Methods for forming passivated contacts include implanting compound-forming ions into a substrate to about a first depth below a surface of the substrate, and implanting dopant ions into the substrate to about a second depth below the surface. The second depth may be shallower than the first depth. The methods also include annealing the substrate.

Described herein are microfluidic devices and methods of detecting an analyte in a sample that includes flowing the sample though a microfluidic device, wherein the presence of the analyte is detected directly from the microfluidic device without the use of an external detector at an outlet of the microfluidic device. In a more specific aspect, detection is performed by incorporating functional nanopillars, such as detector nanopillars and/or light source nanopillars, into a microchannel of a microfluidic device.

A diode is described which comprises a light-sensitive germanium region (5) located on a waveguide (2) made of silicon or silicon germanium and which has lateral dimensions in a direction transverse to a direction of light propagation in the waveguide that are identical or at most 20 nm per side shorter in comparison with the waveguide.

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.

Methods for doping an absorbent layer of a p-n heterojunction in a thin film photovoltaic device are provided. The method can include depositing a window layer on a transparent substrate, where the window layer includes at least one dopant (e.g,. copper). A p-n heterojunction can be formed on the window layer, with the p-n heterojunction including a photovoltaic material (e.g., cadmium telluride) in an absorber layer. The dopant can then be diffused from the window layer into the absorber layer (e.g., via annealing).

The composition for forming an n-type diffusion layer in accordance with the present invention contains a glass powder and a dispersion medium, in which the glass powder includes an donor element and a total amount of the life time killer element in the glass powder is 1000 ppm or less. An n-type diffusion layer and a photovoltaic cell having an n-type diffusion layer are prepared by applying the composition for forming an n-type diffusion layer, followed by a thermal diffusion treatment.

A solar cell is discussed. The solar cell includes a silicon substrate; a front passivation layer positioned on a front surface of the silicon substrate; an n-doped layer positioned on the front surface of the silicon substrate; an anti-reflection layer positioned on the n-doped layer; a p-doped region positioned on a rear surface of the silicon substrate; an n-doped region positioned on the rear surface of the silicon substrate and spaced apart from the p-doped region; a rear passivation layer positioned on the rear surface of the silicon substrate, the rear passivation layer including: a first portion positioned between the p-doped region and the silicon substrate; a second portion positioned between the n-doped region and the silicon substrate, the second portion being space apart from the first potion; and a third portion disposed between the first portion and the second portion; a first electrode directly contacted to the p-doped region; and a second electrode directly contacted to the n-doped region.

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.

Some embodiments include a semiconductor device. The semiconductor device includes a transistor having a gate metal layer, a transistor composite active layer, and one or more contact elements over the transistor composite active layer. The transistor composite active layer includes a first active layer and a second active layer, the first active layer is over the gate metal layer, and the second active layer is over the first active layer. Meanwhile, the semiconductor device also includes one or more semiconductor elements forming a diode over the transistor. The semiconductor element(s) have an N-type layer over the transistor, an I layer over the N-type layer, and a P-type layer over the I layer. Other embodiments of related systems and methods are also disclosed.

The present disclosure provides a double-sided passivated contact cell, where a front side and a rear side of the double-sided passivated contact cell each are provided with a tunnel layer, a doped polysilicon layer, and a passivation layer sequentially from an inside to an outside; and for the doped polysilicon layer at the front side and the doped polysilicon layer at the rear side, one of the doped polysilicon layer at the front side and the doped polysilicon layer at the rear side is a boron and carbon co-doped polysilicon layer, and the other of the doped polysilicon layer at the front side and the doped polysilicon layer at the rear side is a phosphorus and carbon co-doped polysilicon layer. The present disclosure further provides a preparation method of the double-sided passivated contact cell.