	US 12,218,263 B2
	Method of manufacturing a photovoltaic device
Antonin Faes, Yvonand (CH); Bertrand Paviet-Salomon, Saint-Blaise (CH); Nicolas Badel, La Praz (CH); Jonathan Champliaud, Savagnier (CH); Matthieu Despeisse, Neuchâtel (CH); Christophe Ballif, Neuchâtel (CH); and Gaëlle Andreatta, Neuchâtel (CH)
Assigned to CSEM CENTRE SUISSE D'ELECTRONIQUE ET DE MICROTECHNIQUE SA—RECHERCHE ET DEVELOPPEMENT, Neuchâtel (CH)
Appl. No. 17/771,972
Filed by CSEM CENTRE SUISSE D'ELECTRONIQUE ET DE MICROTECHNIQUE SA—RECHERCHE ET DEVELOPPEMENT, Neuchâtel (CH)
PCT Filed Oct. 28, 2020, PCT No. PCT/EP2020/080255 § 371(c)(1), (2) Date Apr. 26, 2022, PCT Pub. No. WO2021/083943, PCT Pub. Date May 6, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 19206421 (EP), filed on Oct. 31, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2023/0006083 A1, Jan. 5, 2023
Int. Cl. H01L 31/044 (2014.01); H01L 31/05 (2014.01); H01L 31/18 (2006.01)

CPC H01L 31/0508 (2013.01) [H01L 31/1876 (2013.01)]

14 Claims

1. Method of manufacturing a single-side-contacted photovoltaic device, comprising the steps of:

a) providing a photovoltaically-active substrate defining a plurality of alternating hole collecting zones and electron collecting zones arranged in parallel strips;

b) depositing a conductive layer across said zones;

c) depositing at least one conductive track extending along at least part of each of said zones;

d) subsequently to step c), selectively forming a dielectric layer on each of said zones, so as to leave an exposed area free of dielectric at an interface between adjacent zones, in which said selectively-formed dielectric layer remains in the finished photovoltaic device;

e) etching said conductive layer in said exposed areas;

f) applying a plurality of interconnecting conductors so as to electrically interconnect at least a portion of said hole collecting zones with each other, and to electrically interconnect at least a portion of said electron collecting zones with each other.