for foil-based metallization of solar cells and the resulting solar cells are described. For example, a method of fabricating a solar cell involves locating a metal foil above a plurality of alternating N-type and P-type semiconductor regions disposed in or above a substrate. The method also involves laser welding the metal foil to the alternating N-type and P-type semiconductor regions. The method also involves patterning the metal foil by laser ablating through at least a portion of the metal foil at regions in alignment with locations between the alternating N-type and P-type semiconductor regions. The laser welding and the patterning are performed at the same time.

Laser foil trim approaches for foil-based metallization of solar cells, and the resulting solar cells, are described. For example, a method of fabricating a solar cell includes attaching a metal foil sheet to a surface of a wafer to provide a unified pairing of the metal foil sheet and the wafer, wherein the wafer has a perimeter and the metal foil sheet has a portion overhanging the perimeter. The method also includes laser scribing the metal foil sheet along the perimeter of the wafer using a laser beam that overlaps the metal foil sheet outside of the perimeter of the wafer and at the same time overlaps a portion of the unified pairing of the metal foil sheet and the wafer inside the perimeter of the wafer to remove the portion of the metal foil sheet overhanging the perimeter and to provide a metal foil piece coupled to the surface of the wafer.

An n-type low-doped region and a first main-surface side highly doped region, which has an n-type dopant concentration higher than that in the n-type low-doped region, are provided in an n-type crystalline silicon substrate. The first main-surface side highly doped region is arranged between the n-type low-doped region and a p-type amorphous silicon layer.

Disclosed is a solar cell including a semiconductor substrate, a protective-film layer on a surface of the semiconductor substrate, a polycrystalline semiconductor layer over the protective-film layer, a first conductive area formed by selectively doping the semiconductor layer with a first conductive dopant, a second conductive area doped with a second conductive dopant and located between neighboring portions of the first conductive area, an undoped barrier area located between the first conductive area and the second conductive area, a first electrode connected to the first conductive area, and a second electrode connected to the second conductive area. Each of the first conductive area and the second conductive area includes a second crystalline area having a crystalline structure different from that of the barrier area, and the second crystalline areas of the first and second conductive areas include a second polycrystalline area and a fourth crystalline area having different depths.

Solar cell fabrication using laser patterning of ion-implanted etch-resistant layers, and the resulting solar cells, are described. In an example, a back contact solar cell includes an N-type single crystalline silicon substrate having a light-receiving surface and a back surface. Alternating continuous N-type emitter regions and segmented P-type emitter regions are disposed on the back surface of the N-type single crystalline silicon substrate, with gaps between segments of the segmented P-type emitter regions. Trenches are included in the N-type single crystalline silicon substrate between the alternating continuous N-type emitter regions and segmented P-type emitter regions and in locations of the gaps between segments of the segmented P-type emitter regions. An approximately Gaussian distribution of P-type dopants is included in the N-type single crystalline silicon substrate below the segmented P-type emitter regions. A maximum concentration of the approximately Gaussian distribution of P-type dopants is approximately in the center of each of the segmented P-type emitter regions between first and second sides of each of the segmented P-type emitter regions. Substantially vertical P/N junctions are included in the N-type single crystalline silicon substrate at the trenches formed in locations of the gaps between segments of the segmented P-type emitter regions.

A solar cell module includes a plurality of solar cells including a first solar cell and a second solar cell adjacent to each other, wherein each of the plurality of solar cells including at least one first current collector and at least one second current collector, wherein the at least one first current collector and the at least one second current collector being positioned on a non-light incident surface of each of the plurality of solar cells, which is opposite to a light incident surface of each of the plurality of solar cells, an insulating film having a conductive pattern part positioned on the insulating film, wherein the conductive pattern part including a first pattern which is connected to the at least one first current connector 161 of the plurality of solar cells and a second pattern which is connected to the at least one second current connector of the plurality of solar cells, wherein the first pattern being spaced apart from the second pattern; and an insulating sheet between the an insulating film and the non-light incident surface of the plurality of solar cells.

Solar cell including: a semiconductor substrate of a first conductivity type having a region of the first conductivity type and region of a second conductivity type on the back side; a first finger electrode composed of a first contact portion and first current collector, a second finger electrode composed of a second contact portion and second current collector, a first bus bar electrode, a second bus bar electrode on the backside; an insulator film disposed at least in the area just under the first bus bar electrode and second bus bar electrode; wherein the electrical contact between the first current collector and first bus bar electrode as well as electrical contact between the second current collector and the second bus bar electrode are made on the insulator film; and first contact portion and the second contact portion are in a continuous line shape at least just under the insulator film.

There is provided a photoelectric conversion element which includes an n-type single crystal silicon substrate (1). The n-type single crystal silicon substrate (1) includes a central region (11) and an end-portion region (12). The central region (11) is a region which has the same central point as the central point of the n-type single crystal silicon substrate (1) and is surrounded by a circle. The diameter of the circle is set to be a length which is 40% of a length of the shortest side among four sides of the n-type single crystal silicon substrate (1). The central region (11) has a thickness t1. The end-portion region (12) is a region of being within 5 mm from an edge of the n-type single crystal silicon substrate (1). The end-portion region (12) is disposed on an outside of the central region (11) in an in-plane direction of the n-type single crystal silicon substrate (1), and has a thickness t2 which is thinner than the thickness t1. The end-portion region (12) has average surface roughness which is smaller than average surface roughness of the central region (11).

A solar cell including a sequence of layers of semiconductor material forming a solar cell; a metal contact layer over said sequence of layers; a permanent supporting substrate composed of a carbon fiber reinforced polymer utilizing a conductive polyimide binding resin disposed directly over said metal contact layer and permanently bonding thereto.