Patent Analysis of High Efficiency Tunneling Oxide Passivated Contact Solar Cells

Chieh-Wa Tsai, Tung-Kuan Liu and Po-Wen Hsueh
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Chieh-Wa Tsai: College of Engineering, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, No.1, University Rd., Kaohsiung 824, Taiwan
Tung-Kuan Liu: College of Engineering, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, No.1, University Rd., Kaohsiung 824, Taiwan
Po-Wen Hsueh: College of Engineering, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, No.1, University Rd., Kaohsiung 824, Taiwan

Energies, 2020, vol. 13, issue 12, 1-16

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.

Keywords: patent analysis; TOPCon; solar cells; patent portfolio (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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