The Boeing Company

Uming T Jeng

Dimitri Daniel Krut

Xiaobo Zhang

Julie J Hoskin

Vincent A Lim

Kent E Barbour

Hoon H Lee

John P Serra

Steven M Bunyan

Christopher M Fetzer

Philip T Chiu

Moran Haddad

Peter Hebert

Dennis G Hom

Joseph P O'Day

Dennis S Hom

Joseph P O'DAY

A solar cell design includes fabricating one or more gridlines for extracting photo-current on a front surface of the solar cell, wherein each of the gridlines is a metal grid and a cap layer, and at least a portion of the metal grid is deposited on the cap layer; and controlling an alignment of the metal grid relative to the cap layer, and a width of the cap layer relative to a width of the metal grid, so that a minimum cap edge offset distance value is about 1 μm or more. The alignment of the metal grid relative to the cap layer and the width of the cap layer relative to the width of the metal grid are controlled at areas on the front surface of the solar cell opposite where welding occurs on a back-side of the solar cell. The alignments and widths of the metal grid relative to the cap layer are controlled by a photomask.

Solar cell design that minimizes weld attrition and gridline shadowing losses

A method for forming a solar cell including steps of (1) providing a semiconductor wafer having an upper surface; (2) applying an electrical contact material to the upper surface, the electrical contact material forming an electrically conductive grid that includes grid lines extending from a bus bar; (3) forming an isolation channel in the semiconductor wafer to define a solar cell portion and a wing portion, wherein the wing portion is electrically isolated from the solar cell portion, and wherein the wing portion is substantially free of the electrical contact material; (4) submerging the semiconductor wafer in a solvent, wherein formation of metal dendrites on the grid lines of the electrically conductive grid is inhibited; and (5) separating the solar cell portion from the wing portion.

Metal dendrite-free solar cell

Growing community of inventors

Rosemead, CA, United States of America

Uming T Jeng