Materials Challenge for Shingled Cells Interconnection

AbstractThis paper discusses some challenges that need to be tackled when designing a photovoltaic module using a shingled cells structure. We derive a simple analytical model to determine the conditions needed to avoid interconnection joint failure. It is found that interconnection materials with a low ratio of shear modulus G over shear strength τsh. str. is preferred for good interconnection joints reliability. As a result, solder joints appear inappropriate for the application, while electrically conductive adhesives (ECA) with low G/ τsh. str can better fulfill the requirements. An interconnection approach is also proposed which makes use of a combination of adjacent ECA and a non-conductive adhesive materials in a shingled configuration to help achieve string robustness and reliability

Summary of the 4th Workshop on Metallization for Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells

AbstractThe 4th Metallization Workshop held in May 2013 in Constance, Germany, enabled experts in metallization for crystalline silicon solar cells to obtain a clear view on the status of the technology, as well as to exchange and generate new ideas and insights. From the contributions on the workshop, it was clear that the traditional metallization technique of screenprinting Ag paste has been improved in a dramatic way over the last two years, accelerating the decrease of Ag consumption per cell while improving solar cell efficiency. This was achieved through enhanced understanding of screenprinted contacts, improving Ag pastes and evolutionary modifications to the screenprinting technique. Alternatives to screenprinting, including electroplating of Ni and Cu contacts, also continue to progress, though not quite at the same impressive rate of improvement as Ag printing

Passivation of a Metal Contact with a Tunneling Layer

AbstractThe potential of contact passivation for increasing cell performance is indicated by several results reported in the literature. However, scant characterization of the tunneling layers used for that purpose has been reported. In this paper, contact passivation is investigated by insertion of an ultra-thin AlOx layer between an n-type emitter and a Ti/Pd/Ag contact. By using a 1.5nm thick layer, an increase of the minority carrier lifetime by a factor of 2.7 is achieved. Since current-voltage measurements indicate that an ohmic behavior is conserved for AlOx layers as thick as 1.5nm, a 1.5nm AlOx layer is found to be a candidate of choice for contact passivation

Silicon Thin-Film Solar Cells

We review the field of thin-film silicon solar cells with an active layer thickness of a few micrometers. These technologies can potentially lead to low cost through lower material costs than conventional modules, but do not suffer from some critical drawbacks of other thin-film technologies, such as limited supply of basic materials or toxicity of the components. Amorphous Si technology is the oldest and best established thin-film silicon technology. Amorphous silicon is deposited at low temperature with plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). In spite of the fundamental limitation of this material due to its disorder and metastability, the technology is now gaining industrial momentum thanks to the entry of equipment manufacturers with experience with large-area PECVD. Microcrystalline Si (also called nanocrystalline Si) is a material with crystallites in the nanometer range in an amorphous matrix, and which contains less defects than amorphous silicon. Its lower bandgap makes it particularly appropriate as active material for the bottom cell in tandem and triple junction devices. The combination of an amorphous silicon top cell and a microcrystalline bottom cell has yielded promising results, but much work is needed to implement it on large-area and to limit light-induced degradation. Finally thin-film polysilicon solar cells, with grain size in the micrometer range, has recently emerged as an alternative photovoltaic technology. The layers have a grain size ranging from 1 μm to several tens of microns, and are formed at a temperature ranging from 600 to more than 1000∘C. Solid Phase Crystallization has yielded the best results so far but there has recently been fast progress with seed layer approaches, particularly those using the aluminum-induced crystallization technique

Summary of the 9th workshop on metallization and interconnection for crystalline silicon solar cells

The 9th edition of the Workshop on Metallization and Interconnection for Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells was held as an online event but nevertheless reached the workshop goals of knowledge sharing and networking. The technology of screen-printed contacts of high temperature pastes continues its fast progress enabled by better understanding of the phenomena taking place during printing and firing, and progress in materials. Great improvements were also achieved in low temperature paste printing and plated metallization. In the field of interconnection, progress was reported on multiwire approaches, electrically conductive adhesives and on foil-based approaches. Common to many contributions at the workshop was the use of advanced laser processes to improve performance or throughput

Summary of the 8th Workshop on Metallization and Interconnection for Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells

This article gives a summary of the 8th Metallization and Interconnection workshop and attempts to place each contribution in the appropriate context. The field of metallization and interconnection continues to progress at a very fast pace. Several printing techniques can now achieve linewidths below 20 μm. Screen printing is more than ever the dominating metallization technology in the industry, with finger widths of 45 μm in routine mass production and values below 20 μm in the lab. Plating technology is also being improved, particularly through the development of lower cost patterning techniques. Interconnection technology is changing fast, with introduction in mass production of multiwire and shingled cells technologies. New models and characterization techniques are being introduced to study and understand in detail these new interconnection technologies

Proceedings of the 8th Workshop on Metallization and Interconnection for Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells, May 13-14, 2019, Konstanz, Germany

Some 165 global experts and specialists from industry and academic institutes met at the 8th Metallization & Interconnection Workshop (MIW2019) that took place from 13 to 14 May 2019 in Konstanz, Germany. Participants from 19 countries debated results of 28 oral and 11 poster presentations. All presentations are available on www.metallizationworkshop.info as pdf documents. As in previous editions, lots of room was available for discussions and networking during the two-days program which included panel and market-place discussions as well as social events (reception, workshop dinner). These proceedings contain: a summary of the oral and poster presentations, the results of the survey conducted during the workshop, and peer-reviewed papers based on workshop contributions

Trends in metallization and interconnection – Results of the survey conducted during the 8th Metallization and Interconnection Workshop

This paper summarizes the trends in metallization and interconnection technology in the eyes of the participants of the 8th Metallization and Interconnection Workshop. Participants were asked in a questionnaire to share their view on the future development of metallization technology, the kind of metal used for front side metallization and the future development of interconnection technology. The continuous improvement of the screen-printing technology is reflected in the high expected percentage share decreasing from 88% in three years to still 70% in ten years. The dominating front side metal in the view of the participants will be silver with an expected percentage share of nearly 70% in 2029. Regarding interconnection technologies, the experts of the workshop expect new technologies to gain significant technology shares faster. Whereas in three years soldering on busbars is expected to dominate with a percentage share of 71% it will drop in ten years to 35% in the eyes of the participants. Multiwire and shingling technologies are seen to have the highest potential with expected percentage shares of 33% (multiwire) and 16% (shingling) in ten years