Laser grooved solar cell

Claim 2

The method of claim 1 wherein said laser scriber is adapted to simultaneously scribe a plurality of grooves or holes in said substrate.

Claim 3

The method of claim 1 or 2 wherein a chemical etching step is employed between the laser scribing step and the step of forming the rectifying junction, the etching step being used to control the shape of holes or grooves in the final cell.

Claim 4

4 The method of claims 1, 2 or 3 wherein the laser scriber o ^B is used to bore holes through the substrate during the laser S scrib-ing step such that contact can be made with the top layer of the cell from the reir of the substrate, The method of any on9 of the preceding claims, wherein S grooving of the rear surface of the substrate is employed to rduc the the icknes cell structure, grooves in the tickneshe rear surface being located between grooves in the top surface of the substrate. 6. A solar cell comprising a substrat one surface of 0 "Hl which has a plurality of grooves or hol ws formed therein, "s and a rectifying junctio fo med on sai surface and extending into said grooves, a top layer of said junction S j lhaying a sheet resistivitv hich is greater in the region Soo between the'grooves than in the region within the grooves. 7. A solar cell as claimed in claim 6, wherein the sheet resistivity of th, top, layer within the grooves is in the order of 25-50 -~n4 while sheet resistivity of the top layer between the grooves is i tp'e order of 1020000JL A solar cell comprising a substrate, opposite surfaces of which each have a plurality of grooves or hollows formed therein, a rectifying junction being formed on one of said surfaces and extending into the grooves or hollows of that surface. 9. A solar cell as claimed in any one of claims 6 to 8 iherein holes are provided throughothe substrate, the top 1 'er of the rectifying junction extending into the through holes and metalized top contacts being provided on the back of the substrate at each of said holes to make an electrical corgection with the top layer of the junction. A solar cell, made in accordance with the method of claim 1. 11, A method of manufacturing a solar cell as claimed in claim 1, substantially as hereinbefore described. 12. A solar cell substantially as hereinbefore described Soos with reference to the accompanyig drawings. S o" DATED this 12th day of December, 1 9 8 4 I r UNISEARCH LIMITED 0 a Patent Attorneys for the App liant: F.B. RICE CO. S 01 1 1 yA 'B -U_ Immommmm~ mvp-~P I~g~ -~PD~L~Pll~sp-~.P~2~akll;~e~-~q~i(jb$biC i According to a third aspect the present invention 36 664/ 84 7, flU U 00 0 FIG.f/ (CU C' U U 0 0 (U U VQ U 17 t.d- 11 11.111111Ill-, -11 rr .1 a. -r-II Ii U ~U2flVII r--7T---Tr-Tr- 0 C. U U U UU F1G-2 UU U U 'H U 7 I U0 ~QUU U 00 0e 7IIJL U U U U U U U. FT7 U U U 0 U 0 U U 0 Q ,.JA I AL TF~IL I! II 1F'1Y1V1 FIFT 1* cm K 36- 664/84 7/ Y p. F!GK S 0 CI 0 00 QC 0 0 .3 .3.3 .3 .3 .3 .39.3.3.30 .3 .3 2-K FIG, src FIG. 57b a 33 a CIO a U 0 a Va FloG. rb FYG.6c toOo a a iereby I F/~.7a PIG-. 71b 46 563- -6B 733 o 0 o 0 o 0 0 0 FIG. 8a F/G.3q I* I, I, 1A' 21( T I F/eq ~9X tlI.IeI 'W b Ut4"LUi: L iesIponse Lo oiue .ignt, tne neneticial ette-crts of /1