EP0826242A1 - Cellule solaire possedant une structure de couches minces multiples en silicium - Google Patents

Cellule solaire possedant une structure de couches minces multiples en silicium

Info

Publication number
EP0826242A1
EP0826242A1 EP96911113A EP96911113A EP0826242A1 EP 0826242 A1 EP0826242 A1 EP 0826242A1 EP 96911113 A EP96911113 A EP 96911113A EP 96911113 A EP96911113 A EP 96911113A EP 0826242 A1 EP0826242 A1 EP 0826242A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
solar cell
layers
cell according
thin film
type
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP96911113A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Inventor
Frans Willem Saris
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Energieonderzoek Centrum Nederland ECN
Original Assignee
Energieonderzoek Centrum Nederland ECN
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Energieonderzoek Centrum Nederland ECN filed Critical Energieonderzoek Centrum Nederland ECN
Publication of EP0826242A1 publication Critical patent/EP0826242A1/fr
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L31/00—Semiconductor devices sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation and specially adapted either for the conversion of the energy of such radiation into electrical energy or for the control of electrical energy by such radiation; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof
    • H01L31/04—Semiconductor devices sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation and specially adapted either for the conversion of the energy of such radiation into electrical energy or for the control of electrical energy by such radiation; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof adapted as photovoltaic [PV] conversion devices
    • H01L31/06—Semiconductor devices sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation and specially adapted either for the conversion of the energy of such radiation into electrical energy or for the control of electrical energy by such radiation; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof adapted as photovoltaic [PV] conversion devices characterised by potential barriers
    • H01L31/075—Semiconductor devices sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation and specially adapted either for the conversion of the energy of such radiation into electrical energy or for the control of electrical energy by such radiation; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof adapted as photovoltaic [PV] conversion devices characterised by potential barriers the potential barriers being only of the PIN type, e.g. amorphous silicon PIN solar cells
    • H01L31/076—Multiple junction or tandem solar cells
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L31/00—Semiconductor devices sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation and specially adapted either for the conversion of the energy of such radiation into electrical energy or for the control of electrical energy by such radiation; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof
    • H01L31/02—Details
    • H01L31/0224—Electrodes
    • H01L31/022408—Electrodes for devices characterised by at least one potential jump barrier or surface barrier
    • H01L31/022425—Electrodes for devices characterised by at least one potential jump barrier or surface barrier for solar cells
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L31/00—Semiconductor devices sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation and specially adapted either for the conversion of the energy of such radiation into electrical energy or for the control of electrical energy by such radiation; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof
    • H01L31/04—Semiconductor devices sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation and specially adapted either for the conversion of the energy of such radiation into electrical energy or for the control of electrical energy by such radiation; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof adapted as photovoltaic [PV] conversion devices
    • H01L31/042—PV modules or arrays of single PV cells
    • H01L31/0445—PV modules or arrays of single PV cells including thin film solar cells, e.g. single thin film a-Si, CIS or CdTe solar cells
    • H01L31/046—PV modules composed of a plurality of thin film solar cells deposited on the same substrate
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L31/00—Semiconductor devices sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation and specially adapted either for the conversion of the energy of such radiation into electrical energy or for the control of electrical energy by such radiation; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof
    • H01L31/04—Semiconductor devices sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation and specially adapted either for the conversion of the energy of such radiation into electrical energy or for the control of electrical energy by such radiation; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof adapted as photovoltaic [PV] conversion devices
    • H01L31/042—PV modules or arrays of single PV cells
    • H01L31/0445—PV modules or arrays of single PV cells including thin film solar cells, e.g. single thin film a-Si, CIS or CdTe solar cells
    • H01L31/046—PV modules composed of a plurality of thin film solar cells deposited on the same substrate
    • H01L31/0465—PV modules composed of a plurality of thin film solar cells deposited on the same substrate comprising particular structures for the electrical interconnection of adjacent PV cells in the module
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
    • Y02E10/00—Energy generation through renewable energy sources
    • Y02E10/50—Photovoltaic [PV] energy
    • Y02E10/548—Amorphous silicon PV cells

Definitions

  • the invention relates to a solar cell, comprising at least three substantially thin film parallel silicon layers, stacked upon each other, and at least two conductors providing an electrical contact with at least two of said layers, said conductors extending in a direction substantially transverse with respect to said layers.
  • a solar cell of the above mentioned type has been disclosed in WO 93/12543, which teaches the deposition of thin film silicon layers from solution in molten metal or other known techniques onto supporting glass superstrate. These techniques imply the formation of thin films of crystalline silicon.
  • the thin film layers comprise amorphous silicon (a-Si) .
  • a solar cell according to the invention involves many advantages over the prior art crystalline silicon solar cell, in that its manufacturing by thin film depostion allows inter alia a wide area at a low material consumption, processing at low temperatures, p-n doping and alloying control during deposition, deposition on inexpensive substrates of different kind and shape, easy integrated manufacturing and mass production at low cost.
  • the thickness of an amorphous silicon thin film solar cell according to the invention is an order of magnitude less than the thickness of a known device having a similar energy efficiency, but using crystalline silicon.
  • the mechanical strength of the solar cell according to the invention is superior over the mechanical strength of the known solar cell.
  • the thin film layers are provided by amorphous silicon of the p-type (p-Si) , intrinsic amorphous silicon (i-Si) and amorphous silicon of the n-type (n-Si) respectively, in the order given by the formula (I) : p-Si, (i-Si,n-Si,i-Si,p-Si) x ,i-Si,n-Si (I), where x is the number 0 or a natural number, preferably 0__x ⁇ _5, one of said conductors provides an electrical contact with each of said p-Si layers and the other of said conductors provides an electrical contact with each of said n-Si layers.
  • the structure of this embodiment consists of multiple interleaved parallel layers, thus greatly increasing the collection probability for carriers generated by the absorption of light. If the spacings between the layer junctions are properly chosen, the collection probability for all generated carriers approaches unity.
  • each a-Si layer is less than carrier collection length in said each layer.
  • carrier injection between the layers will advantageously then result in sharing of current between the layers, as the multiple interleaved layers of n-Si and p- Si provide parallel paths for current conduction between contacts, thus reducing resistive losses.
  • a certain amount of crystalline silicon of the p-type may be provided within a p- Si layer, and/or a certain amount of crystalline silicon of the n-type is provided within an n-Si layer.
  • the amount of p-type and/or n-type crystalline silicon may just be as little to provide small areas of finite dimensions, comprising micro-crystalline silicon, or as much as to provide an intermediate layer of crystalline silicon within the respective amorphous layer.
  • the a-Si is hydrogenated.
  • a-Si:H Hydrogenated a-Si
  • the spectral response in a-Si is superior over many other solar cell materials, whereas majority and minority carrier lifetimes have been found to be at least 10 ns. Therefore, a multiple layer a-Si solar cell yields a relatively high efficiency in comparison with prior art solar cells, without additional light trapping.
  • the a-Si may be alloyed with a material selected from germanium (Ge) , carbon (C) and a combination of said materials.
  • the a-Si layers may be intrinsic or doped with electrically or optically active impurities, chosen to optimize the response of the cell to the solar spectrum.
  • An embodiment of a solar cell according to the invention comprises e.g. a substrate or a superstrate for the thin film silicon layers and a covering toplayer or bottomlayer respectively.
  • Substrate or superstrate and toplayer or bottomlayer respectively may be provided in a way per se known, whereby at least the substrate or the superstrate, or respectively the toplayer or the bottomlayer is transparant, or whereby substrate and toplayer or superstrate and bottomlayer respectively are both transparant.
  • n-type busbar for one cell By making an n-type busbar for one cell very close to a p- type busbar groove for an adjacent cell, two regions can be linked during metallization. This provides automatic series interconnection of adjacent a-Si cells, eliminating interconnects and subsequent soldering other than the output leads. Two adjacent grooves may actually overlap, forming one wider groove with side walls oppositely doped. In this case, filling the groove with metal again automatically provides the series connection.
  • Fig. 1 shows a schematic cross section of a first embodiment of an a-Si:H multilayer solar cell according to the invention
  • Fig. 2 shows a schematic cross section of a second embodiment of an a-Si:H multilayer solar cell according to the invention.
  • Fig.l shows a multiple solar cell 1, comprising interleaved parallel layers 2,3,4 of intrinsic hydrogenated amorphous silicon (i-Si), each said layer 2,3,4 being bound by a layer 5,6 of hydrogenated amorphous n-type silicon (n- Si) and a layer 7,8 of hydrogenated amorphous p-type silicon (p-Si) .
  • i-Si intrinsic hydrogenated amorphous silicon
  • p-Si hydrogenated amorphous p-type silicon
  • Carriers generated by incident light in the intrinsic layers 2-3 drift towards the the n-Si layers 5,6 or the p-Si layers 7,8 respectively, depending on their sign, and are transported via the respective layers 5-8 towards the metal contacts 13,14, which thus can provide a photo-current to a circuit connected (not shown) .
  • the solar cell 1 has been extended in the direction of the layers in a repeating pattern, such as to provide upon a single substrate (not shown) a multiple solar cell, the contacts of which are electrically connected in series.
  • the solar cell 1 may easily be extended in a direction transverse with respect to the layers by repeating the sequence of four consecutively stacked layers of amorphous silicon.
  • Fig. 2 shows another embodiment of a multiple solar cell 21 according to the invention.
  • This cell 21 has in general the the same configuration as the solar cell 1 shown in fig. 1. Corresponding members have been indicated by corresponding reference signs.
  • the advantage of the configuration of cell 21 shown in fig. 2 is the formation within the current transporting amorphous n-Si and p-Si layers 5,6 and 7,8 of small layers of corresponding micro-cristalline silicon 25,26 and 27,28 respectively, thus considerably reducing the resistance of these layers.
  • a further reduction of resistance in the cell 21 has been attained by the doping of the groove walls 10,12 and 9,11 with micro-crystalline n-type silicon 35 and p-type silicon 36 respectively.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Sustainable Development (AREA)
  • Sustainable Energy (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Condensed Matter Physics & Semiconductors (AREA)
  • Electromagnetism (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
  • Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
  • Power Engineering (AREA)
  • Photovoltaic Devices (AREA)

Abstract

Cellule solaire comprenant au moins trois couches minces parallèles en silicium, empilées les unes sur les autres et au moins deux conducteurs établissant un contact électrique avec au moins deux desdites couches, lesdits conducteurs s'étendant dans un sens sensiblement transversal par rapport aux dites couches. Ces couches minces sont constituées par du silicium amorphe du type p (p-Si), par du silicium amorphe intrinsèque (i-Si) et par du silicium amorphe du type n (n-Si) respectivement, dans l'ordre donné par la formule (I): p-Si, (i-Si, n-Si,i-Si, p-Si)x, i-Si, n-Si, où, de préférence, 0≤x≤5; le silicium amorphe est hydrogéné en une concentration située dans une plage de 1 % at.-10 % at. par rapport à Si, de préférence en concentration d'environ 1 % at. par rapport à Si, l'un desdits conducteurs établit un contact électrique avec chacune desdites couches de p-Si et l'autre desdits conducteurs établit un contact électrique avec chacune desdites couches de n-Si. Une certaine quantité de silicium cristallin du type p se trouve à l'intérieur d'une couche de p-Si et une certaine quantité de silicium cristallin du type n se trouve à l'intérieur d'une couche de n-Si.
EP96911113A 1995-05-01 1996-04-23 Cellule solaire possedant une structure de couches minces multiples en silicium Withdrawn EP0826242A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
NL1000264 1995-05-01
NL1000264A NL1000264C2 (nl) 1995-05-01 1995-05-01 Zonnecel met meerlaagsstructuur van dunne films silicium.
PCT/NL1996/000177 WO1996035235A1 (fr) 1995-05-01 1996-04-23 Cellule solaire possedant une structure de couches minces multiples en silicium

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0826242A1 true EP0826242A1 (fr) 1998-03-04

Family

ID=19760958

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP96911113A Withdrawn EP0826242A1 (fr) 1995-05-01 1996-04-23 Cellule solaire possedant une structure de couches minces multiples en silicium

Country Status (5)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0826242A1 (fr)
AU (1) AU5409496A (fr)
NL (1) NL1000264C2 (fr)
TW (1) TW280951B (fr)
WO (1) WO1996035235A1 (fr)

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE102010026289B4 (de) * 2010-07-06 2014-10-30 Sameday Media Gmbh Solarzelle und Verfahren

Family Cites Families (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
ES8302365A1 (es) * 1980-09-09 1982-12-16 Energy Conversion Devices Inc Dispositivo amorfo fotosensible de celulas multiples mejora-do
JPS61104678A (ja) * 1984-10-29 1986-05-22 Mitsubishi Electric Corp アモルフアス太陽電池
JP3037461B2 (ja) * 1991-05-07 2000-04-24 キヤノン株式会社 光起電力素子
WO1993012543A1 (fr) * 1991-12-09 1993-06-24 Unisearch Limited Contact noye, couche mince interconnectee et generateur photovoltaique
AUPM483494A0 (en) * 1994-03-31 1994-04-28 Pacific Solar Pty Limited Multiple layer thin film solar cells

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
See references of WO9635235A1 *

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
WO1996035235A1 (fr) 1996-11-07
AU5409496A (en) 1996-11-21
TW280951B (en) 1996-07-11
NL1000264C2 (nl) 1996-11-04

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