Method for manufacturing interconnected solar cells and such interconnected solar cells

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11211507-B2
Application number	US-201716097397-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 26, 2017
Priority date	Apr 29, 2016
Publication date	Dec 28, 2021
Grant date	Dec 28, 2021

Abstract

Disclosed is a method for making interconnected solar cells, including: a) providing a continuous layer stack on a substrate, including a top electrode layer, a bottom electrode layer adjacent to the substrate, a photovoltaic active layer and a barrier layer adjacent to the bottom electrode layer between the top and bottom electrode layers; b) selectively removing the top electrode layer and the photo-voltaic layer for obtaining a first trench exposing the barrier layer using a first laser beam with a first wavelength; c) selectively removing the barrier layer and the bottom electrode layer within the first trench for obtaining a second trench exposing the substrate using a second laser beam with a second wavelength, d) filling the first trench and the second trench with electrical insulating member. The first wavelength of the first laser beam is larger than a wavelength corresponding with a bandgap energy of the photo-voltaic layer.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of making interconnected solar cells, comprising steps of:
a) providing a continuous layer stack ( 100 ) on a substrate ( 120 ), the layer stack comprising a top electrode layer ( 130 ), a bottom electrode layer ( 140 ) adjacent to the substrate, having a photo-voltaic active layer ( 150 ) and a barrier layer ( 160 ) adjacent to the bottom electrode layer interposed between the top and the bottom electrode layers;
b) selectively removing the top electrode layer and the photo-voltaic layer for obtaining a first trench ( 210 ) exposing the barrier layer using a first laser beam ( 270 ) with a first wavelength;
c) selectively removing the barrier layer and the bottom electrode layer inside the first trench for obtaining a second trench ( 312 ) exposing the substrate using a second laser beam ( 272 ) with a second wavelength, wherein the second trench and the first trench provide a separation of the continuous layer stack for forming a first solar cell ( 302 ) and a second solar cell ( 304 ), and the second trench is inside the first trench leaving a portion ( 314 ) of the barrier layer ( 160 b ) of the second solar cell inside the first trench and a portion ( 315 ) of the bottom electrode layer ( 140 b ) of the second solar cell inside the first trench;
d) filling the first trench and the second trench with an electrical insulating member ( 480 );
the first wavelength being larger than a wavelength corresponding with a bandgap energy of the photo-voltaic layer,
wherein the first wavelength is within a range between 1 μm and 3 μm, and
wherein the barrier layer ( 160 ) is a stopping layer preventing the first laser beam ( 270 ) reaching the bottom electrode layer ( 140 ), the barrier layer ( 160 ) comprising a MoSe 2 layer that forms an interface layer between the bottom electrode layer and the photo-voltaic active layer,
the method further comprising:
e) using a third laser beam ( 574 ) with a third wavelength that couples into a portion of the MoSe 2 layer to selectively remove the electrical insulating member ( 480 ) and the portion ( 314 ) of the MoSe 2 layer ( 160 b ) of the second solar cell ( 304 ) inside the first trench ( 210 ) from the bottom electrode layer for obtaining a third trench ( 514 ) exposing the portion ( 315 ) of the bottom electrode layer of the second solar cell inside the first trench;

f) depositing an electrical interconnecting member ( 690 ) covering at least a part of the third trench ( 514 ) and connecting the top electrode layer ( 630 a ) of the first solar cell ( 302 ) with the portion ( 315 ) of the bottom electrode layer of the second solar cell inside the first trench,
wherein each of the second wavelength and the third wavelength is smaller than the first wavelength.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first laser beam is configured to leave a layer of debris containing MoSe 2 on the barrier layer while exposing the barrier layer.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first laser beam has a pulsed period within a range between 0.25 ns and 100 ns.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the second wavelength is within a range between 0.3 μm and 1.5 μm.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the second laser beam has a pulsed period within a range between 0.25 ns and 100 ns.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the third wavelength is within a range between 0.3 μm and 1.5 μm.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the third laser beam has a pulsed period within a range between 0.25 ns and 100 ns.

8. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the second wavelength is identical with the third wavelength.

9. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the second laser beam ( 272 ) is identical with the third laser beam ( 574 ).

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the top electrode layer ( 130 ) comprises a stack of a ZnO 2 Al layer and a ZnO 2 layer.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein a CdS layer is placed between the photo-voltaic active layer ( 150 ) and the top electrode layer ( 130 ), wherein the ZnO 2 layer is adjacent to the CdS layer, and the ZnO 2 Al layer is adjacent to the ZnO 2 layer.

12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the photo-voltaic active layer ( 150 ) comprises a CIGS layer.

13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the photo-voltaic active layer ( 150 ) comprises perovskites.

14. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the bottom electrode layer ( 140 ) comprises a Molybdenum layer.

15. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the electrical insulating member ( 480 ) is an isolating ink.

16. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the electrical interconnecting member ( 690 ) is a transparent conductive oxide layer, or a metal layer containing ink or paste, or a solidified metal.

17. The method according to claim 1 , wherein,
in said step d) of filling the first trench and the second trench with the electrical insulating member ( 480 ), an electrical insulating isolating ink is used to fill the first trench and the second trench to form the electrical insulation member ( 480 ), and
in said step e) of using the third laser beam ( 574 ) with the third wavelength that couples into the portion of the MoSe 2 layer to selectively remove the electrical insulating member ( 480 ) and the portion ( 314 ) of the MoSe 2 layer ( 160 b ) of the second solar cell ( 304 ), the third laser beam ( 574 ) obtains the third trench ( 514 ) exposing the portion ( 315 ) of the bottom electrode layer of the second solar cell inside the first trench while not exposing the substrate.

Assignees

• Stichting Energieonderzoek Centrum Nederland
• Nederlandse Organisatie Voor Toegepast—Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek Tno
• TNO

Inventors

• Bosman Johan
• Biezemans Anne Ferenc Karel Victor
• Gevaerts Veronique Stephanie
• Debernardi Nicola

Classifications

• H10F77/1694

  the films including Group I-III-VI materials, e.g. CIS or CIGS · CPC title

• H10F77/244

  made of transparent conductive layers, e.g. transparent conductive oxide [TCO] layers · CPC title

• H10F77/169

  Thin semiconductor films on metallic or insulating substrates · CPC title

• H10F77/12

  Active materials · CPC title

• H10F10/167

  comprising Group I-III-VI materials, e.g. CdS/CuInSe2 [CIS] heterojunction photovoltaic cells · CPC title