Provided are optical devices and systems fabricated, at least in part, via printing-based assembly and integration of device components. In specific embodiments the present invention provides light emitting systems, light collecting systems, light sensing systems and photovoltaic systems comprising printable semiconductor elements, including large area, high performance macroelectronic devices. Optical systems of the present invention comprise semiconductor elements assembled, organized and/or integrated with other device components via printing techniques that exhibit performance characteristics and functionality comparable to single crystalline semiconductor based devices fabricated using conventional high temperature processing methods. Optical systems of the present invention have device geometries and configurations, such as form factors, component densities, and component positions, accessed by printing that provide a range of useful device functionalities. Optical systems of the present invention include devices and device arrays exhibiting a range of useful physical and mechanical properties including flexibility, shapeability, conformability and stretchablity.

A stacked-layered thin film solar cell. The solar cell has reduced absorber thickness and an improved back contact for Copper Indium Gallium Selenide solar cells. The back contact provides improved reflectance particularly for infrared wavelengths while still maintaining ohmic contact to the semiconductor absorber. This reflectance is achieved by producing a back contact having a highly reflecting metal separated from an absorbing layer with a dielectric layer.

A bifacial solar cell includes a substrate of an n-type; an emitter layer positioned on a first surface of the substrate; a plurality of first electrodes locally positioned on the emitter layer and electrically connected to the emitter layer; a first passivation layer positioned on the emitter layer; a silicon oxide layer formed at an interface between the first passivation layer and the emitter layer, the silicon oxide layer having a thickness of about 1 nm to 3 nm; a first anti-reflection layer positioned on the first passivation layer; a plurality of back surface field layers locally positioned on a second surface of the substrate; a plurality of second electrodes respectively positioned on the plurality of back surface field layers and electrically connected to the plurality of back surface field layers; and a second passivation layer positioned on the second surface of the substrate.

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).

Photovoltaic cells, methods for fabricating surface mount multijunction photovoltaic cells, methods for assembling solar panels, and solar panels comprising photovoltaic cells are disclosed. The surface mount multijunction photovoltaic cells include through-wafer-vias for interconnecting the front surface epitaxial layer to a contact pad on the back surface. The through-wafer-vias are formed using a wet etch process that removes semiconductor materials non-selectively without major differences in etch rates between heteroepitaxial III-V semiconductor layers.

A solar cell includes a front side for light incidence, an opposite back side, a crystalline semiconductor substrate of a first or second conductivity type, a front side passivating region with a passivating layer and a conductive layer of the first type, a back side passivating region with a passivating layer and a conductive layer of the second type, a front side contact with one front side conductive material and front side electrical contacts on the front side conductive material, a front side light coupling layer on the front side, a back side contact opposite the front side contact and formed by back side conductive material and a back side electrical contact thereon. The front side has lower light absorption and better antireflective property. The front side conductive material is thinner in regions between and/or besides front side electrical contacts than in regions below front side electrical contacts.

A method of forming an electrode, an electrode for a solar cell manufactured, and a solar cell, the method including forming a pattern of a finger electrode by: coating a composition for forming a first electrode that includes a conductive powder, an organic vehicle, and a first glass frit that is free of silver and phosphorus, and drying the coated composition for forming a first electrode; forming a pattern of a bus electrode by: coating a composition for forming a second electrode that includes a conductive powder, an organic vehicle, and a second glass frit that includes silver and phosphorus, and drying the coated composition for forming a second electrode; and firing the resultant patterns.

A method for use in forming a photovoltaic device includes forming a doped semiconductor layer on a surface of a semiconductor substrate and forming a metal film on the doped semiconductor layer. A patterned etched resist is formed on the metal film and a dielectric layer is formed on the doped semiconductor layer and the etched resist. A laser having a wavelength absorbable by the patterned etch resist is applied through the dielectric layer to the patterned etch resist to remove the patterned etch resist.

An Ag.sub.2OV.sub.2O.sub.5TeO.sub.2 lead-free low-melting glass composition that is prevented or restrained from crystallization by heating so as to soften and flow more satisfactorily at a low temperature contains a principal component which includes a vanadium oxide, a tellurium oxide and a silver oxide; a secondary component which includes at least one selected from the group consisting of BaO, WO.sub.3 and P.sub.2O.sub.5; and an additional component which includes at least one selected from the group consisting of oxides of elements in Group 13 of periodic table. A total component of the principal component is 85 mole percent or more in terms of V.sub.2O.sub.5, TeO.sub.2 and Ag.sub.2O. Contents of TeO.sub.2 and Ag.sub.2O each is 1 to 2 times as much as a content of V.sub.2O.sub.5. A content of the secondary component is 0 to 13 mole percent. A content of the additional component is 0.1 to 3.0 mole percent.

The present invention discloses a manufacturing method of a solar cell, including: forming an electricity generation layer on a substrate; forming an ohmic contact layer on a surface of the electricity generation layer facing away from the substrate; forming a back electrode on a surface of the substrate facing away from the electricity generation layer; and forming a top electrode on a surface of the ohmic contact layer facing away from the electricity generation layer using a printing process. The present invention discloses a solar cell. The present invention solves the problem of low capacity of the solar cell at present.