Patent ID: 8486751
Filing Date: 2013-07-16
Classification: H01L,Y02E,Y02P

Abstract:
1. A method of determining an efficiency of a photovoltaic cell, wherein the photovoltaic cell is manufactured on a semiconductor wafer having a front side and a rear side, wherein the photovoltaic cell produces electricity when the front side of the semiconductor wafer is illuminated, the method comprising the steps of: doping the semiconductor wafer; heating the semiconductor wafer in a diffusion furnace after doping the semiconductor wafer; oxide etching the semiconductor wafer after heating the semiconductor wafer; metalizing the rear side of the semiconductor wafer; patterning metal paste of the front side of the semiconductor wafer; firing the semiconductor wafer in the metallization furnace; depositing a dielectric layer on the front surface after doping the photovoltaic cell; measuring a set of characterization parameters, including the front surface recombination of the wafer after oxide etching the semiconductor wafer and measuring the base contact resistance before metalizing the rear side of the semiconductor wafer; and calculating the efficiency of the photovoltaic cell using the set of characterization parameters for binning the photovoltaic cell by its efficiency in order to facilitate the manufacture of a photovoltaic module.