Abstract:
Method for electrically isolating large area electrode bodies to facilitate cascade interconnection of semiconductor bodies which may be deposited afterwards includes applying a maskant in a preselected pattern onto a substrate, depositing a conformal layer of an electrically conductive electrode material atop the patterned maskant and removing the maskant and the electrode material deposited thereon by dissolving in a solvent which is substantially chemically inert with respect to subsequently deposited materials to expose at least portions of the substrate and electrically isolate the remaining portions of the electrode material so that selective electrical interconnections may be made between electrically isolated electrode portions. This method substantially eliminates the need for laser or mechanical scribing of semiconductor bodies on a large area substrate.
Abstract:
A modular continuous vapor deposition system (10) for the fabrication of semiconductor devices having a plurality of deposition modules isolated from each other by isolation modules which prevent the cross contamination of the different processing gases used in the deposition modules. Each of the deposition modules has a flow of a decomposable processing gas therethrough at a desired pressure, and means for generating a continuous glow discharge. The glow discharge decomposes the processing gas to deposit a layer of amorphous semiconductor material on the discrete substrate sheets as they are transported through each of the deposition modules. A plurality of gate valves (44) effectively seal the interfaces between adjacent modules to isolate them from their immediate neighbors and are opened in a predetermined sequence to allow the substrate sheets to be transported from one module to the next. The isolation modules are connected to a vacuum source (64) and a back-fill gas source (58). A control (68) coordinates the activation of the gate valves, the vacuum source and the back-fill gas source so that the substrate sheets can be uninterruptedly transported through the system while maintaining the glow discharge continuous and gas pressure in each deposition module at the desired pressure.
Abstract:
A solar cell fabrication method and solar cell (10) made by the method wherein a grid of point electrical connections (22) is made to a transparent first electrode layer (14) of the cell through a layer of a-Si semiconductor material (16) which is sandwiched between the first electrode layer and a second back electrode layer (18). A dielectric layer (20) electrically insulates the back electrode layer and the grid of point electrical connections. An electrically conducting network (32) is deposited on the dielectric layer and electrically interconnects the grid of point electrical connections. The resulting cell has a relatively low active area loss and a relatively low electrical power loss due to the electrical connections in the cell.
Abstract:
A solar cell substrate comprising a glass plate, and a transparent electrically conductive layer formed thereon, wherein said glass plate is tempered.
Abstract:
A solar cell substrate comprising a glass substrate (20) and a transparent electrically conductive layer (22) formed thereon, said conductive layer having a plurality of polygonal projections (24), having approximate diameters of from 0.1 to 0.3 um and height/diameter ratios of at least 0.6.