Patent · US Expired

Solar cell manufacture

US4158591A · kind A · utility

13Cited by
7References
11Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateApr 24, 1978
Grant dateJun 19, 1979
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 24, 1998

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY10S438/928
  • WIPO fieldSemiconductors
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method for manufacturing solar cells wherein a plurality of wafers of a first conductivity type are assembled and thereafter doped with an active impurity of an opposite conductivity imparting type to establish a p-n junction. Thereafter front and back contacts are formed on the wafers by metallization, the back contact material being chosen so that it penetrates any p-n junctions present in the area of the back contact, if any, and thereby forms a low resistance ohmic contact through any such junction. Thereafter the contact containing wafers are coin stacked and plasma etched so that the edge faces of the coin stacked wafers have removed therefrom sufficient p-n junction to electrically isolate the front junction from the back junction or junctions.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.