Patent ID: 9634176
Date: 2017-04-25
CPC Classifications: H01L,Y02E,Y02P

Claim:
1. A method of manufacturing a crystalline silicon-based solar cell, the crystalline silicon-based solar cell comprising: a photoelectric conversion section including a crystalline silicon substrate of a first conductivity-type having a first principal surface and a second principal surface, and a silicon-based layer of an opposite conductivity-type on the first principal surface side of the crystalline silicon substrate; and a collecting electrode formed on top of the first principal surface of the photoelectric conversion section, the method comprises: a photoelectric conversion section providing step of providing the photoelectric conversion section; a collecting electrode forming step of forming the collecting electrode on the first principal surface of the photoelectric conversion section by an electroplating method; an insulation process step of applying laser light from the first principal surface side or the second principal surface side of the photoelectric conversion section to the crystalline silicon substrate of the first conductivity-type to form an insulation-processed region where a short-circuit between the first principal surface and the second principal surface of the photoelectric conversion section is eliminated; a protecting layer forming step of forming a protecting layer on a top surface of the collecting electrode and/or on a surface of the insulation-processed region, the protecting layer being provided for preventing diffusion of a metal, which is contained in the collecting electrode, into the crystalline silicon substrate of the first conductivity-type from the insulation-processed region; and a heating treatment step of heating the insulation-processed region to insulate a surface of the insulation-processed region, thereby eliminating leakage between the crystalline silicon substrate of the first conductivity-type and the silicon-based layer of the opposite conductivity-type, which has been generated by laser processing in the insulation process step, wherein the heating treatment step is performed after the protecting layer forming step.