Melt planarization of solar cell bus bars
First Claim
1. A method for producing a solar cell, the method comprising:
- disposing a first ink onto a substrate such that the printed first ink forms an elongated bus bar on the substrate;
printing a second ink onto the substrate such that the second ink forms an elongated gridline including a first gridline portion contacting the substrate and a second gridline portion disposed on the bus bar, and such that each of said first and second gridline portions include an initial cross-section having a first aspect ratio; and
inducing localized melting of the second gridline portion such that said second gridline portion assumes a melted cross-section having a second aspect ratio that is lower than said first aspect ratio, and such that said first gridline portion retains said initial cross-section having said first aspect ratio.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Solar cells include bus bars and high aspect-ratio gridlines that are printed on a substrate, and localized melting is induced to slump or flatten the gridline “vertex” portions that are disposed on the bus bars, while maintaining the high aspect-ratio of gridlines portions disposed on the substrate between the bus bars. The localized melting process is induced using one of several disclosed methods, such as rheological melting in which the two printed inks produce a compound that is relatively liquid. Localized melting is also induced using a deliquescing material (e.g., a flux or a solvent film) that is applied to the bus bar or gridline material. Also, eutectic melting is induced using a processing temperature that is between a melting point of the combined gridline/bus bar inks and the individual melting points of the inks alone. Laser-based melting and the use of copolymers is also disclosed.
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Citations
16 Claims
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1. A method for producing a solar cell, the method comprising:
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disposing a first ink onto a substrate such that the printed first ink forms an elongated bus bar on the substrate; printing a second ink onto the substrate such that the second ink forms an elongated gridline including a first gridline portion contacting the substrate and a second gridline portion disposed on the bus bar, and such that each of said first and second gridline portions include an initial cross-section having a first aspect ratio; and inducing localized melting of the second gridline portion such that said second gridline portion assumes a melted cross-section having a second aspect ratio that is lower than said first aspect ratio, and such that said first gridline portion retains said initial cross-section having said first aspect ratio. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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Specification