Systems and methods for forming foil contact rear emitter solar cells with carrier selective contacts

Abstract

A solar cell structure may provide a front surface that may include a front passivation layer and front anti-reflective layer. The solar cell structure may provide both contacts on a rear surface. In some cases, the rear surface may optionally provide passivation, doped, and/or transparent conductive oxide layers. The rear surface also provides a multilayer foil assembly (MFA). The MFA provides a first metal foil in electrical communication with doped regions of the rear surface of the substrate, such as base or emitter regions. The MFA may also provide a second metal foil that is spaced apart from the first metal foil by a dielectric layer. The metal foils and dielectric layers may include openings through the entirety of these layers, and these openings may be utilized to form contacts electrically coupled to the second metal foil, which is electrically isolated from the first metal foil. Contacts to the solar cell may be carrier selective contacts, formed by deposition, laser transfer, and/or chemical transformation processes.