US 11824136

US patent 11824136, titled "Solar cell, manufacturing method thereof, and photovoltaic module," was issued on November 21, 2023, from an application filed on October 12, 2022. The current assignees are Zhejiang Jinko Solar Co Ltd and Jinko Green Energy Shanghai Management Co Ltd. The inventors are Kun Yu, Changming Liu, and Xinyu Zhang.

Abstract:
The patent describes a solar cell, a manufacturing method for it, and a photovoltaic module. The solar cell includes a semiconductor substrate with a first texture structure on its rear surface. This first texture structure has at least two partially stacked substructures. The distance between the top surface of an outermost substructure and an adjacent one is 2 μm or less, and the one-dimensional size of the outermost substructure's top surface is 45 μm or less. The solar cell also features a first passivation layer on its front surface, a tunnel oxide layer on the first texture structure, a doped conductive layer on the tunnel oxide layer (with the same conductivity type as the substrate), and a second passivation layer on the doped conductive layer.

Independent Claims Overview:

• Independent Claim 1 (Solar Cell): This claim describes a solar cell comprising:

  • A semiconductor substrate with a "first texture structure" on its rear surface. This first texture structure is made of two or more "first substructures" that are at least partially stacked. The vertical distance between the top surface of the outermost substructure and an adjacent one is no more than 2 micrometers (μm), and the one-dimensional size of the outermost substructure's top surface is no more than 45 μm.
  • A first passivation layer on the front surface of the semiconductor substrate.
  • A tunnel oxide layer on the rear surface's first texture structure.
  • A doped conductive layer on the tunnel oxide layer, where its doping type matches that of the semiconductor substrate.
  • A second passivation layer on the doped conductive layer.

• Independent Claim 2 (Photovoltaic Module): This claim describes a photovoltaic module that includes multiple solar cell strings. Each of these strings is composed of the solar cells as described in Independent Claim 1.

• Independent Claim 3 (Method for Manufacturing a Solar Cell): This claim outlines a method for manufacturing a solar cell, including:

  • Texturing the front surface of a semiconductor substrate to form a "second texture structure" which includes pyramid-shaped microstructures.
  • Doping the front surface of the textured semiconductor substrate to create a doped layer.
  • Polishing the rear surface of the semiconductor substrate with an alkali solution to form a "first texture structure." Similar to Claim 1, this first texture structure includes at least two partially stacked "first substructures," with specific dimensional constraints (vertical distance between outermost and adjacent substructures ≤ 2 μm, one-dimensional size of outermost substructure's top surface ≤ 45 μm).
  • Forming a tunnel oxide layer on the first texture structure of the rear surface.
  • Depositing a polycrystalline silicon layer on the tunnel oxide layer and doping it to form a doped conductive layer, where the doping type matches that of the semiconductor substrate.
  • Forming a first passivation layer on the front surface of the semiconductor substrate.
  • Forming a second passivation layer on the surface of the doped conductive layer.

Legal Status and Litigation:
The patent is currently active. Its anticipated expiration date is August 27, 2041. The patent family is involved in litigation, with the first worldwide family litigation having been filed. A PTAB case, IPR2026-00230, has been filed and is currently pending. Additionally, US cases related to this patent family have been filed in the Texas Southern District Court and the California Northern District Court. No specific CAFC 2026 dockets directly addressing patent 11824136 have been identified as of April 26, 2026.