Kaneka Corporation

Daisuke Adachi

Toshihiko Uto

Kenji Yamamoto

Kunta Yoshikawa

Toru Terashita

Hisashi Uzu

Kunihiro Nakano

Masanori Kanematsu

Jose Luis Hernandez

Nick Valckx

Takashi Kuchiyama

Katsunori Konishi

Masafumi Hiraishi

Gensuke Koizumi

Hitoshi Tamai

Masashi Hino

Ryota Mishima

A solar cell for achieving an increase in performance. The solar cell is a back junction solar cell comprising a semiconductor substrate, first semiconductor layers stacked in a first region which is a part of the back side of the semiconductor substrate, and second semiconductor layers stacked in a second region which is another part of the back side of the semiconductor substrate. In the second region, the first semiconductor layers are present in some parts between the semiconductor substrate and the second semiconductor layers, wherein the first semiconductor layers comprise sea shapes in a sea-island structure.

Solar cell and method for manufacturing solar cell

The method for manufacturing a solar cell includes: forming a first semiconductor layer of first conductivity type on a surface of a semiconductor substrate; forming a lift-off layer containing a silicon-based material on the first semiconductor layer; selectively removing the lift-off layer and first semiconductor layer; forming a second semiconductor layer of second conductivity type on a surface having the lift-off layer and first semiconductor layer; and removing the second semiconductor layer covering the lift-off layer by removing the lift-off layer using an etching solution. The linear expansion coefficients of the semiconductor substrate and the lift-off layer satisfy the relational expression: the linear expansion coefficient of the lift-off layer &#x3c;the linear expansion coefficient of the semiconductor substrate, and the forming of the second semiconductor layer or the removing of the second semiconductor layer is performed at a temperature higher than the temperature in the forming of the lift-off layer.

Method for manufacturing solar cell

A solar cell includes a crystal substrate which has a major surface on a light reception side provided with a first texture surface and a major surface on a non-light reception side provided with a second texture surface. The second texture surface occupies 20% or more of the area of the major surface on the non-light reception side.

Solar cell, solar cell module, and solar cell manufacturing method

A conductive paste composition includes 1 to 10 parts by weight of a binder (A), 2 to 20 parts by weight of an epoxy monomer (B), 1 to 20 parts by weight of a crosslinking agent (C), and 70 to 95 parts by weight of a conductive filler (D). The binder (A) is a reactive oligomer having a siloxane bond as a main skeleton and including a plurality of oxirane rings as an organic group. The epoxy monomer (B) includes an oxirane ring. The total amount of the binder (A), the epoxy monomer (B), the crosslinking agent (C), and the conductive filler (D) is 100 parts by weight.

Conductive paste composition, device comprising electrode formed from same, and method for producing conductive paste composition

A method for manufacturing a crystalline silicon-based solar cell includes performing a plasma treatment on a plurality of conductive single-crystalline silicon substrates in a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) chamber, each of the conductive single-crystalline silicon substrates having an intrinsic silicon-based layer on a first principal surface thereof. The first principal surface of the conductive single-crystalline silicon substrate may have a pyramidal texture that comprises a plurality of projections having a top portion, a middle portion, and a valley portion. The plasma treatment may include introducing a hydrogen gas and a silicon-containing gas into the CVD chamber and exposing a surface of the intrinsic silicon-based layer to hydrogen plasma. An amount of the hydrogen gas introduced into the CVD chamber during the plasma treatment may be 150 to 2500 times an amount of the silicon-containing gas introduced into the CVD chamber.

Method for manufacturing photoelectric conversion device

A crystalline silicon-based solar cell includes, in the following order, a crystalline silicon substrate having a first principal surface, a non-single-crystalline silicon-based thin-film, and a transparent electroconductive layer. The non-single-crystalline silicon-based thin-film and the transparent electroconductive layer are disposed on the first principal surface. The non-single-crystalline silicon-based thin-film comprises, in the following order from the first principal surface, an intrinsic silicon-based thin-film and a conductive silicon-based thin-film. The first principal surface has a plurality of pyramidal projections, each having a top portion, a middle portion, and a bottom portion. A thickness of the non-single-crystalline silicon-based thin-film disposed on the top portions is smaller than a thickness of the non-single-crystalline silicon-based thin-film disposed on the middle portions.

Crystalline silicon solar cell and method for producing same

The solar cell includes a plurality of light-receiving-side finger electrodes on a light-receiving surface of a photoelectric conversion section having a semiconductor junction. The light-receiving surface of the photoelectric conversion section is covered with a first insulating layer. Each light-receiving-side finger electrodes include: a first metal seed layer provided between the photoelectric conversion section and the first insulating layer; and a first plating metal layer being conduction with the first metal seed layer through openings formed in the first insulating layer. The solar cell includes an isolated plating metal layer pieces contacting neither the light-receiving-side finger electrodes nor the back-side finger electrodes. On the surface of the first insulating layer, an isolated plating metal crowded region is present in a form of a band-shape extending parallel to an extending direction of the light-receiving-side finger electrodes.

Solar cell, method for manufacturing same and solar cell module

A photoelectric conversion section of a solar cell has a first electrode layer and a collecting electrode that are formed in this order on a first principal surface, and has a second electrode layer that is formed on a second principal surface. The collecting electrode includes a first electroconductive layer, an insulating layer, and a second electroconductive layer in this order on the first electrode layer. The first and second electroconductive layers are electrically connected via an opening section in the insulating layer. At peripheral edge of the first and second principal surfaces, the photoelectric conversion section has an insulating region excluding the first or second electrode layer. On the side of the principal surface having no insulating region, the first or second electrode layer is formed up to the peripheral end of the relevant principal surface.

Solar cell and production method therefor, and solar cell module

A crystalline silicon-based solar cell includes a crystalline silicon substrate having a first principal surface, a second principal surface, and a lateral surface. On the first principal surface is arranged, in the following order, a first intrinsic silicon-based thin-film, a first conductive silicon-based thin-film, a light-receiving-side transparent electrode layer and a light-receiving-side metal electrode. On the second principal surface is arranged, in the following order, a second intrinsic silicon-based thin-film, a second conductive silicon-based thin-film, a back-side transparent electrode layer and a back-side metal electrode. The second conductive silicon-based thin-film has a conductivity-type different from that of the first conductive silicon-based thin-film. Both the first principal surface and the second principal surface are textured. Both the light-receiving-side metal electrode and the back-side metal electrode have a pattern shape. The back-side transparent electrode layer is not provided on a peripheral edge of the second principal surface.

Crystalline silicon solar cell, production method therefor, and solar cell module

The solar cell includes a collecting electrode on a first principal surface of a photoelectric conversion section. The collecting electrode comprises a first electroconductive layer and a second electroconductive layer in this order from the photoelectric conversion section side. An insulating layer is provided on the first principal surface of the photoelectric conversion section so as to cover substantially the entire surface of the region where the first electroconductive layer is not provided and a part of the first electroconductive layer. The insulating layer on the first electroconductive layer has an opening, and the second electroconductive layer is a plating layer that is in conduction with the first electroconductive layer through the opening section of the insulating layer. The first electroconductive layer contains a metal particle component and an insulating material. The metal particle component of the first electroconductive layer includes primary particles and secondary particles. It is preferable that in a cross-section of the first electroconductive layer, the area ratio of the secondary particles to the total of the primary particles and the secondary particles and the coefficient of variation of the particle size are respectively within specific ranges.

Solar cell, method for manufacturing same

In manufacturing a crystalline silicon-based solar cell, a first intrinsic thin-film is formed on a conductive single-crystalline silicon substrate, and then a hydrogen plasma etching is performed. A second intrinsic thin-film is formed on the first intrinsic thin-film after the hydrogen plasma etching, and a conductive silicon-based thin-film is formed on the second intrinsic thin-film. The second intrinsic thin-film is formed by plasma-enhanced CVD with a silicon-containing gas and hydrogen being introduced into a CVD chamber. The amount of the hydrogen introduced into the CVD chamber during formation of the second intrinsic thin-film is 50 to 500 times an introduction amount of the silicon-containing gas.

A solar cell includes a photoelectric conversion section that, includes an n-type crystal silicon substrate, a p-type silicon-based thin-film provided on a first principal surface, and an n-type silicon-based thin-film provided on a second principal surface, and further includes a first electrode layer on the p-type silicon-based thin-film, and a second electrode layer on the n-type silicon-based thin film. A patterned collector electrode is provided on the first electrode layer. On the first principal surface of the photoelectric conversion section, a wraparound portion of the second electrode layer, an insulating region where neither the first electrode layer nor the second electrode layer is provided, and a first electrode layer-formed region are arranged in this order from a peripheral end.

Solar cell, solar cell module, method for manufacturing solar cell, and method for manufacturing solar cell module

A method for manufacturing a crystalline silicon-based solar cell includes forming a first intrinsic silicon-based thin-film on a first principal surface and a lateral surface of an n-type crystalline silicon substrate, forming a p-type silicon-based thin-film on the first intrinsic silicon-based thin-film, forming a first transparent electrode layer on an entire region of the first principal surface except for a peripheral portion, forming a second intrinsic silicon-based thin-film on a second principal surface and the lateral surface of the n-type crystalline silicon substrate, forming an n-type silicon-based thin-film on the second intrinsic silicon-based thin-film, forming a second transparent electrode layer on an entire region of the second principal surface and the lateral surface of the n-type crystalline silicon substrate, forming a patterned collecting electrode on the first transparent electrode layer, and forming a plated metal electrode on the second transparent electrode layer by an electroplating method.

Method for manufacturing crystalline silicon-based solar cell and method for manufacturing crystalline silicon-based solar cell module

The crystalline silicon-based solar cell includes a first intrinsic silicon-based thin-film, a p-type silicon-based thin-film, a first transparent electrode layer, and a patterned collecting electrode on a first principal surface of an n-type crystalline silicon substrate; and a second intrinsic silicon-based thin-film, an n-type silicon-based thin-film, a second transparent electrode layer, and a plated metal electrode on a second principal surface of the n-type crystalline-silicon substrate. On a peripheral edge of the first principal surface, an insulating region freed of a short-circuit between the first transparent electrode layer and the second transparent electrode layer is provided. The plated metal electrode is formed on an entire region of the second transparent electrode layer.

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Settsu, Japan

Daisuke Adachi