Selective Deposition for Cost-Effective Solar Cell Patterns
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Summary
Problems
The creation of interdigitated patterns for silicon solar cells, particularly in heterojunction interdigitated back-contact (HJ-IBC) type, is complex and costly, making it challenging for mass production due to reliance on photolithography and lift-off processes.
Innovation solutions
A method involving selective deposition of amorphous silicon using a plasma deposition and etching process, where a sublayer is deposited on exposed regions and etched at different rates on a hard mask versus the substrate, allowing for the formation of an interdigitated pattern without material remaining on the hard mask, combined with plasma cleaning and thermal annealing to enhance surface passivation.
TRIZ Analysis
Specific contradictions:
General conflict description:
Principle concept:
If photolithography and lift-off processes are used to create interdigitated patterns, then pattern formation is achieved, but manufacturing cost increases and mass production becomes difficult
Why choose this principle:
The patent replaces complex photolithography and lift-off mechanical processes with a simpler selective deposition process using plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). This substitution eliminates the need for photoresist coating, patterning, and lift-off steps, directly forming the interdigitated pattern through selective area deposition on the substrate.
Principle concept:
If photolithography and lift-off processes are used to create interdigitated patterns, then pattern formation is achieved, but manufacturing cost increases and mass production becomes difficult
Why choose this principle:
The patent utilizes parameter changes in the PECVD process, specifically controlling deposition conditions such as temperature, pressure, and gas flow rates to achieve selective deposition only in desired regions. By adjusting these parameters, the process enables direct pattern formation without complex mechanical intervention.
Application Domain
Data Source
AI summary:
A method involving selective deposition of amorphous silicon using a plasma deposition and etching process, where a sublayer is deposited on exposed regions and etched at different rates on a hard mask versus the substrate, allowing for the formation of an interdigitated pattern without material remaining on the hard mask, combined with plasma cleaning and thermal annealing to enhance surface passivation.
Abstract
A method (100) for creating an interdigitated pattern for a solar cell is provided, including providing (S110) a substrate with one or more regions covered by a first passivation layer stack covered by a hard mask, and one or more exposed regions. A second passivation layer stack, including at least one layer, is selectively deposited on the exposed regions, including plasma depositing (S120) a sublayer of the at least one layer on the exposed regions and on the hard mask, and plasma etching (S130) the added sublayer with an etch rate that is higher on the hard mask than on the exposed regions, thereby substantially removing the sublayer from the hard mask while leaving a finite thickness of the sublayer on the exposed regions, plasma cleaning (S150) the remaining sublayer, and adding a further sublayer by repeating the steps of deposition (S120) and etching (S130). Cleaning, deposition and etching may be repeated (S142) until a desired thickness of the at least one layer of the second passivation layer stack is obtained.