Sunpower Corporation

Maxeon Solar Pte. Ltd.

Tim Dennis

David D Smith

Peter John Cousins

Ann P Waldhauer

Yu-Chen Shen

Richard M Swanson

Michael C Johnson

Marius M Bunea

Gabriel Harley

Taeseok Kim

Jane Manning

Russelle De Jesus Tabajonda

Scott Harrington

Hsin-Chiao Luan

Genevieve A Solomon

Helen Liu

Brenda Pagulayan Malgapu

Joseph Ramirez

David Smith

Solar cells having emitter regions composed of wide bandgap semiconductor material are described. In an example, a method includes forming, in a process tool having a controlled atmosphere, a thin dielectric layer on a surface of a semiconductor substrate of the solar cell. The semiconductor substrate has a bandgap. Without removing the semiconductor substrate from the controlled atmosphere of the process tool, a semiconductor layer is formed on the thin dielectric layer. The semiconductor layer has a bandgap at least approximately 0.2 electron Volts (eV) above the bandgap of the semiconductor substrate.

Solar cell having an emitter region with wide bandgap semiconductor material

Contact holes of solar cells are formed by laser ablation to accommodate various solar cell designs. Use of a laser to form the contact holes is facilitated by replacing films formed on the diffusion regions with a film that has substantially uniform thickness. Contact holes may be formed to deep diffusion regions to increase the laser ablation process margins. The laser configuration may be tailored to form contact holes through dielectric films of varying thicknesses.

Process and structures for fabrication of solar cells

A method of fabricating a solar cell can include forming a dielectric region on a silicon substrate. The method can also include forming an emitter region over the dielectric region and forming a dopant region on a surface of the silicon substrate. In an embodiment, the method can include heating the silicon substrate at a temperature above 900 degrees Celsius to getter impurities to the emitter region and drive dopants from the dopant region to a portion of the silicon substrate.

Solar cells with improved lifetime, passivation and/or efficiency

Methods of fabricating emitter regions of solar cells are described. Methods of forming layers on substrates of solar cells, and the resulting solar cells, are also described.

Method of fabricating an emitter region of a solar cell

Laser process and corresponding structures for forming contact holes of solar cells

Laser process and corresponding structures for fabrication of solar cells with shunt prevention dielectric

Methods of fabricating solar cells with tunnel dielectric layers are described. Solar cells with tunnel dielectric layers are also described.

Method of fabricating a solar cell with a tunnel dielectric layer

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Canton, TX, United States of America

Tim Dennis