Precision printing electroplating through plating mask on a solar cell substrate

US7736928B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Applied Materials, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Sergey Lopatin · Santa Clara, US
• John O. Dukovic · Pleasantville, US
• David Eaglesham · Perrysburg, US
• Nicolay Kovarsky · Sunnyvale, US
• Robert Z. Bachrach · Burlingame, US
• John D. Busch · San Jose, US
• Charles Gay · San Fernando, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Dec 1, 2006
• Grant date: Jun 15, 2010
• Expiry date: Dec 15, 2028

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y02E10/50

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention contemplate the formation of a low cost solar cell using a novel electroplating apparatus and method to form a metal contact structure having metal lines formed using an electrochemical plating process. The apparatus and methods described herein remove the need to perform the often costly processing steps of performing a mask preparation and formation steps, such as screen printing, lithographic steps and inkjet printing steps, to form a contact structure. The resistance of interconnects formed in a solar cell device greatly affects the efficiency of the solar cell. It is thus desirable to form a solar cell device that has a low resistance connection that is reliable and cost effective. Therefore, one or more embodiments of the invention described herein are adapted to form a low cost and reliable interconnecting layer using an electrochemical plating process containing a common metal, such as copper. Embodiments of the invention may provide an apparatus and method of forming a solar cell device that utilizes a reusable masking device during one or more electrochemical deposition steps.