Forming high efficiency silicon solar cells using density-graded anti-reflection surfaces

摘要

A method (50) is provided for processing a graded-density AR silicon surface (14) to provide effective surface passivation. The method (50) includes positioning a substrate or wafer (12) with a silicon surface (14) in a reaction or processing chamber (42). The silicon surface (14) has been processed (52) to be an AR surface with a density gradient or region of black silicon. The method (50) continues with heating (54) the chamber (42) to a high temperature for both doping and surface passivation. The method (50) includes forming (58), with a dopant-containing precursor in contact with the silicon surface (14) of the substrate (12), an emitter junction (16) proximate to the silicon surface (14) by doping the substrate (12). The method (50) further includes, while the chamber is maintained at the high or raised temperature, forming (62) a passivation layer (19) on the graded-density silicon anti-reflection surface (14).

主权项

1. A method of processing a silicon surface to provide surface passivation for high-efficiency silicon-based devices, comprising:
positioning a substrate with a silicon surface in a chamber, wherein the silicon surface comprises graded-density silicon to provide an anti-reflection surface; heating the chamber to a temperature within a high-temperature processing range; with a dopant-containing precursor that is in communication with the chamber or that was previously formed on the silicon surface, forming an emitter junction proximate the silicon surface by doping the substrate; and while the chamber is maintained at the temperature within the high-temperature processing range, forming a passivation layer on the graded-density silicon anti-reflection surface, wherein a dopant-containing layer is formed on the silicon surface during or prior to the emitter junction forming and wherein the passivation layer forming is performed with the dopant-containing layer in place on the substrate, whereby the passivation layer is sandwiched between the dopant-containing layer and the graded-density silicon anti-reflection surface.