Fine line metallization of photovoltaic devices by partial lift-off of optical coatings

US8236604B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• TETRASUN, INC. · US

Inventors

• Oliver Schultz-Wittmann · Sunnyvale, US
• Douglas E. Crafts · San Jose, US
• Denis DeCeuster · Woodside, US
• Adrian Bruce Turner · Bitterfeld-Wolfen, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Feb 15, 2011
• Grant date: Aug 7, 2012
• Expiry date: Feb 15, 2031

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y02E10/547

Abstract

A metal grid contact and dielectric pattern on a layer requiring conductive contact in a photovoltaic device. The invention includes, in one aspect, forming a metal film; forming an etch resist over the metal film by, e.g., directly writing and in-situ curing the etch resist using, e.g., ink-jetting or screen-printing; etching the metal film leaving the resist pattern and a metal grid contact pattern under the etch resist intact; forming a dielectric layer over the etch resist; and removing the resist pattern and the dielectric over the etch resist, leaving a substantially co-planar metal grid contact and dielectric pattern. The metal grid contact pattern may form the front and/or back contact electrode of a solar cell; and the dielectric layer may be an optical reflection or antireflection layer. The layer requiring contact may be multifunctional providing its own passivation, such that passivation is substantially not required in the dielectric layer.