Method and apparatus of fabricating a solar cell device
AssigneeSunPower Corporation
InventorsNathaniel Caswell, David C. Hosken, Jason Kalus
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Solar cell devices as well as method and apparatus for producing solar cell devices are disclosed. Aspects of the disclosure provide a solar cell device that includes a string of solar cells. The string of solar cells are conductively connected in series and arranged in a shingled manner with sides of adjacent solar cells being overlapped. A first metal ribbon segment is conductively bonded to a front surface of an end cell, the front surface being configured to face a light incoming direction to receive energy from a light source.
Claims15
A method for manufacturing a solar cell device from silicon solar cells, the method comprising:
- preparing a first metal ribbon segment;
- inspecting a quality and a location of the first metal ribbon segment after the preparing the first metal ribbon segment, wherein the inspecting is operated by an inspection camera mounted on a main stage;
- dispensing, at the main stage, an electrically conductive adhesive (ECA) onto the first metal ribbon segment;
- inspecting, by the inspection camera mounted on the main stage, the quality and the location of the ECA after the dispensing of the ECA onto the first metal ribbon segment;
- placing a first solar cell onto the first metal ribbon segment, the first metal ribbon segment being bonded with a front surface of the first solar cell through the ECA in a shingled manner with sides of the first metal ribbon segment and the first solar cell being overlapped, and the front surface being configured to face a light incoming direction to receive energy from a light source;
- and
- bonding one or more solar cells with the first solar cell through a ECA in a shingled manner with sides of adjacent solar cells being overlapped to form a first string of solar cells.
A method for manufacturing a shingled solar cell device comprising:
- preparing a first metal ribbon segment at a main stage;
- inspecting, by an inspection camera mounted on the main stage, the first metal ribbon segment after the preparing the first metal ribbon segment;
- dispensing, at the main stage, an electrically conductive adhesive (ECA) onto the first metal ribbon segment;
- inspecting, by the inspection camera mounted on the main stage, a quality and a location of the ECA on the first metal ribbon segment;
- and
- placing a first solar cell onto the first metal ribbon segment to bond with a first surface of the first solar cell through the ECA in a shingled manner with sides of the first metal ribbon segment and the first solar cell being overlapped.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.