Solexel, Inc.

Ob Realty, LLC

Leland Stanford Junior University

Sigmagen Inc.

Other

Beamreach-solexel Assets LLC

Pawan Kapur

Mehrdad M Moslehi

Virendra V Rana

Sean M Seutter

Karl-Josef Kramer

David Xuan-Qi Wang

Anthony Calcaterra

Somnath S Nag

Heather Deshazer

Anand Deshpande

Swaroop Kommera

Suketu Arun Parikh

George D Kamian

Jay Ashjaee

David Dutton

Michael Wingert

Takao Yonehara

Solene Coutant

Nevran Ozguven

Michael West Wiemer

Thom Stalcup

Emmanuel Van Kerschaver

Yen-Sheng Su

David A B Miller

Krishna Chandra Saraswat

Yu-Hsuan Kuo

Vivek Saraswat

Joe Kramer

Benjamin Rattle

Virenda V Rana

Asli Buccu Ucok

Mehmet Günhan Ertosun

K-Josef Kramer

Gerry Olsen

Kamran Manteghi

Homi Fatemi

Burcu Ucok

Solar photovoltaic window blind slats for power generation from internal and external light sources are provided are provided. A plurality of solar cells are attached to at least two sides of a slat core. Distributed maximum power point tracking optimizer components are associated with each solar cell. The solar cells and corresponding distributed maximum power point tracking optimizer components on each slat side are connected in electrical series.

Solar photovoltaic blinds and curtains for residential and commercial buildings

Fabrication methods and structures are provided for the formation of monolithically isled back contact back junction solar cells. In one embodiment, base and emitter contact metallization is formed on the backside of a back contact back junction solar cell substrate. A trench stop layer is formed on the backside of a back contact back junction solar cell substrate and is electrically isolated from the base and emitter contact metallization. The trench stop layer has a pattern for forming a plurality semiconductor regions. An electrically insulating layer is formed on the base and emitter contact metallization and the trench stop layer. A trench isolation pattern is formed through the back contact back junction solar cell substrate to the trench stop layer which partitions the semiconductor layer into a plurality of solar cell semiconductor regions on the electrically insulating layer.

Trench isolation for monolithically isled solar photovoltaic cells and modules

An interdigitated back contact solar cell is provided. The solar cell comprises a solar cell substrate having a light receiving frontside and a backside comprising base and emitter regions. A first level metal (M) layer is positioned on the substrate backside contacting the base and emitter regions. A second level metal (M) layer is connected to the first level metal (M) layer and comprises a base busbar and an emitter busbar. The first level metal comprises substantially orthogonal interdigitated metallization and substantially parallel interdigitated metallization positioned under and corresponding to the base and emitter busbars on the second level metal (M). The substantially parallel interdigitated metallization of Mcollects carriers of opposite polarity of the corresponding busbar.

Solar cell metallization

Fabrication methods and structures relating to backplanes for back contact solar cells that provide for solar cell substrate reinforcement and electrical interconnects as well as Fabrication methods and structures for forming thin film back contact solar cells are described.

High-efficiency solar photovoltaic cells and modules using thin crystalline semiconductor absorbers

A back contact solar cell is described which includes a semiconductor light absorbing layer; a first-level metal layer (M1), the M1 metal layer on a back side of the light absorbing layer, the back side being opposite from a front side of the light absorbing layer designed to receive incident light; an electrically insulating backplane sheet backside of said solar cell with the M1 layer, the backplane sheet comprising a plurality of via holes that expose portions of the M1 layer beneath the backplane sheet; and an M2 layer in contact with the backplane sheet, the M2 layer made of a sheet of pre-fabricated metal foil material comprising a thickness of between 5-250 &#x3bc;m, the M2 layer electrically connected to the M1 layer through the via holes in the backplane sheet.

Metal foil metallization for backplane-attached solar cells and modules

The present application provides effective and efficient structures and methods for the formation of solar cell base and emitter regions and passivation layers using laser processing. Laser absorbent passivation materials are formed on a solar cell substrate and patterned using laser ablation to form base and emitter regions. Laser damage to the solar cell substrate is removed using an etch.

Aluminum oxide passivation and damage removal for solar cells

Laser patterning methods utilize a laser absorbent hard mask in combination with wet etching to form patterned solar cell doped regions to improve cell efficiency by avoiding laser ablation of an underlying semiconductor substrate associated with ablation of an overlying transparent passivation layer.

Damage free laser patterning of transparent layers for forming doped regions on a solar cell substrate

The present disclosure enables high-volume cost effective production of three-dimensional thin film solar cell (3-D TFSC) substrates. Pyramid-like unit cell structuresandenable epitaxial growth through an open pyramidal structure 3-D TFSC embodiments, andmay be combined as necessary. A basic 3-D TFSC having a substrate, emitter, oxidation on the emitter, and front and back metal contacts allows for simple processing. Other embodiments disclose a selective emitter, selective backside metal contacts, and front-side SiN ARC layers. Several processing methods, including process flows, and, enable production of these 3-D TFSCs.

Structures and methods for high-efficiency pyramidal three-dimensional solar cells

According to one aspect of the disclosed subject matter, a method for forming a monolithically isled back contact back junction solar cell is provided. Emitter and base contact regions are formed on a backside of a semiconductor wafer having a light receiving frontside and a backside opposite said frontside. A first level contact metallization is formed on the wafer backside and an electrically insulating backplane is attached to the semiconductor wafer backside. Isolation trenches are formed in the semiconductor wafer patterning the semiconductor wafer into a plurality of electrically isolated isles and the semiconductor wafer is thinned. A metallization structure is formed on the electrically insulating backplane electrically connecting the plurality of isles.

Monolithically isled back contact back junction solar cells

Methods and structures for extracting at least one electric parametric value from a back contact solar cell. According to one embodiment, a first layer of electrically conductive metal having an interdigitated pattern of base electrodes and emitter electrodes is formed on the backside surface of a semiconductor solar cell substrate. An electrically insulating layer is formed on the first layer of electrically conductive metal providing electrical isolation between the first layer of electrically conductive metal and a second layer of electrically conductive metal. Vias are formed in the electrically insulating layer providing access to the first layer of electrically conductive metal. A second electrically conductive metallization layer is formed on the electrically insulating layer and contacts the first electrically conductive metal layer through the vias. An electrical parametric value is extracted from the solar cell by probing the electrically conductive metallization layer with an electrical current or voltage.

Electrical parametric testing for back contact semiconductor solar cells

An apparatus for forming porous silicon layers on at least two surfaces of a plurality of silicon templates in a batch electrochemical anodic etch process is provided. The apparatus comprises a plurality of edge-sealing template mounts operable to prevent formation of porous silicon at the edges of a plurality of templates. An electrolyte is disposed among the plurality of templates. The apparatus further comprises a power supply operable to switch polarity, change current intensity, and control etching time to produce the porous silicon layers.

Apparatus for forming porous silicon layers on at least two surfaces of a plurality of silicon templates

Fabrication methods for making back contact back junction solar cells. A base dopant source, a field emitter dopant source, and an emitter dopant source are deposited on the back surface of a solar cell substrate. The solar cell substrate is annealed forming emitter contact regions corresponding to the emitter dopant source, field emitter regions corresponding to the field emitter dopant, and base contact regions corresponding to the base dopant source. The base dopant source, field emitter dopant source, and the emitter dopant source are etched. A backside passivation layer is deposited on the back surface of the solar cell. Contacts are opened to the emitter contact regions and the base contact regions through the backside passivation layer. Patterned base metallization and patterned emitter metallization is formed on the back surface of the solar cell with electrical interconnections to the base contact regions and the emitter contact regions.

Fabrication methods for monolithically isled back contact back junction solar cells

Processing equipment for the metallization of a plurality of semiconductor workpieces. A controlled atmospheric non-oxidizing gas region comprises at least two enclosed deposition zones, the controlled atmospheric non-oxidizing gas region is isolated from external oxidizing ambient. A temperature controller adjusts the temperature of the semiconductor workpiece in each of the at least two enclosed deposition zones. Each of the enclosed deposition zones comprising at least one spray gun for the metallization of the semiconductor workpiece. A transport system moves the semiconductor workpiece through the controlled atmospheric non-oxidizing gas region. A batch carrier plate carries the semiconductor workpiece through the controlled atmospheric non-oxidizing gas region. The controlled atmospheric non-oxidizing gas region further comprises a gas-based pre-cleaning zone.

High productivity spray processing for the metallization of semiconductor  workpieces

A back contact back junction thin-film solar cell is formed on a thin-film semiconductor solar cell. Preferably the thin film semiconductor material comprises crystalline silicon. Base regions, emitter regions, and front surface field regions are formed through ion implantation and annealing processes.

Ion implantation and annealing for thin film crystalline solar cells

Growing community of inventors

Burlingame, CA, United States of America

Pawan Kapur