Method for fabricating a solar module of rear contact solar cells using linear ribbon-type connector strips and respective solar module

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11183606-B2
Application number	US-201916551405-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 26, 2019
Priority date	Sep 11, 2012
Publication date	Nov 23, 2021
Grant date	Nov 23, 2021

Abstract

A solar module and a method for fabricating a solar module comprising a plurality of rear contact solar cells are described. Rear contact solar cells (1) are provided with a large size of e.g. 156×156 mm2, Soldering pad arrangements (13, 15) applied on emitter contacts (5) and base contacts (7) are provided with one or more soldering pads (9, 11) arranged linearly. The soldering pad arrangements (13, 15) are arranged asymmetrically with respect to a longitudinal axis (17). Each solar cell (1) is then separated into first and second cell portions (19, 21) along a line (23) perpendicular to the longitudinal axis (17). Due to such cell separation and the asymmetrical design of the soldering pad arrangements (13, 15), the first and second cell portions (19, 21) may then be arranged alternately along a line with each second cell portion (21) arranged in a 180°-orientation with respect to the first cell portions (19) and such that emitter soldering pad arrangements (13) of a first cell portion (19) are aligned with base soldering pad arrangements (15) of neighboring second cell portions (21), and vice versa. Simple linear ribbon-type connector strips (25) may be used for interconnecting the cell portions (19, 21) by soldering onto the underlying aligned emitter and base soldering pad arrangements (13, 15). The interconnection approach enables using standard ribbon-type connector strips (25) while reducing any bow as well as reducing series resistance losses.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for fabricating a solar module, the method comprising:
providing a first cell portion on a semiconductor substrate, the first cell portion comprising a first soldering pad arrangement of emitter contacts and of base contacts;
providing a second cell portion on the semiconductor substrate, the second cell portion comprising a second soldering pad arrangement of emitter contacts and of base contacts, wherein the first soldering pad arrangement and the second soldering pad arrangement are aligned asymmetrically with respect to an axis of a semiconductor substrate;
separating the first cell portion and the second cell portion along a line perpendicular to an axis of the semiconductor substrate; and
arranging the first cell portion and the second cell portion alternately along a line such that the second cell portion is arranged in an angular orientation with respect to the first cell portion and such that the first soldering pad arrangement of emitter contacts and of base contacts of the first cell portion is aligned with the second soldering pad arrangement of base contacts and of emitter contacts of the second cell portion, respectively.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising electrically connecting the first cell portion and the second cell portion.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein, before separating a rear contact solar cell, the soldering pad arrangement of an emitter contact continuously extends from a first end arranged close to a first edge of the semiconductors substrate via a centre region of the semiconductor substrate to a second end arranged close to a second edge of the semiconductors substrate, wherein the first end and the second end are spaced apart from the first edge and the second edge, respectively, by between 2 and 48% of the distance between the first and second edges.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the rear contact solar cells are separated into first and second cell portions by mechanically breaking the solar cell along a linear trench.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the linear trench is created by laser scribing into the semiconductor substrate.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the linear trench is created by etching or sawing into the semiconductor substrate.

7. The method of claim 2 , wherein electrically connecting the first cell portion and the second cell portion comprises electrically connecting the base contacts of the first cell portion to the emitter contacts of the second cell portion or connecting the emitter contacts of the first cell portion to the base contacts of the second cell portion.

8. A solar module prepared by the process comprising the steps of:
providing a first cell portion on a semiconductor substrate, the first cell portion comprising a first soldering pad arrangement of emitter contacts and of base contacts;
providing a second cell portion on the semiconductor substrate, the second cell portion comprising a second soldering pad arrangement of emitter contacts and of base contacts, wherein the first soldering pad arrangement and the second soldering pad arrangement are aligned asymmetrically with respect to an axis of a semiconductor substrate;
separating the first cell portion and the second cell portion along a line perpendicular to an axis of the semiconductor substrate; and
arranging the first cell portion and the second cell portion alternately along a line such that the second cell portion is arranged in an angular orientation with respect to the first cell portion and such that the first soldering pad arrangement of emitter contacts and of base contacts of the first cell portion is aligned with the second soldering pad arrangement of base contacts and of emitter contacts of the second cell portion, respectively.

9. The solar module of claim 8 , wherein the process further comprises electrically connecting the first cell portion and the second cell portion.

10. The solar module of claim 9 , wherein electrically connecting the first cell portion and the second cell portion comprises electrically connecting the base contacts of the first cell portion to the emitter contacts of the second cell portion or connecting the emitter contacts of the first cell portion to the base contacts of the second cell portion.

11. The solar module of claim 8 , wherein, before separating a rear contact solar cell, the soldering pad arrangement of an emitter contact continuously extends from a first end arranged close to a first edge of the semiconductors substrate via a centre region of the semiconductor substrate to a second end arranged close to a second edge of the semiconductors substrate, wherein the first end and the second end are spaced apart from the first edge and the second edge, respectively, by between 2 and 48% of the distance between the first and second edges.

12. The solar module of claim 8 , wherein the rear contact solar cells are separated into first and second cell portions by mechanically breaking the solar cell along a linear trench.

13. The solar module of claim 12 , wherein the linear trench is created by laser scribing into the semiconductor substrate.

14. The solar module of claim 12 , wherein the linear trench is created by etching or sawing into the semiconductor substrate.

Assignees

• Rec Solar Pte Ltd

Inventors

• Rostan Philipp Johannes
• WADE Robert
• Diesta Noel Gonzales
• Sridhara Shankar Gauri
• Soreng Anders

Classifications

• H10F77/937

  Busbar structures for modules · CPC title

• H10F77/223 Primary

  for metallisation wrap-through [MWT] photovoltaic cells · CPC title

• H10F19/904

  characterised by the shapes of the structures · CPC title

• H10F10/146

  Back-junction photovoltaic cells, e.g. having interdigitated base-emitter regions on the back side · CPC title

• H10F19/908 Primary

  for back-contact photovoltaic cells · CPC title