Patent Analysis of High Efficiency Tunneling Oxide Passivated Contact Solar Cells

Chieh-Wa Tsai,Tung-Kuan Liu,Po-Wen Hsueh

doi:10.3390/en13123060

Chieh-Wa Tsai, Tung-Kuan Liu + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/en13123060

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Abstract

High efficiency tunneling oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) solar cell is the traditional PN junction structure, combined the advantages of using a thin film of the passivated silicon surface to separate the metal from the silicon wafer. In this study, the patent analysis of high efficiency TOPCon solar cell is presented. The structure and process technology of TOPCon solar cell were analyzed first, which is used as the basis for the key words of the patent search. The patent management chart analysis is provided, and then the patent portfolio of the main research countries and important manufacturers on the research subject can be recognized. Moreover, the technology-function matrix analysis is used to comprehend the technical development trend of the research topic. The results indicate the TOPCon solar cell technology currently entered into the maturity stage in 2019, and the companies with the top three number of patents are LG Electronics, SunPower, and SolarCity (which was acquired by Tesla in 2016). SunPowern is the earliest patent assignee, and LG Electronics is the follower, while its patent outputs are heavily concentrated after 2014. Patent technology-function matrix found the development focus of the device-related technologies are tunneling oxide and polycrystalline silicon, with a total of 21 patents, and the development focus of process-related technologies are the process of tunneling oxide layers and the process of polysilicon film. Based on the analysis results, the future development prospects of the research topic and the direction of patent portfolio are evaluated.

Highlights

In the past half century, the use of large amounts of petroleum fuel in response to their economic benefits has caused a rapid increase in the concentration of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
The aim of this research is to study the special aspects in the existing patent application of tunneling oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) solar cell technology: 1
The company with the largest number of patents for TOPCon solar cell is LG Electronics, with a total of 35 patents. This is followed by SunPower, SolarCity and Applied Materials, with 24, 13, and 8 patents, respectively

Summary

Introduction

In the past half century, the use of large amounts of petroleum fuel in response to their economic benefits has caused a rapid increase in the concentration of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Global warming, rising sea levels and increasing global climate change are increasingly evident. This phenomenon has caused a huge negative impact on water resources, crops, natural ecosystems and human health. The global warming and the energy crisis has become an urgent problem to be solved, so the development of the various renewable energy technologies has become an important issue in the current industry [1]. Nearly 50% of the global energy supply will come from renewable energy by 2050. More than 85% of global electricity is generated by the renewable energy, where the solar power including solar photovoltaic (PV) and solar thermal accounts for up to 40% [2,3]

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