A solar cell apparatus according to the embodiment includes a support substrate including a plurality of patterns; a back electrode layer on the support substrate; a light absorbing layer on the back electrode layer; a buffer layer on the light absorbing layer; and a front electrode layer on the buffer layer, wherein the patterns are formed in an undercut structure including a first inner side surface, a second inner side surface and a bottom surface.

Photovoltaic modules including a plurality of solar cells bonded to a module back sheet are described herein, wherein each solar cell includes a superstrate bonded to a front side of a photovoltaic device to facilitate handling of very thin photovoltaic devices during fabrication of the module. Modules may also include module front sheets and the solar cells may include bottom sheets. The modules may be made of flexible materials, and may be foldable. Fabrication processes include tabbing photovoltaic devices prior to attaching the individual superstrates.

A method of treating a polycarbonate glass surface, such as a bisphenol A polycarbonate, whereby the glass surface is immersed in a liquid phase polar aprotic solvent, such as dichloromethane, and exposed to a vapor phase polar aprotic solvent, such as acetone thus obtaining a textured glass surface with a hierarchical patterned nanoporous structure wherein the textured glass surface has a higher surface hydrophobicity and a marginally reduced optical light transmittance relative to the polycarbonate glass surface prior to the immersion, the exposure, or both.

A method of manufacturing antireflective coating for solar cell having a moth-eye structure and a solar cell including the same are provided to greatly reduce reflectivity by forming an antireflective coating layer having a moth-eye structure on an upper electrode layer of the solar cell using a bottom-up method. A bottom electrode layer is formed on a substrate. A photoreactive layer is formed on the bottom electrode layer. The photoreactive layer is made of CIS (Copper, Indium, Selenide) materials. A buffer layer is formed on the photoreactive layer. A ZnO layer is formed on the buffer layer. A top electrode layer is formed on the ZnO layer.

A method of fabricating a passivated contact for a photovoltaic cell includes depositing a tunneling oxide layer on a first face of a substrate. An amorphous silicon layer is then deposited on top of the tunneling oxide layer. An aluminum layer is screen printed on top of the amorphous silicon layer. The aluminum layer is configured to serve as a crystallization catalyst for the amorphous silicon layer. The amorphous silicon layer and the aluminum layer are then heated to a crystallization temperature that is configured to cause the amorphous silicon to crystallize and to sinter the aluminum layer.

A method of manufacturing a solar cell is discussed. The method includes forming a textured structure on a front surface of a silicon substrate; forming a front passivation layer on the front surface of the silicon substrate; forming an anti-reflection layer on the front passivation layer; forming a first layer having a dopant of a first conductive type on a first portion of a rear surface of the silicon substrate; forming a second layer having a dopant of a second conductive type on the first layer and a second portion of the rear surface of the silicon substrate; diffusing the dopant of the first layer and the dopant of the second layer into the silicon substrate to form a n-doped region and a p-doped region, respectively, wherein the n-doped region and the p-doped region are disposed at about a same depth from the rear surface of the silicon substrate.

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 cells using a metal-containing thermal and diffusion barrier layer in foil-based metallization approaches, and the resulting solar cells, are described. For example, a method of fabricating a solar cell includes forming a plurality of semiconductor regions in or above a substrate. The method also includes forming a metal-containing thermal and diffusion barrier layer above the plurality of semiconductor regions. The method also includes forming a metal seed layer on the metal-containing thermal and diffusion barrier layer. The method also includes forming a metal conductor layer on the metal seed layer. The method also includes laser welding the metal conductor layer to the metal seed layer. The metal-containing thermal and diffusion barrier layer protects the plurality of semiconductor regions during the laser welding.

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.

A structure having dry-wiping off characteristic relative to dirt attached to a concave-convex shaped surface of the structure, and a method for producing the structure. A structure having a concave-convex shaped surface, fabricated from a composition containing at least one compound having in a molecule, one to ten polymerizable group(s) and a photopolymerization initiator, wherein the structure has a Martens hardness of 3 N/mm.sup.2 or more and 130 N/mm.sup.2 or less when the Martens hardness of the structure is measured under a condition under which a Martens hardness of a molten quartz is 4,100 N/mm.sup.2. The structure is produced by applying the composition onto a substrate; pressing a coating film on the substrate into a concave-convex shaped face of a mold; photocuring the coating film while it is pressed into the concave-convex shaped face of the mold; and peeling the cured film on the substrate from the mold.