Diode with Lead Terminal for Solar Cell

• US 20070221919A1
• Filed: 05/19/2005
• Published: 09/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Angel Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Angel Company Limited
• Inventors: Fujii, Koichi, Sato, Hirofumi, Sato, Kazunari
• Granted Patent: US 7,388,269 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/44
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/142 Energy conversion devices photovoltaic modules or arrays of single photovoltaic cells comprising bypass diodes integrated or directly associated with the devices H01L31/0443; photovoltaic modules composed of a plurality of thin film solar cells deposited on the same substrate H01L31/046
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/044 including bypass diodes bypass diodes in the junction box H02S40/34
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 Photovoltaic [PV] energy

Abstract

The object of the present invention is to provide a diode that acts as a cell string bypass diode or a reverse-current preventive diode, has excellent heat dissipativity, and are preferably sealed integrally in a solar cell module. An N terminal 11 has an N substrate part 12 having an even thickness of 0.8 mm or more, an N thin part 13, which is one thin part, and an N connecting wire receiving part 14, which is the other thin part. A P terminal 21 has a P substrate part 22, a P thin part 23, and a P connecting wire receiving part 24. In a state where said diode chip 31 is connected, the thickness of the entire lead terminal is almost the same as that of the substrate part, i.e. the terminal, and the total of plane area of the N substrate part and that of the P substrate part is 200 mm² or more. Said diode, together with the solar cell, is sealed between a front surface material and a rear surface material where the solar cell is to be sealed.

Claims

1. A diode with lead terminals for use as a bypass diode connected in parallel to a cell string in which m solar cell cells (m is a positive integer of 2 or more) are connected in series via a conductor or as a reverse-current preventive diode connected in series to n said cell strings (n is a positive integer of 1 or more), comprising,

an N terminal having an almost square-shaped, plate-like conductive portion of uniform thickness of 0.8 mm or more, at each end of which a thin part is formed, said portion of uniform thickness being an N substrate part, and said thin part at one end being an N thin part and said thin part at the other end being an N connecting wire receiving part, and the under surface of the N substrate part and the under surface of the N thin part forming the same plane,

a P terminal having an almost square-shaped, plate-like conductive portion as thick as the N substrate part, at each end of which a thin part is formed, said portion of uniform thickness being a P substrate part, and said thin part at one end being a P thin part, said thin part at the other end being a P connecting wire receiving part, and the upper surface of the P substrate part and the upper surface of the P thin part forming the same plane, and

a flat plate-shaped diode chip with a pn connection structure in which a flat plate-shaped P-type semiconductor is connected to a flat plate-shaped N-type semiconductor,

wherein the electrode surface of the N-type semiconductor of said diode chip is connected to the upper surface of the N thin part of the N terminal and the electrode surface of the P-type semiconductor of said diode chip is connected to the under surface of the P thin part;

and

in the state where said diode chip is connected, the overlapped portion of the N thin part, the diode chip, and the P thin part has almost the same thickness that that of the N substrate part, and the total of the plane area of the N substrate part and that of the P substrate part is 200 mm² or more.

2. A diode with lead terminals according to claim 1, wherein said thin part of said N terminal and/or said P terminal is formed by means of etching.

3. A diode with lead terminals according to claim 1, wherein electric insulating members is added to the side of said diode chip.

4. A solar cell module, wherein the diode with lead terminals of claim 1, together with said solar cell, is sealed between a front surface material and a rear surface material where said solar cell is to be sealed.

5. A terminal box for solar cell receiving output of the solar cell module, in which the diode with lead terminals of claim 1 is arranged as said bypass diode and/or said reverse-current preventive diode.

6. A solar cell module according to claim 4, wherein two or more diode with lead terminals of claim 1 are connected to the connecting part of said single bypass diode and/or said single reverse-current preventive diode in parallel.

7. A terminal box for solar cell module of claim 5, wherein two or more diode with lead terminals of claim 1 are connected in parallel to the place of said single bypass diode and/or said single reverse-current preventive diode.

8. A parallel connecting diode with lead terminals comprising,

a flat plate-shaped conductive N terminal of even thickness, having an N bridge part extending in the forward and backward directions and a plurality of N substrate parts extending from the N bridge part in the right and left direction with an N thin part at each end thereof, the under surface of the N substrate part and the under surface of the N thin part forming the same plane,

a flat plate-shaped conductive P terminal of the same thickness as the N substrate part, having a P bridge part extending in the forward and back directions and the same quantity of a P substrate part as that of the N substrate part extending from the P bridge part in the right and left direction with a P thin part at each end thereof, the upper surface of said P substrate part and the upper surface of the P thin part forming the same plane, and

the same quantity of flat plate-shaped diode chips as that of the N substrate part, with a pn connection structure in which a flat plate-shaped P-type semiconductor is connected to a flat plate-shaped N-type semiconductor,

wherein the N thin part and the P thin part face to each other, the electrode surface of the N-type semiconductor of one of the said diode chips being connected to the upper surface of the N thin part, and the electrode surface of the P-type semiconductor of one of the said diode chips being connected to the under surface of the P thin part;

and

in the state that said diode chips are connected, the overlapped portion of the N thin part, the diode chip, and the P thin part has almost the same thickness as that of the N substrate part.

9. A parallel connecting diode with lead terminals according to claim 8, wherein a thin part that is formed at the N bridge part is available as an N connecting wire receiving part, and a thin part that is formed at the P bridge part is available as a P connecting wire receiving part.

10. A parallel connecting diode with lead terminals according to claim 8, wherein a thin part that is formed extending from an N bridge part or an N substrate part is available as an N connecting wire receiving part, and a thin part that is formed extending from a P bridge part or a P substrate part is available as a P connecting wire receiving part.

11. A parallel connecting diode with lead terminals according to claim 8, wherein said thin parts of the N terminal and/or the P terminal is formed by means of etching.

12. A parallel connecting diode with lead terminals according to claim 8, wherein an electric insulating member is added to the side of said diode chip.

13. A solar cell module, wherein said parallel connecting diode with lead terminals of claim 8 is used as a bypass diode connected in series to a cell string in which m solar cells (m is a positive integer of 2 or more) are connected in series via a conductor or as a reverse-current preventive diode connected in series to n said cell strings (n is a positive integer of 1 or more) and is, together with said solar cells, sealed between a surface material and a rear surface material, where said solar cells are to be sealed.

14. A terminal box for solar cells for receiving the output of the solar cell module, having the parallel connecting diode with lead terminals of claim 8 arranged therein, wherein said parallel connecting diode with lead terminals acts as a bypass diode that is connected in parallel to a cell string in which m solar cells (m is a positive integer of 2 or more) are connected in series via a conductor or as a reverse-current preventive diode that is connected in series to n said cell strings (n is a positive integer of 1 or more), in said terminal box for solar cells.