Electrolytic etch for eliminating shorts and shunts in large area amorphous silicon solar cells
First Claim
1. A method for improving the performance of an amorphous silicon solar cell which incorporates a highly conductive electrode contacting one of the layers of the solar cell, comprising the step of applying a reverse bias voltage to said highly conductive layer while said solar cell is immersed in an electrolyte, said reverse bias voltage being applied through said electrolyte, whereby shorts or shunts in said solar cell are removed by an electrolytic etch of said solar cell.
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Abstract
The present invention relates to a method for removing electrical shorts and shunts from solar cells, such as amorphous silicon solar cells. The method involves back-biasing the solar cells while they are in an electrolytic solution. It has been found that the process results in the removal of the shorts and shunts present in the cell.
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4 Claims
- 1. A method for improving the performance of an amorphous silicon solar cell which incorporates a highly conductive electrode contacting one of the layers of the solar cell, comprising the step of applying a reverse bias voltage to said highly conductive layer while said solar cell is immersed in an electrolyte, said reverse bias voltage being applied through said electrolyte, whereby shorts or shunts in said solar cell are removed by an electrolytic etch of said solar cell.
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