Methods of fabricating solar cell emitter regions with differentiated P-type and N-type architectures and incorporating dotted diffusion, and resulting solar cells, are described. In an example, a 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 in a plurality of non-continuous trenches in the back surface of the substrate.

In a thin film photoelectric conversion device fabricated by addition of a catalyst element with the use of a solid phase growth method, defects such as a short circuit or leakage of current are suppressed. A catalyst material which promotes crystallization of silicon is selectively added to a second silicon semiconductor layer formed over a first silicon semiconductor layer having one conductivity type, the second silicon semiconductor layer is partly crystallized by a heat treatment, a third silicon semiconductor layer having a conductivity type opposite to the one conductivity type is stacked, and element isolation is performed at a region in the second silicon semiconductor layer to which a catalyst material is not added, so that a left catalyst material is prevented from being diffused again, and defects such as a short circuit or leakage of current are suppressed.

Various particular embodiments include a method for forming a photodetector, including: forming a structure including a barrier layer disposed between a layer of doped silicon (Si) and a layer of germanium (Ge), the barrier layer including a crystallization window; and annealing the structure to convert, via the crystallization window, the Ge to a first composition of silicon germanium (SiGe) and the doped Si to a second composition of SiGe.

Approaches for silicon photonics integration are provided. A method includes: forming at least one encapsulating layer over and around a photodetector; thermally crystallizing the photodetector material after the forming the at least one encapsulating layer; and after the thermally crystallizing the photodetector material, forming a conformal sealing layer on the at least one encapsulating layer and over at least one device. The conformal sealing layer is configured to seal a crack in the at least one encapsulating layer. The photodetector and the at least one device are on a same substrate. The at least one device includes a complementary metal oxide semiconductor device or a passive photonics device.

One embodiment of the present invention relates to a method of manufacturing polycrystalline silicon thin-film solar cell by a method of crystallizing a large-area amorphous silicon thin film using a linear electron beam, and the technical problem to be solved is to crystallize an amorphous silicon thin film, which is formed on a low-priced substrate, by means of an electron beam so as for same to easily be of high quality by having high crystallization yield and to be processed at a low temperature. To this end, one embodiment of the present invention provides a method of manufacturing polycrystalline silicon thin-film solar cell by means of a method for crystallizing a large-area amorphous silicon thin film using a linear electron beam, the method comprising: a substrate preparation step for preparing a substrate; a type 1+ amorphous silicon layer deposition step for forming a type 1+ amorphous silicon layer on the substrate; a type 1 amorphous silicon layer deposition step for forming a type 1 amorphous silicon layer on the type 1+ amorphous silicon layer; an absorption layer formation step for forming an absorption layer by radiating a linear electron beam to the type 1 amorphous silicon layer and thus crystallizing the type 1 amorphous layer and the type 1+ amorphous silicon layer; a type 2 amorphous silicon layer deposition step for forming a type 2 amorphous silicon layer on the absorption layer; and an emitter layer formation step for forming an emitter layer by radiating a linear electron beam to the type 2 amorphous silicon layer and thus crystallizing the type 2 amorphous silicon layer, wherein the linear electron beam is radiated from above type 1 and type 2 amorphous silicon layers in a linear scanning manner in which to reciprocate in a predetermined area.

Solar cells of varying composition are disclosed, generally including a central substrate, conductive layer(s), antireflection layers(s), passivation layer(s) and/or electrode(s). Multifunctional layers provide combined functions of passivation, transparency, sufficient conductivity for vertical carrier flow, the junction, and/or varying degrees of anti-reflectivity. Improved manufacturing methods including single-side CVD deposition processes and thermal treatment for layer formation and/or conversion are also disclosed.

The invention relates to a method for producing a photovoltaic solar cell having at least one hetero-junction, including the following steps: A) providing a semiconductor substrate having base doping; B) producing a hetero-junction on at least one side of the semiconductor substrate, which hetero-junction has a doped hetero-junction layer and a dielectric tunnel layer arranged indirectly or directly between the hetero-junction layer and the semiconductor substrate; C) heating at least the hetero-junction layer in order to improve the electrical quality of the heterojunction. The invention is characterized in that, in a step D after step C, hydrogen is diffused into the hetero-junction layer and/or to the interface between the tunnel layer and the semiconductor substrate.

Methods of fabricating solar cell emitter regions using ion implantation, and resulting solar cells, are described. In an example, a method of fabricating alternating N-type and P-type emitter regions of a solar cell involves forming a silicon layer above a substrate. Dopant impurity atoms of a first conductivity type are implanted, through a first shadow mask, in the silicon layer to form first implanted regions and resulting in non-implanted regions of the silicon layer. Dopant impurity atoms of a second, opposite, conductivity type are implanted, through a second shadow mask, in portions of the non-implanted regions of the silicon layer to form second implanted regions and resulting in remaining non-implanted regions of the silicon layer. The remaining non-implanted regions of the silicon layer are removed with a selective etch process, while the first and second implanted regions of the silicon layer are annealed to form doped polycrystalline silicon emitter regions.

The present invention concerns methods for producing photovoltaic material and a device able to exploit high energy photons. The photovoltaic material is obtained from a conventional photovoltaic material having a top surface intended to be exposed to photonic radiation, having a built-in P-N junction delimiting an emitter part and a base part and comprising at least one area or region specifically designed, treated or adapted to absorb high energy or energetic photons, located adjacent or near at least one hetero-interface. According to the invention, this material is subjected to treatments resulting in the formation of at least one semiconductor based metamaterial field or region being created, as a transitional region of the or a hetero-interface, in an area located continuous or proximate to the or an absorption area or region for the energetic photons of the photonic radiation impacting said photovoltaic material.

Disclosed is a solar cell including a semiconductor substrate, a protective-film layer formed over one surface of the semiconductor substrate, a first conductive area disposed over the protective-film layer, the first conductive area being of a first conductive type and including a crystalline semiconductor, and a first electrode electrically connected to the first conductive area. The first conductive area includes a first portion disposed over the protective-film layer and having a first crystal grain size, and a second portion disposed over the first portion and having a second crystal grain size, which is greater than the first crystal grain size.