System and method for cleaving photovoltaic structures

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018190860-A1
Application number	US-201715465419-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 21, 2017
Priority date	Jan 5, 2017
Publication date	Jul 5, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

A cleaving apparatus for cleaving a photovoltaic structure into multiple strips is described. The apparatus can include a supporting post and a cleaving platform for cleaving the photovoltaic structure. The cleaving platform can be coupled to the supporting post via a translation stage and can include multiple platform segments that are configured to move relative to each other during cleaving. Each of the multiple platform segments can include a wafer-holding surface for holding at least a portion of the photovoltaic structure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An apparatus for cleaving a photovoltaic structure into multiple strips, the apparatus comprising:
a supporting post; and a cleaving platform for cleaving the photovoltaic structure; wherein the cleaving platform is coupled to the supporting post via a translation stage; wherein the cleaving platform comprises multiple platform segments that are configured to move relative to each other during cleaving; and wherein each of the multiple platform segments comprises a wafer-holding surface for holding at least a portion of the photovoltaic structure.

2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein prior to cleaving the photovoltaic structure the cleaving platform is configured to hold the photovoltaic structure with wafer-holding surfaces of the multiple platform segments substantially aligned.

3 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the photovoltaic structure is held in such a way that a scribed groove on the photovoltaic structure is substantially parallel to and positioned below a gap separating two adjacent platform segments.

4 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein at least one platform segment of the cleaving platform is configured to rotate around an adjacent edge of an adjacent platform segment during cleaving.

5 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the multiple platform segments include a stationary center segment and two movable side segments positioned on each side of the stationary center segment.

6 . The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the two movable side segments are configured to rotate around adjacent edges of the stationary center segment to cleave the photovoltaic structure into three strips.

7 . The apparatus of claim 6 , further comprising a vertical actuator coupled to each movable side segment via a cam-follower mechanism, wherein the cam-follower mechanism is configured to convert vertical movements of the vertical actuator to rotations of the movable side segments.

8 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the wafer-holding surface comprises a plurality of vacuum cups configured to apply a suction force on the portion of the photovoltaic structure.

9 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the multiple platform segments comprise a stationary platform segment and at least one movable platform segment, wherein the apparatus further comprises a counterforce-applying mechanism, and wherein at least a portion of the photovoltaic structure is sandwiched between the counterforce-applying mechanism and the stationary platform segment during cleaving.

10 . The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a conveyor configured to transport the photovoltaic structure to a position below the cleaving platform to allow the cleaving platform to be lowered by the translation stage to pick up the photovoltaic structure.

11 . An automatic cleaving system for cleaving a photovoltaic structure into multiple strips, the cleaving system comprising:
a segmented cleaving platform; and a conveyor for transporting the photovoltaic structure to a position corresponding to the segmented cleaving platform; wherein the segmented cleaving platform comprises a wafer-picking-up mechanism configured to pick up the photovoltaic structure from the conveyor; and wherein the segmented cleaving platform comprises multiple platform segments that are configured to move relative to each other during cleaving.

12 . The automatic cleaving system of claim 11 , wherein the wafer-picking-up mechanism is further configured to pick up the photovoltaic structure in such a way that a scribed groove on the photovoltaic structure is substantially parallel to and positioned below a gap separating two adjacent platform segments.

13 . The automatic cleaving system of claim 11 , wherein at least one platform segment of the cleaving platform is configured to rotate around an adjacent edge of an adjacent platform segment during cleaving.

14 . The automatic cleaving system of claim 11 , wherein the multiple platform segments include a stationary center segment and two movable side segments positioned on each side of the stationary center segment.

15 . The automatic cleaving system of claim 14 , wherein the two movable side segments are configured to rotate around adjacent edges of the stationary center segment to cleave the photovoltaic structure into three strips.

16 . The automatic cleaving system of claim 14 , further comprising a vertical actuator coupled to each movable side segment via a cam-follower mechanism, wherein the cam-follower mechanism is configured to convert vertical movements of the vertical actuator to rotations of the movable side segments.

17 . The automatic cleaving system of claim 11 , wherein the multiple platform segments comprise a stationary platform segment and at least one movable platform segment, wherein the automatic cleaving system further comprises a counterforce-applying mechanism, and wherein at least a portion of the photovoltaic structure is sandwiched between the counterforce-applying mechanism and the stationary platform segment during cleaving.

18 . The automatic cleaving system of claim 11 , further comprising a translation stage coupled to the segmented cleaving platform, wherein the translation stage is configured to lower the segmented cleaving platform to pick up the photovoltaic structure from the conveyor.

19 . A method for automatically cleaving a photovoltaic structure into multiple strips, the method comprising:
picking up, by a segmented cleaving platform, the photovoltaic structure from the conveyor, wherein the photovoltaic structure includes two scribed grooves, and wherein the segmented cleaving platform includes a stationary center platform segment and two side platform segments positioned on each side of the center platform segment; and rotating the two side platform segments around corresponding edges of the stationary center platform segment to cleave the photovoltaic structure into three strips.

20 . The method of claim 19 , wherein rotating the two side platform segments involves activating a vertical actuator, which is coupled to each side platform segment via a cam-follower mechanism.

Assignees

• Solarcity Corp

Inventors

• Winger Seth M
• Yang Bobby
• Nguyen Peter P
• Xu Zheng

Classifications

• H10P72/78

  using vacuum or suction, e.g. Bernoulli chucks · CPC title

• H10P72/0428 Primary

  Apparatus for mechanical treatment or grinding or cutting · CPC title

• B32B43/006

  Delaminating · CPC title

• B32B2457/12

  Photovoltaic modules · CPC title

• H01L21/67092

  Electricity · mapped topic