A method for manufacturing asolar cell includes texturing a front surface of a semiconductor substrate having a first conductive type dopant by using a dry etching method, forming an emitter layer by ion-implanting a second conductive type dopant into the front surface of the semiconductor substrate, forming a back passivation film on a back surface of the semiconductor substrate; and forming a first electrode electrically connected to the emitter layer and a second electrode being in partial contact with the back surface of the semiconductor substrate.

Methods of fabricating solar cell emitter regions with differentiated P-type and N-type regions architectures, and resulting solar cells, are described. In an example, a back contact solar cell includes a substrate having a light-receiving surface and a back surface. A first polycrystalline silicon emitter region of a first conductivity type is disposed on a first thin dielectric layer disposed on the back surface of the substrate. A second polycrystalline silicon emitter region of a second, different, conductivity type is disposed on a second thin dielectric layer disposed on the back surface of the substrate. A third thin dielectric layer is disposed laterally directly between the first and second polycrystalline silicon emitter regions. A first conductive contact structure is disposed on the first polycrystalline silicon emitter region. A second conductive contact structure is disposed on the second polycrystalline silicon emitter region.

A method is provided for manufacturing an etched surface. The method includes the steps of assembling a plurality of particles on the surface of a substrate and etching the plurality of particles to vary the size and spacing of the particles on the surface of the substrate. The method further includes depositing a mask material on the substrate including the etched particles, removing the etched particles from the substrate, thereby exposing the substrate beneath the plurality of particles, and selectively etching the substrate exposed after removal of the plurality of particles.

Provided is a method for fabricating a nanopatterned surface. The method includes forming a mask on a substrate, patterning the substrate to include a plurality of symmetry-breaking surface corrugations, and removing the mask. The mask includes a pattern defined by mask material portions that cover first surface portions of the substrate and a plurality of mask space portions that expose second surface portions of the substrate, wherein the plurality of mask space portions are arranged in a lattice arrangement having a row and column, and the row is not oriented parallel to a [110] direction of the substrate. The patterning the substrate includes anisotropically removing portions of the substrate exposed by the plurality of spaces.

Indentation 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 forming a plurality of alternating N-type and P-type semiconductor regions in or above a substrate. The method also includes locating a metal foil above the alternating N-type and P-type semiconductor regions. The method also includes forming a plurality of indentations through only a portion of the metal foil, the plurality of indentations formed at regions corresponding to locations between the alternating N-type and P-type semiconductor regions. The method also includes, subsequent to forming the plurality of indentations, isolating regions of the remaining metal foil corresponding to the alternating N-type and P-type semiconductor regions.

The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a photovoltaic device having an ultra-shallow junction layer. In the method, a crystalline silicon substrate is cleaned and a first doped semiconductor layer with 1.12 eV bandgap and 580 nm of thickness is grown on the crystalline silicon substrate by high density plasma electron cyclotron resonance CVD in a preparation condition of a temperature of the crystalline silicon substrate ranging from 50 C. to 250 C. , about 500W of microwave power, deposition pressure below 50 mTorr, about 20 sccm of argon and hydrogen flow rate, SiH.sub.4 flow rate ranging from 1 sccm to 2 sccm, and 2% boroethane flow rate ranging from about 5 seem to 15 sccm. The photovoltaic device of the present invention has advantages of abrupt homo-junction, ultra-thin high-crystallinity silicon-based thin film, highly-doped concentration, high conductivity and high short-circuit current, thereby having improved efficiency.

Approaches for the foil-based metallization of solar cells and the resulting solar cells are described. In an example, a solar cell includes a substrate. A plurality of alternating N-type and P-type semiconductor regions is disposed in or above the substrate. A conductive contact structure is disposed above the plurality of alternating N-type and P-type semiconductor regions. The conductive contact structure includes a plurality of metal seed material regions providing a metal seed material region disposed on each of the alternating N-type and P-type semiconductor regions. A metal foil is disposed on the plurality of metal seed material regions, the metal foil having anodized portions isolating metal regions of the metal foil corresponding to the alternating N-type and P-type semiconductor regions.

A back contact back junction thin-film solar cell is formed on a thin-film semiconductor solar cell. Preferably the thin film semiconductor material comprises crystalline silicon. Base regions, emitter regions, and front surface field regions are formed through ion implantation and annealing processes.

In an embodiment, a III-V nitride semiconductor device comprises an AlGaN epitaxial layer and a metal electrode. The AlGaN epitaxial layer is a C-plane n-type or undoped layer, and the AlGaN epitaxial layer has an epitaxial surface consisting of one or more semi-polar planes. The metal electrode is directly formed on the one or more semi-polar planes.

A method for manufacturing a back-contact solar cell, comprising the steps of: (i) preparing a semiconductor substrate comprising an n-layer and a p-layer at the back side of the semiconductor substrate; (ii) applying a conductive paste on both the n-layer and the p-layer, wherein the conductive paste comprises a silver (Ag) powder, a palladium (Pd) powder, an additional metal powder selected from the group consisting of molybdenum (Mo), boron (B) and a mixture thereof, a glass frit, and an organic medium; and (iii) firing the applied conductive paste.