Method of applying contacts to a silicon wafer and product formed thereby

Claim 1

A method of forming a contact pattern on a silicon wafer to be used as a solar energy cell, comprising (a) heating a wafer of silicon with a dffusant to for a p-n junction in a zone extending inwardly from a surface of the wafer and a layer of a glass on the surface of the wafer, (b) coating the glass on the surface with a layer of photoresist composition, (c) photographically exposing the photoresist layer in a predetermined pattern, (d) developing the photoresist layer and thereby removing the exposed portions of the layer, (e) removing those portions of the glass layer underlying the developed portions of the photoresist layer down to the silicon surface of the wafer, (f) depositing an electrically conductive metal on the exposed portions of the silicon surface to act as contacts in the solar energy cell while the remainder of the wafer surface is protected and covered by undeveloped portions of the photoresist layer and portions of the glass layer underlying said undeveloped portions, (g) removing the remainder of the photoresist layer, and (h) removing the entirety of the glass from the surface of the wafer thereby leaving a metal contact adhered to said surface in a predetermined pattern, said surface and said metal contact being free of said glass, and exposing non-contact covered portions of said surface to ambient conditions only after said contact pattern has been adhered to said surface.

Claim 2

A method of forming a contact pattern on a silicon wafer to be used as a solar energy cell, comprising (a) heating a wafer of silicon with a dffusant to for a p-n junction in a zone extending inwardly from a surface of the wafer and a layer of a glass on the surface of the wafer, (b) coating the glass on the surface with a layer of photoresist composition, (c) photographically exposing the photoresist layer in a predetermined pattern, (d) developing the photoresist layer and thereby removing the exposed portions of the layer, (e) removing those portions of the glass layer underlying the developed portions of the photoresist layer down to the silicon surface of the wafer, (f) depositing an electrically conductive metal on the exposed portions of the silicon surface to act as contacts in the solar energy cell while the remainder of the wafer surface is protected and covered by undeveloped portions of the photoresist layer and portions of the glass layer underlying said undeveloped portions, (g) removing the remainder of the photoresist layer, and (h) removing the entirety of the glass from the surface of the wafer thereby leaving a metal contact adhered to said surface in a predetermined pattern, said surface and said metal contact being free of said glass, and exposing non-contact covered portions of said surface to ambient conditions only after said contact pattern has been adhered to said surface.