We apply ultra‐short pulse laser ablation to create local contact openings in thermally grown passivating SiO2 layers. This technique can be used for locally contacting oxide passivated Si solar cells. We use an industrially feasible laser with a pulse duration of τpulse ∼ 10 ps. The specific contact resistance that we reach with evaporated aluminium on a 100 Ω/sq and P‐diffused emitter is in the range of 0·3–1 mΩ cm2. Ultra‐short pulse laser ablation is sufficiently damage free to abandon wet chemical etching after ablation. We measure an emitter saturation current density of J0e = (6·2 ± 1·6) × 10−13 A/cm2 on the laser‐treated areas after a selective emitter diffusion with Rsheet ∼ 20 Ω/sq into the ablated area; a value that is as low as that of reference samples that have the SiO2 layer removed by HF‐etching. Thus, laser ablation of dielectrics with pulse durations of about 10 ps is well suited to fabricate high‐efficiency Si solar cells. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

In this paper we study the influence of the processing wavelength on process efficiency and quality at picosecond microdrilling in steel. Possible optical setups for utilizing the second harmonic will be presented, and the influence of wavelength on the drilling rate will be discussed. The potential of helical drilling with the second harmonic in 1 mm thick CrNi-steel will be investigated with regard to process efficiency and hole quality. An analysis will be given of the role of particle-ignited atmospheric plasma and the relation between isophote contour and hole morphology. Our study reveals that a substantial enhancement of both precision and productivity can be achieved by using frequency-doubled instead of infrared radiation. It is shown that plasma ablation and melt production can be minimized by drilling with the second harmonic.

The use of lasers in the processing of solar cell structures has been known for many years both for c-Si and thin-film solar technologies. The maturity of the laser technology, the increase in scale of solar module production and the pressures to drive down cost of ownership and increase cell efficiencies have all contributed to the adoption of laser processes in industrial manufacturing. Today laser systems are the tool of choice in thin-film module manufacturing both for scribing the cell interconnects and for the module edge isolation. For c-Si solar cells the primary laser application today is edge isolation and this is well-established in industrial production of most types of waferbased cells. Other laser processes are used in the production of advanced high-efficiency c-Si cell designs such as laser grooved buried contacts, emitter wrap-through or metal wrap-through interconnects, selective emitters and laser fired contacts. In the mission of the solar industry to reduce the cost of electricity generation there are increasing opportunities for laser processing to contribute to the goal of low cost of ownership in industrial manufacturing through improved module efficiencies, higher throughput and reduced process costs.

Articles you may be interested inStudy of laser beam propagation in microholes and the effect on femtosecond laser micromachining Laser parameters, which significantly influence laser-material interaction processes, are the wavelength, the energy, and the power density. Additionally, there are parameters, like the pulse length, which also strongly influence processing speed and quality. Studies where different types of lasers have been used indicate that long pulses are beneficial for processing speed. However, when different types of laser systems are used to study the effect of the pulse length, a direct comparison of the results is difficult because the use of different lasers involves a simultaneous variation of other parameters ͑e.g., wavelength͒ as well. In this study a technique of pulse length variation is used in which the pulse length is the only varied parameter and thus enables the desired direct comparison. Pulses with different lengths are sliced out of pulses of a long pulse XeCl excimer laser, keeping all other laser parameters unchanged. Results are shown of hole drilling experiments in 125 m nickel, 25 m aluminum, and 125 m aluminum foil with pulse lengths between 9 and 150 ns. The influence of the pulse length on material processing is discussed in connection with energy and power of the pulses. The experiments show that both for pulses with the same energy and the same power long pulses remove more material than short pulses and, moreover, long pulses can yield higher quality of the drilled holes.

The cleaving process has the potential to replace the dicing of thin wafers. Its inherent advantages are no mechanical forces to the substrate, no material losses, and high edge quality. In order to determine the fundamental mechanisms leading to a reliable cleaving process the complex interaction of wavelength and temperature dependent absorption, heat transfer, material elongation and finally crack formation is theoretically described and experimentally verified. A successful process observed if sufficient thermal stress can be generated to induce a crack and if no surface deformation occurs due to overheating. Most relevant parameters determining the process window are irradiated power, cutting speed, and focus spot size. The results of these parameter variations are presented. Accuracy and reproducibility is demonstrated by cleaving stripes of different widths fulfilling the requirements of the electronic packaging industry. In the third section the influence of the crystalline orientation is investigated. As a result mono-crystalline silicon exhibits an anisotropic behaviour when changing the cutting direction whereas for polycrystalline substrates a permanent change of the crystal structure is found at the grain boundary. Finally, the obtainable edge quality is presented briefly, which leads to higher sample strengths compared to conventional laser and mechanical processes.