JP7607031B2 - SOLAR CELL AND SOLAR CELL MANUFACTURING METHOD - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a solar cell and a method for manufacturing a solar cell.

Solar cells using semiconductor substrates include double-sided electrode solar cells in which electrodes are formed on both the light-receiving surface and the back surface, and back-surface electrode solar cells in which electrodes are formed only on the back surface. In double-sided electrode solar cells, electrodes are formed on the light-receiving surface, which blocks sunlight. On the other hand, back-surface electrode solar cells do not have electrodes formed on the light-receiving surface, so they have a higher sunlight reception rate than double-sided electrode solar cells. Patent Document 1 discloses a back-surface electrode solar cell.

The solar cell described in Patent Document 1 includes a semiconductor substrate, strip-shaped first and second conductivity type semiconductor layers alternately stacked on the back surface of the semiconductor substrate, a first transparent electrode and a first electrode layer stacked on the first conductivity type semiconductor layer, and a second transparent electrode and a second electrode layer stacked on the second conductivity type semiconductor layer. The first and second transparent electrodes, and the first and second electrode layers are each formed by separating a single material layer by etching.

JP 2013-131586 A

The separation by etching between the first transparent electrode and the second transparent electrode and between the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer requires a step of forming a resist pattern and a step of removing the resist pattern after etching, which complicates the manufacturing process of the solar cell. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a solar cell that is easy to manufacture and a method for manufacturing the solar cell.

A solar cell according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a semiconductor substrate, a first semiconductor layer and a second semiconductor layer formed in a band shape extending in a first direction on a back side of the semiconductor substrate and stacked alternately in a second direction intersecting the first direction, transparent electrodes stacked in a band shape extending in the first direction on the back side of a central portion of the first semiconductor layer and on the back side of a central portion in the second direction of the second semiconductor layer, respectively, a base electrode stacked so as to extend in the first direction on the back side of the central portion in the second direction of the transparent electrode, respectively, an insulating member having a main insulating portion stacked across the back sides of the band-shaped side end regions extending in the first direction on both sides in the second direction of the transparent electrode and the back side of rectangular insulating regions intermittent in the first direction of the base electrode, and an auxiliary insulating portion stacked so as to extend in the first direction on the back side of the central portion in the second direction of a connection region complementary to the insulating region of the base electrode, and a cap electrode stacked so as to cover the auxiliary insulating portion on the back side of the connection region of the base electrode.

A solar cell manufacturing method according to another aspect of the present invention includes the steps of alternately stacking strip-shaped first semiconductor layers and second semiconductor layers, each extending in a first direction, on a back surface of a semiconductor substrate in a second direction intersecting the first direction; stacking a transparent electrode layer on the back surface side of the semiconductor substrate so as to cover the first semiconductor layers and the second semiconductor layers; forming base electrodes extending in the first direction on the back surface side of the transparent electrode layer by printing a first conductive paste so as to overlap central portions of the first semiconductor layers and the second semiconductor layers in the second direction in a plan view; and printing an insulating paste to form base electrodes on both sides of the base electrode of the transparent electrode layer and between the first semiconductor layers and the The method includes a step of forming an insulating member having a main insulating portion laminated across the back side of a band-shaped side end region extending in the first direction that does not overlap with the boundary with a second semiconductor layer and the back side of an intermittent rectangular insulating region in the first direction of the base electrode, and an auxiliary insulating portion laminated so as to extend in the first direction on the back side of a central portion in the second direction of a connection region complementary to the insulating region of the base electrode; a step of forming a cap electrode covering the auxiliary insulating portion on the back side of the connection region of the base electrode by laminating a second conductive paste; and a step of partially removing the transparent electrode layer by etching using the main insulating portion and the cap electrode as a mask.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a solar cell that is easy to manufacture and a method for manufacturing the solar cell.

FIG. 2 is a back view showing a solar cell according to one embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the solar cell shown in FIG. 1 taken along line AA. FIG. 2 is a back view showing a laminated region of an insulating member of the solar cell of FIG. 1; 2 is a flowchart showing the steps of a method for manufacturing the solar cell of FIG. 1 . 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a step of the solar cell manufacturing method of FIG. 4. 5 in the solar cell manufacturing method of FIG. 4. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a step following that of FIG. 6 in the method of manufacturing the solar cell of FIG. 4. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a step subsequent to FIG. 7 in the method of manufacturing the solar cell of FIG. 4. 8 in the solar cell manufacturing method of FIG. 4. 9 in the solar cell manufacturing method of FIG. 4. FIG. FIG. 9 is a plan view of the printing plate of FIG. 8 . 10 in the solar cell manufacturing method of FIG. 4. FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing a step following that of FIG. 12 in the solar cell manufacturing method of FIG. 4.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that hatching and component symbols may be omitted in the drawings, and in such cases, other drawings shall be referred to. Also, the dimensions of various components in the drawings have been adjusted for ease of viewing.

Fig. 1 is a schematic rear view showing the configuration of a solar cell 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the solar cell 1 taken along line AA in Fig. 1.

The solar cell 1 is a so-called heterojunction back contact type solar cell. The solar cell 1 comprises a semiconductor substrate 11, a first semiconductor layer 21 and a second semiconductor layer 22 arranged on the back side (the side opposite to the light incident surface) of the semiconductor substrate 11, a first transparent electrode 31 and a second transparent electrode 32 arranged on the back sides of the first semiconductor layer 21 and the second semiconductor layer 22, respectively, a first base electrode 41 and a second base electrode 42 arranged on the back sides of the first transparent electrode 31 and the second transparent electrode 32, respectively, a first insulating member 51 and a second insulating member 52 arranged across the first transparent electrode 31 and the first base electrode 41, a second insulating member 52 arranged across the second transparent electrode 32 and the second base electrode, a first cap electrode 61 and a second cap electrode 62 arranged on the first base electrode 41 and the second base electrode 42, respectively, and a first wiring member 71 and a second wiring member 72 connecting the first cap electrodes 61 and the second cap electrodes 62, respectively.

The semiconductor substrate 11 is formed of a crystalline silicon material such as single crystal silicon or polycrystalline silicon. The semiconductor substrate 11 is, for example, an n-type semiconductor substrate in which a crystalline silicon material is doped with an n-type dopant. An example of the n-type dopant is phosphorus (P). The semiconductor substrate 11 functions as a photoelectric conversion substrate that absorbs incident light from the light receiving surface side and generates photocarriers (electrons and holes). By using crystalline silicon as the material of the semiconductor substrate 11, a relatively high output (stable output regardless of illuminance) can be obtained even when the dark current is relatively small and the intensity of the incident light is low.

The first semiconductor layer 21 and the second semiconductor layer 22 are each formed in a strip shape extending in a second direction on the back surface of the semiconductor substrate 11. The first semiconductor layer 21 and the second semiconductor layer 22 are alternately provided in a second direction intersecting the first direction. The first semiconductor layer 21 and the second semiconductor layer 22 are preferably disposed so as to cover substantially the entire surface of the semiconductor substrate 11.

The first semiconductor layer 21 and the second semiconductor layer 22 have different conductivity types. For example, the first semiconductor layer 21 is formed of a p-type semiconductor, and the second semiconductor layer 22 is formed of an n-type semiconductor. The first semiconductor layer 21 and the second semiconductor layer 22 can be formed of, for example, an amorphous silicon material containing a dopant that imparts a desired conductivity type. An example of the p-type dopant is boron (B), and an example of the n-type dopant is phosphorus (P) as described above.

The first transparent electrode 31 is laminated in a strip shape extending in the first direction on the back side of the center part in the second direction of each of the first semiconductor layers 21, and the second transparent electrode 32 is laminated in a strip shape extending in the first direction on the back side of the center part in the second direction of each of the second semiconductor layers 22. The first transparent electrode 31 and the second transparent electrode 32 are thin layers that collect current from the first semiconductor layer 21 and the second semiconductor layer 22 and connect to the first base electrode 41 and the second base electrode 42. The first transparent electrode 31 and the second transparent electrode 32 also function as intermediate layers that prevent a decrease in adhesion and an increase in electrical resistance at the interface caused by differences in materials between the first semiconductor layer 21 and the second semiconductor layer 22 and the first base electrode 41 and the second base electrode 42, etc.

The first transparent electrode 31 and the second transparent electrode 32 can be formed from the same material. Examples of materials for forming the first transparent electrode 31 and the second transparent electrode 32 include indium tin oxide (ITO) and zinc oxide (ZnO). In addition, the first transparent electrode 31 and the second transparent electrode 32 are laminated over an area larger than that of the first base electrode 41 and the second base electrode 42 described later, thereby improving the current collecting ability of the first base electrode 41 and the second base electrode 42.

The first base electrode 41 is laminated so as to extend in the first direction on the back surface side of the center portion in the second direction of each of the first transparent electrodes 31, and the second base electrode 42 is laminated so as to extend in the first direction on the back surface side of the center portion in the second direction of each of the second transparent electrodes 32. The first base electrode 41 and the second base electrode 42 collect power from the first semiconductor layer 21 and the second semiconductor layer 22 via the first transparent electrode 31 and the second transparent electrode 32.

The first base electrode 41 and the second base electrode 42 can be formed from a material containing conductive particles and a binder for the conductive particles. Examples of the conductive particles include metals such as silver and copper. Examples of the binder include resins such as epoxy resin. That is, the first base electrode 41 and the second base electrode 42 can be formed by hardening a conductive paste. Therefore, the first base electrode 41 and the second base electrode 42 can have pores formed by the volatilization of the solvent in the conductive paste.

The width of the first base electrode 41 and the second base electrode 42 in the second direction preferably decreases monotonically toward the back side. Specifically, when the first base electrode 41 and the second base electrode 42 are formed by stacking conductive paste with the back side facing up so as to have a square cross section, the conductive paste may flow, the upper corners disappear, and the lower parts of both ends may be deformed so as to spread outward. For this reason, the cross-sectional shape of the first base electrode 41 and the second base electrode 42 in the second direction may be, for example, a shape like a Gaussian distribution curve with the back sides of the first transparent electrode 31 and the second transparent electrode 32 as the baseline.

As shown by hatching in Figure 3, the first insulating member 51 has a plurality of first main insulating portions 53 stacked across the back side of the band-shaped side end regions A1 extending in the first direction on both sides of the second direction of the first transparent electrode 31 and the back side of the intermittent rectangular insulating regions A2 in the first direction of the first base electrode 41, and a first auxiliary insulating portion 54 stacked so as to extend in the first direction on the back side of the central portion in the second direction of the connection region A3 complementary to the insulating region A2 of the first base electrode 41. Similarly, the second insulating member 52 has a plurality of second main insulating portions 55 stacked across the back side of the band-shaped side end regions A1 extending in the first direction on both sides in the second direction of the second transparent electrode 32 and the back side of the intermittent rectangular insulating regions A2 in the first direction of the second base electrode 42, and second auxiliary insulating portions 56 stacked so as to extend in the first direction on the back side of the central portion in the second direction of the connection region A3 complementary to the insulating region A2 of the second base electrode 42.

The first insulating member 51 and the second insulating member 52 can be formed from an insulating material, for example, a resin composition containing an epoxy resin or the like as a main component.

The first main insulating portion 53 prevents a short circuit between the first wiring member 71 and the second base electrode 42, and the second main insulating portion 55 prevents a short circuit between the second wiring member 72 and the first base electrode 41. That is, the insulating region A2 is a region that insulates the rear sides of the first base electrode 41 and the second base electrode 42, and the connection region A3 is a region that connects the first cap electrode 61 and the second cap electrode 62 to the rear sides of the first base electrode 41 and the second base electrode 42. Therefore, when viewed from the second direction, the insulating region A2 of the first base electrode 41 and the connection region A3 of the second base electrode 42 overlap, and the insulating region A2 of the second base electrode 42 and the connection region A3 of the first base electrode 41 overlap. In other words, the insulating region A2 and the connection region A3 of the first base electrode 41 and the insulating region A2 and the connection region A3 of the second base electrode 42 are set so that their positions in the first direction are staggered.

As will be described in detail later, the first main insulating portion 53 and the second main insulating portion 55 are integrated with the first cap electrode 61 and the second cap electrode 62, respectively, during the manufacture of the solar cell 1, and function as an etching mask that defines the outer edges of the first transparent electrode 31 and the second transparent electrode 32. For this reason, the first main insulating portion 53 and the second main insulating portion 55 are also laminated continuously between the side end region A1 and the insulating region A2.

The first auxiliary insulating portion 54 and the second auxiliary insulating portion 56 are selectively laminated on the center portion of the first base electrode 41 and the second base electrode 42 in the second direction, and expose both side portions of the first base electrode 41 and the second base electrode 42 in the second direction. The first auxiliary insulating portion 54 and the second auxiliary insulating portion 56 ensure the connection between the first cap electrode 61 and the second cap electrode 62 and the first wiring member 71 and the second wiring member 72 by protruding further toward the rear surface side than the first main insulating portion 53 and the second main insulating portion 55. As will be described in detail later, when the first main insulating portion 53 and the second main insulating portion 55 are formed by printing an insulating paste IP, the first auxiliary insulating portion 54 and the second auxiliary insulating portion 56 are formed at the same time, so that the first main insulating portion 53 and the second main insulating portion 55 can be accurately formed.

The first cap electrode 61 and the second cap electrode 62 are respectively laminated on the rear side of the connection region complementary to the insulating region of the first base electrode 41 and the second base electrode 42. The planar shape of the first insulating member 51 and the first cap electrode 61 combined is substantially equal to the planar shape of the first transparent electrode 31, and the planar shape of the second insulating member 52 and the second cap electrode 62 combined is substantially equal to the planar shape of the second transparent electrode 32. The first cap electrode 61 and the second cap electrode 62 are preferably formed so as to overlap the edges of the first insulating member 51 and the second insulating member 52 in order to prevent a gap from being formed between the first insulating member 51 and the second insulating member 52.

The first cap electrode 61 and the second cap electrode 62, like the first base electrode 41 and the second base electrode 42, can be formed from a material containing conductive particles and a binder thereof, but in order to obtain etching resistance, it is preferable that the porosity be smaller than that of the first base electrode 41 and the second base electrode 42.

The first wiring member 71 and the second wiring member 72 respectively connect the multiple first cap electrodes 61 and the multiple second cap electrodes 62 arranged in the second direction.

The first wiring member 71 and the second wiring member 72 may be formed of a conductor such as a copper wire. The first wiring member 71 and the second wiring member 72 may be connected to the first cap electrode 61 and the second cap electrode 62 by, for example, solder, a conductive adhesive, or the like. The first wiring member 71 and the second wiring member 72 may be metal wires covered with solder for connecting the outer surfaces to the first cap electrode 61 and the second cap electrode 62.

Next, a method for manufacturing the solar cell 1 will be described. The solar cell 1 can be manufactured by a solar cell manufacturing method shown in Fig. 4. The solar cell manufacturing method in Fig. 4 is one embodiment of the solar cell manufacturing method according to the present invention.

The solar cell manufacturing method of this embodiment includes a semiconductor layer forming process (step S01), a transparent electrode layer lamination process (step S02), a base electrode forming process (step S03), an insulating member forming process (step S04), a cap electrode forming process (step S05), an etching process (step S06), a firing process (step S7), and a wiring material connecting process (step S08).

5, in the semiconductor layer formation process of step S01, a first semiconductor layer 21 and a second semiconductor layer 22 are formed alternately in a second direction on the rear surface of the semiconductor substrate 11. Specifically, the first semiconductor layer 21 and the second semiconductor layer 22 can be formed in order by forming a mask on the rear surface of the semiconductor substrate 11 and stacking semiconductor materials by a film formation technique such as CVD.

In the transparent electrode layer lamination process of step S02, as shown in FIG. 6, a transparent electrode layer 30 is formed by laminating materials for forming a first transparent electrode 31 and a second transparent electrode 32 by a film formation technique such as CVD or PVD over substantially the entire back surface side of the semiconductor substrate 11 on which the first semiconductor layer 21 and the second semiconductor layer 22 are formed.

In the base electrode formation step of step S03, a first base electrode 41 and a second base electrode 42 are formed by printing a first conductive paste, as shown in Fig. 7. That is, in the base electrode formation step, the first conductive paste is laminated on the back surface side of the transparent electrode layer 30 so as to overlap the central portions of the first semiconductor layer 21 and the second semiconductor layer 22 in the second direction in a plan view, thereby forming the first base electrode 41 and the second base electrode 42 extending in the first direction.

The first conductive paste may be a paste containing conductive particles, a binder, and a solvent, such as a commercially available silver paste. The first conductive paste may be selectively laminated by screen printing. In the base electrode forming step, it is preferable to perform drying to volatilize the solvent contained in the first conductive paste and to prevent the first base electrode 41 and the second base electrode 42 from easily deforming.

8, 9, and 10, in that order, in the insulating member forming step, a first insulating member 51 and a second insulating member 52 are formed by printing an insulating paste IP. That is, in the insulating member forming step, the insulating paste IP is laminated across both sides of the first base electrode 41 and the second base electrode 42 of the transparent electrode layer 30, the back side of the side end region A1 that does not overlap with the boundary between the first semiconductor layer 21 and the second semiconductor layer 22, and the back side of the insulating region A2 of the first base electrode 41 and the second base electrode 42, to form a first main insulating portion 53 and a second main insulating portion 55, and at the same time, the insulating paste IP is laminated on the back side of the second direction center of the connection region A3 of the first base electrode 41 and the second base electrode 42 to form a first auxiliary insulating portion 54 and a second auxiliary insulating portion 56.

As the insulating paste IP, a material capable of forming a film having etching resistance by printing and curing, such as a thermosetting epoxy resin composition, can be used. Also, in the insulating member forming step, it is preferable to volatilize the solvent contained in the insulating paste IP and dry the formed first insulating member 51 and second insulating member 52 so that they do not easily deform.

The printing of the insulating paste IP can be performed using a printing plate 100 as shown in Fig. 8. The printing plate 100 used for printing the insulating paste IP preferably has a mesh substrate 110 and an emulsion material 120 that is supported by the mesh substrate 110 and has an opening for the printing area of the insulating paste IP. By using the printing plate 100 having the mesh substrate 110 and the emulsion material 120 in this manner, the insulating paste IP can be accurately printed over substantially the entire length in the first direction.

11, the emulsion 120 of the printing plate 100 has electrode mask portions 121 corresponding to both side portions of the connection region A3 in the second direction, and a boundary mask portion 122 corresponding to the boundary region between the first semiconductor layer 21 and the second semiconductor layer 22. The electrode mask portions 121, i.e., the portion of the emulsion 120 located between the printing region corresponding to the first main insulating portion 53 and the printing region corresponding to the first auxiliary insulating portion 54, and the portion located between the printing region corresponding to the second main insulating portion 55 and the printing region corresponding to the second auxiliary insulating portion 56, are formed to be in close contact with the side surfaces of the first base electrode 41 or the second base electrode 42 by elastically deforming so that the tip portions move outward in the second direction of the first base electrode 41 or the second base electrode 42, as shown in FIG.

9, by using such a printing plate 100 and masking both sides in the second direction of the first base electrode 41 and the second base electrode 42 with the electrode mask portion 121, the insulating paste IP can be pushed into the openings in the emulsion material 120 with the squeegee 200, so that the insulating paste IP can be selectively laminated on the back side of the center portions in the second direction of the first base electrode 41 and the second base electrode 42. As a result, the first insulating member 51 and the second insulating member 52 can be formed as shown in FIG.

12, in the cap electrode formation process of step S05, a first cap electrode 61 and a second cap electrode 62 are formed by laminating a second conductive paste on the back side of a connection region complementary to the insulating region of the first base electrode 41 and the second base electrode 42. As the second conductive paste, a paste similar to the first conductive paste can be used, but it is preferable to use a paste that can make the porosity of the first cap electrode 61 and the second cap electrode 62 smaller than that of the first base electrode 41 and the second base electrode 42 and has less fluidity than the first conductive paste, so that the cross-sectional shape is less likely to be distorted.

The first cap electrodes 61 and the second cap electrodes 62 are formed so as to be alternately arranged in the second direction. The second conductive paste can also be selectively laminated by screen printing. In the cap electrode formation process, it is also preferable to perform drying so as to volatilize the solvent contained in the second conductive paste and prevent the formed first cap electrodes 61 and second cap electrodes 62 from easily deforming.

13, in the etching process of step S06, the transparent electrode layer 30 is partially removed, specifically, a region of the transparent electrode layer 30 spanning the first semiconductor layer 21 and the second semiconductor layer 22 is selectively removed by etching using the first insulating member 51, the second insulating member 52, the first cap electrode 61, and the second cap electrode 62 as a mask, thereby defining the first transparent electrode 31 contained in the first semiconductor layer 21 in a planar view and the second transparent electrode 32 contained in the second semiconductor layer 22 in a planar view. As an etching solution capable of etching the transparent electrode layer 30 made of ITO, for example, hydrochloric acid can be used.

In the firing process of step S07, the first base electrode 41, the second base electrode 42, the first insulating member 51, the second insulating member 52, the first cap electrode 61, and the second cap electrode 62 are hardened by heating.

In the wiring member connecting step S08, the first cap electrodes 61 aligned in the second direction are connected to each other by the first wiring members 71 and the second cap electrodes 62 aligned in the second direction by the second wiring members 72. In this way, the solar cell 1 shown in Figures 1 and 2 can be obtained.

In the solar cell manufacturing method described above, the transparent electrode layer 30 is formed on the entire surface in the transparent electrode layer lamination step, and the first transparent electrode 31 and the second transparent electrode 32 are formed by performing etching using the first insulating member 51, the second insulating member 52, the first cap electrode 61, and the second cap electrode 62 as masks in the etching step, so that there is no need to form a dedicated mask for forming the first transparent electrode 31 and the second transparent electrode 32. Therefore, the solar cell manufacturing method of this embodiment allows the solar cell 1 to be manufactured relatively easily. In other words, the solar cell 1 according to the above-mentioned embodiment can be manufactured relatively easily and inexpensively.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and variations are possible. For example, the solar cell according to the present invention may further include, in addition to the above-described components, an intrinsic semiconductor layer that insulates the components from each other, an anti-reflection film that suppresses light reflection, a resin film that protects the electrodes, etc.

In the solar cell manufacturing method according to the present invention, firing may be performed before the etching step. Also, the solar cell manufacturing method according to the present invention may not include an independent firing step, and may perform not only drying but also firing in any one or each of the base electrode forming step, the insulating member forming step, and the cap electrode forming step.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 solar cell 11 semiconductor substrate 21 first semiconductor layer 22 second semiconductor layer 30 transparent electrode layer 31 first transparent electrode 32 second transparent electrode 41 first base electrode 42 second base electrode 51 first insulating member 52 second insulating member 53 first main insulating portion 54 first auxiliary insulating portion 55 second main insulating portion 56 second auxiliary insulating portion 61 first cap electrode 62 second cap electrode 71 first wiring material 72 second wiring material 100 printing plate 110 mesh substrate 120 emulsion material 121 electrode mask portion 122 boundary mask portion 200 squeegee IP insulating paste

Claims (5)

A semiconductor substrate;
a first semiconductor layer and a second semiconductor layer, each of which is formed in a strip shape extending in a first direction on a rear surface side of the semiconductor substrate and is alternately stacked in a second direction intersecting the first direction;
transparent electrodes laminated in strip shapes extending in the first direction on a back surface side of a central portion of the first semiconductor layer and on a back surface side of a central portion in the second direction of the second semiconductor layer;
a base electrode laminated on a rear surface side of a central portion of each of the transparent electrodes in the second direction so as to extend in the first direction;
an insulating member including a main insulating portion laminated across a rear surface side of a band-shaped side end region extending in the first direction on both sides in the second direction of the transparent electrode and a rear surface side of an intermittent rectangular insulating region in the first direction of the base electrode, and an auxiliary insulating portion laminated so as to extend in the first direction on a rear surface side of a central portion in the second direction of a connection region complementary to the insulating region of the base electrode;
a cap electrode laminated on a rear surface side of the connection region of the base electrode so as to cover the auxiliary insulating portion;
A solar cell comprising: The solar cell according to claim 1, wherein the width of the base electrode in the second direction monotonically decreases toward the back surface side. The solar cell according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cap electrode is further laminated across the back side of a portion of the main insulating portion. A step of alternately stacking strip-shaped first semiconductor layers and strip-shaped second semiconductor layers each extending in a first direction on a rear surface of a semiconductor substrate in a second direction intersecting the first direction;
laminating a transparent electrode layer on a rear surface side of the semiconductor substrate so as to cover the first semiconductor layer and the second semiconductor layer;
forming base electrodes extending in the first direction so as to overlap central portions of the first semiconductor layer and the second semiconductor layer in the second direction in a plan view on a rear surface side of the transparent electrode layer by printing a first conductive paste;
a step of forming an insulating member having a main insulating portion laminated across a back surface side of a band-shaped side end region of the transparent electrode layer extending in the first direction on both sides of the base electrode and not overlapping with a boundary between the first semiconductor layer and the second semiconductor layer, and a back surface side of an intermittent rectangular insulating region of the base electrode in the first direction, by printing an insulating paste, and an auxiliary insulating portion laminated so as to extend in the first direction on a back surface side of a central portion in the second direction of a connection region complementary to the insulating region of the base electrode;
forming a cap electrode covering the auxiliary insulating portion on a rear side of the connection region of the base electrode by laminating a second conductive paste;
a step of partially removing the transparent electrode layer by etching using the main insulating portion and the cap electrode as a mask;
A solar cell manufacturing method comprising: The printing of the insulating paste is performed using a printing plate having a mesh substrate and an emulsion supported by the mesh substrate and having openings corresponding to printing areas of the insulating paste;
A solar cell manufacturing method as described in claim 4, wherein a portion of the emulsion material located between a printing area corresponding to the main insulating portion and a printing area corresponding to the auxiliary insulating portion is formed so as to abut against the base electrode, elastically deform, and adhere closely to a side of the base electrode.

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