Method of making photovoltaic device

• US 6,380,477 B1
• Filed: 03/24/2000
• Issued: 04/30/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Photovoltaic Solar Cells, Inc. (MetaStat, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Lawrence F. Curtin
• Inventors: Curtin, Lawrence F.
• Primary Examiner(s): DIAMOND, ALAN D
• Application Number:
  US09/509,262
• Time in Patent Office: 767 Days
• Field of Search: 136/244, 136/256, 136/251, 136/245, 257/433, 257/431, 438/98, 438/64, 438/66
• US Class Current: 136/244
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/02008 for solar cells or solar cell modules
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0201 comprising specially adapted module bus-bar structures
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/03921 including only elements of Group IV of the Periodic Table
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/03926 comprising a flexible substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/046 PV modules composed of a plurality of thin film solar cells deposited on the same substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/048 Encapsulation of modules
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0512 made of a particular material or composition of materials
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 Photovoltaic [PV] energy

Abstract

A photovoltaic device and a method for its manufacture. The device essentially comprises a thin film cell layer 14, a contact transfer release sheet 54, and a foil strip interconnect clip 80. The contact transfer release sheet 54 is bonded to the thin film cell layer 14 in vacuum deposition chambers 12 to produce a roll 62 of photovoltaic material. The photovoltaic material is then cut into segments that are referred to as thin film cell stickers 64. The thin film cell stickers have a barrier layer which is removable to expose a ready-to-apply sticker. The stickers 64 are then adhered to a substrate, like glass, and arranged, side by side, in a row 66. Row 66 of stickers 64 is formed into a series or parallel circuit using a conductive foil strip interconnect clip 80. The interconnect clip is used to complete the circuit between adjacent thin film stickers, preferably by crimping the interconnect to adjacent bus bar segments 87 & 91, of adjacent stickers 64.

Claims

1. A photovoltaic device, comprising:

a thin film cell layer made from photovoltaic material deposited onto a flexible planar substrate, said material having a positive edge parallel to a negative edge and a contact surface therebetween; and

a contact transfer release sheet adhered to said contact surface.

2. The photovoltaic device according to claim 1, wherein said device is in the form of a roll, said roll formed by rolling said thin film cell layer and said contact transfer release sheet onto a drum.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein said photovoltaic material further comprises:

at least two p-i-n junctions;

a clear conductive layer overlaying said junctions;

a positive bus bar disposed along the positive edge and a negative bus bar disposed along the negative edge; and

a plurality of photovoltaic fingers, each of said fingers extending from said negative bus bar to proximate said positive bus bar.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein said substrate comprises a conductive metal layer disposed upon a polyimide base.

5. The photovoltaic device according to claim 3, wherein said device is in the form of thin film cell stickers, said stickers formed by segmenting said device along lines perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of each said bus bar, and at intervals of at least every three said fingers, and wherein each of said stickers has a positive bus bar segment and a negative bus bar segment.

6. The device according to claim 3, wherein said release sheet spans the gap between the negative bus bar and the positive bus bar, but does not overlap either said bus bar, such that each said bus bar remains free of adhesive materials.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein said contact transfer release sheet comprises a clear adhesive, a release agent, and a barrier layer.

8. The device according to claim 2, wherein said contact transfer release sheet comprises a clear adhesive, a release agent, and a barrier layer.

9. The device according to claim 7, wherein said adhesive is silicone-based.

10. The device according to claim 8, whereins said adhesive is silicone-based.

11. A solar panel, comprising:

a translucent, rigid support plate having a front side directly exposed to a radiant energy source, and a back side opposite said radiant energy source;

a row of adjacent thin film cell stickers adhered to said back side of said plate, each of said stickers having a pair of oppositely charged bus bar segments, wherein each of said pair abuts and is collinear with another of said segments;

a foil strip interconnect clip connecting each of said pair of each of said stickers to one of said pair of an adjacent of said stickers;

a first wire connected to one of said segments at a first end of said row, and a second wire connected to one of said segments at a second end of said row;

wherein said first wire and said second wire draw electrical output from said panel to an electrical junction.

12. The solar panel according to claim 11, wherein abutting segments are similarly charged to form a parallel circuit.

13. The solar panel according to claim 11, wherein abutting segments are oppositely charged to form a series circuit.

14. A method of producing a thin film photovoltaic device, comprising:

preparing an inert vacuum chamber for production of a roll of photovoltaic release material;

depositing photovoltaic material onto a permanent substrate to form a photovoltaic web, said web having a positive edge and a negative edge;

film masking two parallel, continuous bus bars, one to each said edge of said web, and film masking a plurality of fingers between said bus bars to form a thin film cell layer; and

adhering to said thin film cell layer a contact transfer release sheet to form a roll of photovoltaic material with contact transfer release sheet.

15. The method of producing a thin film photovoltaic device according to claim 14, further comprising the step of segmenting said roll of photovoltaic release material along lines perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said bus bars, and at intervals of at least every three said fingers, so as to produce elongated thin film cell stickers.

16. The method of producing a thin film photovoltaic device according to claim 15, further comprising the steps of:

peeling from said thin film cell stickers an outer barrier layer of said contact transfer release sheet;

applying side by side and sticky side down, a plurality of said thin film cell stickers onto a translucent, rigid medium such that adjacent said bus bar segments abut end to end;

crimping an electrically conductive foil strip interconnect, together with lead wire, onto adjacent pairs of said bus bars to form a series or a parallel circuit.

17. The method according to claim 14, wherein said contact transfer release sheet comprises a clear adhesive, a release agent, and a barrier layer.