Patent US10374108

Photovoltaic device, photovoltaic module, and method for fabricating the photovoltaic device
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US10374108

1. A photovoltaic device, comprising: (4) (3)

a silicon substrate having a first major surface having a texture in which a plurality of pyramids are arrayed two-dimensionally; and

a first amorphous silicon layer on the first major surface of the silicon substrate, the first amorphous silicon layer having an uneven surface corresponding to the texture, wherein:

the first amorphous silicon layer: is amorphous in peak portions and slope portions extending between the peak portions and valley portions of the uneven surface; and

has crystalline regions which grow, in a pillar manner, approximately perpendicularly from a substrate surface of the silicon substrate in the valley portions of the uneven surface, the crystalline regions being discretely present along upper ends of the valley portions, the upper ends being opposite lower ends of the valley portions, the lower ends being in contact with the silicon substrate, and

in a cross-sectional view of the first amorphous silicon layer, coverage of the crystalline regions in the valley portions is higher than coverage of amorphous regions in the valley portions.

2. The photovoltaic device according to claim 1, wherein (0) (1)

3. The photovoltaic device according to claim 1, wherein (0) (1)

4. The photovoltaic device according to claim 1, wherein (2) (1)

the first amorphous silicon layer has a conductivity type same as a conductivity type of the silicon substrate.

5. The photovoltaic device according to claim 4, wherein (0) (1)

6. The photovoltaic device according to claim 4, wherein: (1) (4)

the silicon substrate further has a second major surface having the texture, the second major surface and the first major surface being opposing surfaces,

the photovoltaic device further comprising a second amorphous silicon layer on the second major surface of the silicon substrate, the second amorphous silicon layer having an uneven surface corresponding to the texture and having a conductivity type opposite the conductivity type of the silicon substrate,

the second amorphous silicon layer has peak portions, valley portions and slope portions extending between the peak portions and the valley portions, and

in cross-sectional views of the first amorphous silicon layer and the second amorphous silicon layer, the coverage of the crystalline regions in the valley portions of the first amorphous silicon layer is higher than coverage of the crystalline regions in the valley portions of the second amorphous silicon layer.

7. The photovoltaic device according to claim 6, wherein (0) (3)

8. A photovoltaic module, comprising: (0) (5)

a plurality of photovoltaic devices disposed two-dimensionally, each being the photovoltaic device according to claim 1;

a front surface shield disposed on a front surface side of the plurality of photovoltaic devices;

a rear surface shield disposed on a rear surface side of the plurality of photovoltaic devices;

a front surface filler between the front surface shield and the plurality of photovoltaic devices; and

a rear surface filler between the rear surface shield and the plurality of photovoltaic devices.

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Patent US10374108

Photovoltaic device, photovoltaic module, and method for fabricating the photovoltaic device

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