Generation Of Contact Masks For Inkjet Printing On Solar Cell Substrates

• US 20100075234A1
• Filed: 09/22/2008
• Published: 03/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Maxeon Solar Pte Limited
• Original Assignee: Sunpower Corporation (Totalenergies Se)
• Inventors: Cousins, Peter John
• Granted Patent: US 8,062,693 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 430/5
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/022425 for solar cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/18 Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment of these devices or of parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 Photovoltaic [PV] energy

Abstract

A contact mask for inkjet printing on a solar cell substrate may be generated by creating a printing bitmap of contacts to be printed on the solar cell substrate. The contacts may be located on the solar cell substrate by mapping coordinates of the printing bitmap to coordinates of the solar cell substrate as positioned in the inkjet printer. The location of the contacts on the solar cell substrate may be defined relative to a location on the solar cell substrate, such as relative to center of mass. The contact mask may be printed by the inkjet printer using the printing bitmap and location information of the contacts.

Claims

1. A method of generating a contact mask for inkjet printing on a solar cell substrate, the method comprising:

defining a plurality of contacts in a printing bitmap, each contact in the plurality of contacts being defined in terms of individual dots printable by an inkjet printer;

generating contact location information defining location of each contact in the plurality of contacts relative to a location on a solar cell substrate;

providing the printing bitmap and the contact location information to the inkjet printer; and

forming a contact mask on a target solar cell substrate by inkjet printing the plurality of contacts on the target solar cell substrate in accordance with the printing bitmap and the contact location information.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the location on the solar cell substrate is a center of mass of the solar cell substrate.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

locating each contact in the plurality of contacts defined in the printing map to corresponding locations on the target solar cell substrate.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein locating each contact in the plurality of contacts defined in the printing bitmap to the corresponding locations on the target solar cell substrate includes mapping coordinates of the printing bitmap to coordinates of the target solar cell substrate as placed in the inkjet printer.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein locating each contact in the plurality of contacts defined in the printing bitmap to corresponding locations on the target solar cell substrate includes rotating location of each contact in the plurality of contacts.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the contact location information identifies a center of each contact in the plurality of contacts relative to the location of the solar cell substrate.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the contact mask comprises a resist.

8. An inkjet printing system comprising:

a computer configured to generate a printing bitmap, the printing bitmap defining contacts of a contact mask;

an inkjet printer configured to receive the printing bitmap, the printing bitmap defining the contacts in terms of individual dots printable by nozzles of the inkjet printer, the inkjet printer being configured to dispense dots on a target solar cell substrate in accordance with the printing bitmap to print the contact mask on the target solar cell substrate.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the inkjet printer is further configured to receive contact location information of contacts defined in the printing bitmap.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the contact location information locates the contacts relative to a location on the target solar cell substrate.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the location comprises center of mass of the target solar cell substrate.

12. The system of claim 8 wherein the inkjet printer maps coordinates of the printing bitmap to coordinates of the solar cell substrate to locate the contacts on the target solar cell substrate.

13. The system of claim 8 wherein the inkjet printer receives the printing bitmap from the computer over a computer network.

14. The system of claim 8 wherein the inkjet printer receives the printing bitmap from the computer by way of removable data storage medium.

15. A method of generating a contact mask for inkjet printing on a solar cell substrate, the method comprising:

providing a printing bitmap to an inkjet printer, the printing bitmap defining contacts to be printed on a solar cell substrate as contact mask;

receiving the printing bitmap in the inkjet printer; and

inkjet printing the contact mask on the solar cell substrate in accordance with the printing bitmap.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

providing contact location information to the inkjet printer, the contact location information identifying location of the contacts relative to a location on the solar cell substrate.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the location on the solar cell substrate comprises center of mass of the solar cell substrate.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the printing bitmap is provided to the inkjet printer over a computer network.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the printing bitmap is provided to the inkjet printer by way of a removable storage medium.

20. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

mapping coordinates of the printing bitmap to coordinates of the solar cell substrate to locate the contacts on the solar cell substrate.