IP Library Granted Patent US 10,686,087
Granted Patent B2
US 10,686,087 · App. 15/600,042 · Granted Jun 16, 2020

Solar cell and method for manufacturing the same

Inventors: Chungyi Kim (Seoul, KR); Youngsung Yang (Seoul, KR); Jaewoo Choi (Seoul, KR); Mihee Heo (Seoul, KR)
Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
H01L31/03685H01L31/02167H01L31/03682H01L31/0682H01L31/0745H01L31/0747H01L31/182H01L31/1804H01L31/1824H01L31/1868Y02E10/546Y02E10/547Y02P70/521
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,686,087
App. No.
15/600,042
Granted
Jun 16, 2020
Kind
B2
Abstract

Disclosed is a solar cell including a control passivation film on one surface of a semiconductor substrate, and being formed of a dielectric material; and a semiconductor layer on the control passivation film, wherein the semiconductor layer including a first conductive region having a first conductive type and a second conductive region having a second conductive type opposite to the first conductive type. The semiconductor substrate includes a diffusion region including at least one of a first diffusion region and a second diffusion region adjacent to the control passivation film, wherein the first diffusion region being locally formed to correspond to the first conductive region and having a doping concentration lower than a doping concentration of the first conductive region, wherein the second diffusion region being locally formed to correspond to the second conductive region and having a doping concentration lower than a doping concentration of the second conductive region.

Claims (32)

1. A solar cell, comprising:

a semiconductor substrate;

a control passivation film on one surface of the semiconductor substrate, the control passivation film being formed of a dielectric material; and

a semiconductor layer on the control passivation film, the semiconductor layer comprising a first conductive region having a first conductive type and a second conductive region having a second conductive type opposite to the first conductive type,

wherein the semiconductor substrate further comprises a diffusion region including at least one of a first diffusion region and a second diffusion region adjacent to the control passivation film,

wherein the first diffusion region is locally formed to correspond to the first conductive region and has a doping concentration lower than a doping concentration of the first conductive region,

wherein the second diffusion region is locally formed to correspond to the second conductive region and has a doping concentration lower than a doping concentration of the second conductive region, and

wherein the control passivation film comprises at least one of a first doped portion locally formed between the first conductive region and the first diffusion region and a second doped portion locally formed between the second conductive region and the second diffusion region.

2. The solar cell according to claim 1 , wherein the control passivation film is an amorphous film consisting of an amorphous structure or an amorphous film including the amorphous structure and a partially-crystallized portion.

3. The solar cell according to claim 1 , further comprising:

an insulating film on the semiconductor substrate or the semiconductor layer,

wherein the control passivation film is thinner than the insulating film, and

wherein the control passivation film comprises a portion having a doping concentration higher than a doping concentration of the insulating film.

4. The solar cell according to claim 1 , wherein the first doped portion or the second doped portion includes a low doped portion and a highly doped portion having a doping concentration higher than a doping concentration of the low doped portion.

5. The solar cell according to claim 1 , wherein, when the first or second conductive region, the control passivation film, and the diffusion region are viewed in a thickness direction thereof, a doping concentration continuously decreases toward an inside of the semiconductor substrate, and

wherein an absolute value of a doping concentration gradient in the diffusion region is larger than an absolute value of a doping concentration gradient in the first or second conductive region.

6. The solar cell according to claim 1 , wherein the diffusion region is thicker than each of the first conductive region and the second conductive region.

7. The solar cell according to claim 1 , wherein the diffusion region comprises the first diffusion region and the second diffusion region, and

wherein the control passivation film comprises the first doped portion and the second doped portion.

8. The solar cell according to claim 7 , wherein the first diffusion region and the second diffusion region are spaced apart from each other and a base region is positioned between the first diffusion region and the second diffusion region,

wherein a barrier region is positioned between the first conductive region and the second conductive region, and

wherein the control passivation film comprises an undoped portion between the semiconductor substrate and the barrier region.

9. The solar cell according to claim 7 , wherein the semiconductor substrate comprises a base region having the second conductive type, and

wherein the second diffusion region is thicker than the first diffusion region.

10. The solar cell according to claim 7 , wherein the semiconductor substrate comprises a base region having the second conductive type, and

wherein, when the first and second diffusion regions are viewed in a thickness direction thereof, an absolute value of a doping concentration gradient in the second diffusion region is smaller than an absolute value of a doping concentration gradient in the first diffusion region.

11. The solar cell according to claim 1 , wherein the semiconductor layer has a poly-crystalline structure with a nanometer-sized grain.

12. The solar cell according to claim 1 , wherein a doping concentration of a first or second conductive type dopant continuously decreases from the first or second conductive region toward the first or the second diffusion region via the control passivation film in a doping profile,

wherein the doping profile comprises a first doping profile and a second doping profile different from the first doping profile, the first doping profile being positioned in the control passivation film or a portion of the first or second conductive region adjacent to the control passivation film and the second doping profile being positioned in a portion of the first or second diffusion region adjacent to the control passivation film, and

wherein an absolute value of a second doping concentration gradient in the second doping profile is smaller than an absolute value of a first doping concentration gradient in the first doping profile.

13. The solar cell according to claim 12 , wherein the first or second diffusion region has a thickness of 100 nm to 300 nm, or

wherein the first or second diffusion region has a thickness the same as or smaller than a thickness of the first or second conductive region.

Assignments (3)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Dec 11, 2023
From: SHANGRAO JINKO SOLAR TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT CO., LTD
To: SHANGRAO XINYUAN YUEDONG TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT CO. LTD
Reel/Frame 066044/0299 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 28, 2022
From: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
To: SHANGRAO JINKO SOLAR TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT CO., LTD
Reel/Frame 061571/0754 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 23, 2017
From: KIM, CHUNGYI; YANG, YOUNGSUNG; CHOI, JAEWOO; HEO, MIHEE
To: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
Reel/Frame 042470/0415 →
Priority Claims (4)
KR 10-2016-0119419 · Sep 19, 2016 · national
KR 10-2016-0119425 · Sep 19, 2016 · national
KR 10-2017-0006183 · Jan 13, 2017 · national
KR 10-2017-0011969 · Jan 25, 2017 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20180083149A1 · Mar 22, 2018