Imec Vzw

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Ku Leuven R&d

Hariharsudan Sivaramakrishnan Radhakrishnan

Jef Poortmans

Twan Bearda

Menglei Xu

Example embodiments relate to selective deposition for interdigitated patterns in solar cells. One embodiment includes a method for creating an interdigitated pattern for a solar cell. The method includes providing a substrate of the solar cell. A surface of the substrate includes one or more exposed regions and one or more regions covered by a patterned first passivation layer stack protected by a hard mask. The method also includes selectively depositing a second passivation layer stack that includes at least a first layer of amorphous silicon (a-Si) on the one or more exposed regions such that the first passivation layer stack and the second passivation layer stack form the interdigitated pattern. Selectively depositing the second passivation layer stack includes adding a sublayer of the first layer on the hard mask, etching the added sublayer on the hard mask, and cleaning a surface of the remaining added sublayer.

Selective deposition for interdigitated patterns in solar cells

A method is provided for creating an interdigitated pattern for a back-contacted solar cell, including deposition of a first passivation layer stack including a-Si of a first doping type, patterning the first passivation layer stack by using a first dry etching process to create one or more regions including the a-Si of the first doping type and one or more exposed regions of the surface, cleaning the one or more exposed regions of the surface from contaminants remaining from the first dry etching process, and depositing a second passivation layer stack including a-Si of a second doping type different from the first doping type to create the interdigitated pattern together with the patterned first passivation layer stack. The cleaning may include depositing a sacrificial layer at least on the exposed regions of the surface, and removing the sacrificial layer by a second dry etching process, at a temperature not exceeding 250&#xb0; C.

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Leuven, Belgium

Hariharsudan Sivaramakrishnan Radhakrishnan