Patent ID: 7388147
Filing Date: 2008-06-17
Classification: H01L,Y02E

Abstract:
1. A method of fabricating a solar cell, the method comprising: providing a wafer having a front side enabling entry of light into the wafer and a back side opposite the front side; forming a silicon oxide layer on a surface on the back side of the wafer such that a plurality of openings in the silicon oxide layer expose doped regions of the solar cell; forming a metallized seed layer on the silicon oxide layer wherein the metallized seed layer also extends through the openings to contact the doped regions, the metallized seed layer including an infrared reflecting layer comprising aluminum and operating as an infrared reflector, wherein said metallized seed layer includes a plating seed layer, and wherein the metallized seed layer includes a diffusion barrier layer over the infrared relecting layer, the plating seed layer being over the diffusion barrier layer; forming a plating mask over the plating seed layer; plating an electrically conductive layer over the plating seed layer; removing the plating mask: and selectively etching the metallized seed layer that was under the plating mask.