Solar cell texturing

摘要

Multicrystalline silicon (mc-Si) solar cells having patterned light trapping structures (e.g., pyramid or trough features) are generated by printing a liquid mask material from an array of closely-spaced parallel elongated conduits such that portions of the mc-Si wafer are exposed through openings defined between the printed mask features. Closely spaced mask pattern features are achieved using an array of conduits (e.g., micro-springs or straight polyimide cantilevers), where each conduit includes a slit-type, tube-type or ridge/valley-type liquid guiding channel that extends between a fixed base end and a tip end of the conduit such that mask material supplied from a reservoir is precisely ejected from the tip onto the mc-Si wafer. The exposed planar surface portions are then etched to form the desired patterned light trapping structures (e.g., trough structures).

主权项

1. A method for generating a patterned light trapping structure on a planar surface of a multi-crystalline silicon wafer, the method comprising:
transmitting a liquid mask material along a plurality of parallel elongated conduits such that a portion of said mask material is ejected from a tip portion of each said conduit; moving the multi-crystalline silicon wafer under the tip portions of the plurality of conduits such that the ejected mask material portions form a mask pattern on the planar surface of the multi-crystalline silicon wafer, wherein said mask material pattern is formed such that a portion of said planar surface is exposed through said mask material pattern; and etching the exposed planar surface portion such that the etched multi-crystalline silicon wafer forms the integral patterned light trapping structure.