Sunpower Corporation

Kahn Wu

Steven E Molesa

Paul Loscutoff

Steven M Kraft

Scott Harrington

Junbo Wu

Genevieve A Solomon

Dopant ink compositions and methods of fabricating solar cells there from are described. A dopant ink composition may include a cross-linkable matrix precursor, a bound dopant species, and a solvent. A method of fabricating a solar cell may include delivering a dopant ink composition to a region above a substrate. The dopant ink composition includes a cross-linkable matrix precursor, a bound dopant species, and a solvent. The method also includes baking the dopant ink composition to remove a substantial portion of the solvent of the dopant ink composition, curing the baked dopant ink composition to cross-link a substantial portion of the cross-linkable matrix precursor of the dopant ink composition, and driving dopants from the cured dopant ink composition toward the substrate.

Dopant ink composition and method of fabricating a solar cell there from

A method of fabricating a solar cell is disclosed. The method includes forming a polished surface on a silicon substrate and forming a first flowable matrix in an interdigitated pattern on the polished surface, where the polished surface allows the first flowable matrix to form an interdigitated pattern comprising features of uniform thickness and width. In an embodiment, the method includes forming the silicon substrate using a method such as, but not limited to, of diamond wire or slurry wafering processes. In another embodiment, the method includes forming the polished surface on the silicon substrate using a chemical etchant such as, but not limited to, sulfuric acid (HSO), acetic acid (CHCOOH), nitric acid (HNO), hydrofluoric acid (HF) or phosphoric acid (HPO). In still another embodiment, the etchant is an isotropic etchant. In yet another embodiment, the method includes providing a surface of the silicon substrate with at most 500 nanometer peak-to-valley roughness.

Methods for wet chemistry polishing for improved low viscosity printing in solar cell fabrication

A method of manufacturing solar cells is disclosed. The method comprises depositing an etch-resistant dopant material on a silicon substrate, the etch-resistant dopant material comprising a dopant source, forming a cross-linked matrix in the etch-resistant dopant material using a non-thermal cure of the etch-resistant dopant material, and heating the silicon substrate and the etch-resistant dopant material to a temperature sufficient to cause the dopant source to diffuse into the silicon substrate.

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San Francisco, CA, United States of America

Kahn Wu