# US 12,191,805 B2 · Method for electrically characterising a cut photovoltaic cell

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- Number: US 12,191,805 B2
- Document ID: US12191805B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/620,504
- Filed: 2020-06-09
- Published: 2022-11-10
- Granted: 2025-01-07
- Earliest claimed: 2019-06-20
- Assignees: Commissariat A L'energie Atomique Et Aux Energies Alternatives
- Applicants: Commissariat A L'energie Atomique Et Aux Energies Alternatives
- Inventors: Julien Eymard; Felix Gerenton; Samuel Harrison; Maria-Delfina Munoz
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12191805B2

## CPC

- H02S 50/10: Testing of PV devices, e.g. of PV modules or single PV cells (testing of semiconductor devices during manufacturing {H10P74/00})
- Y02E 10/50: Photovoltaic [PV] energy
- H02S: GENERATION OF ELECTRIC POWER BY CONVERSION OF INFRARED RADIATION, VISIBLE LIGHT OR ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT, e.g. USING PHOTOVOLTAIC [PV] MODULES (obtaining electrical energy from radioactive sources G21H1/12; light sensitive inorganic semiconductor devices H10F; light sensitive organic semiconductor devices H10K30/00; thermoelectric devices H10N10/00; pyroelectric devices H10N15/00)
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION

## Abstract

A method for electrically characterising a cut photovoltaic cell, includes measuring the feature I-V of the uncut cell; cutting the cell into a plurality of sub-cells; measuring the feature I-V of each sub-cell not electrically connected to the other sub-cells; measuring the feature I-V of a set comprising all the sub-cells connected in parallel; determining, on the basis of the measured features I-V, performance parameters of the uncut cell, of each sub-set and of the set; computing, for each sub-cell, the difference between the value of the performance parameters of the sub-cell and that of the performance parameter of the uncut cell; and computing the difference between the value of the performance parameter of the set and the value of the performance parameter of the uncut cell.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method, comprising:
(a) measuring, using a voltage and current measurement device, a current-voltage (I-V) characteristic of an uncut photovoltaic cell being illuminated with first light;
(b) cutting the uncut photovoltaic cell into a plurality of photovoltaic sub-cells;
(c) measuring, using the voltage and current measurement device, an I-V characteristic of each of the plurality of photovoltaic sub-cells, which are not electrically connected to each other and are illuminated with second light;
(d) measuring, using the voltage and current measurement device, an I-V characteristic of an assembly comprising all the plurality of photovoltaic sub-cells electrically connected to each other in parallel and being illuminated with third light;
(e) determining, from the I-V characteristics measured in steps (a), (c), and (d), an electric performance parameter of the uncut photovoltaic cell, an electric performance parameter of each of the plurality of photovoltaic sub-cells, and an electric performance parameter of the assembly;
(f) calculating, for each photovoltaic sub-cell of the plurality of photovoltaic sub-cells, a difference between a value of the electric performance parameter of the photovoltaic sub-cell and a value of the electric performance parameter of the uncut photovoltaic cell; and
(g) calculating a difference between the value of the electric performance parameter of the assembly and the value of the electric performance parameter of the uncut photovoltaic cell to quantify an impact that the cutting of the uncut photovoltaic cell has on electric performance, the impact including losses due to degradation of the plurality of photovoltaic sub-cells caused by the cutting.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the electric performance parameters used for calculating in step (f) of a same type as those used for the calculating in step (g).

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the electric performance parameters used for the calculating in steps (f) and (g) correspond to open circuit voltages.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein step (a) is implemented with at least contact elements disposed against metallizations present at front and rear faces of the uncut photovoltaic cell, each of the contact elements including a plurality of parts electrically insulated from each other and configured to be each connected to the voltage and current measurement device.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method according to claim 4, wherein during step (a), switches are configured to electrically connect, for at least one of the contact elements, the plurality of parts of said contact element, and during step (c), the switches are configured to electrically insulate the plurality of parts of said contact element.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method according to claim 5, wherein the switches correspond to power transistors and/or are disposed within the contact elements.

### Claim 7 (depends on 4)

The method according to claim 4, wherein the contact elements include combs each provided with a plurality of groups of tips with, in each group of the tips, tips for measuring voltage and tips for measuring current, and wherein each part of one of the contact elements comprises at least one of the plurality of groups of tips.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The method according to claim 7, wherein during step (a), the tips of the combs are contacted with busbar-type metallizations present at the front face and/or the rear face of the photovoltaic cell.

### Claim 9 (depends on 4)

The method according to claim 4, wherein the contact elements include wires, which are contacted with the metallizations present at least at the front face of the photovoltaic cell.

### Claim 10 (depends on 4)

The method according to claim 4, wherein the contact elements further include at least one electrically conductive element, which is contacted with at least one metallization present on a rear face of the uncut photovoltaic cell.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the first light, the second light, and the third light have a same light spectrum, with a same light power and at a same temperature.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein step (b) includes implementing laser cutting and/or mechanical cleaving and/or cutting with a saw or diamond wire and/or water jet cutting.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein during step (c), the I-V characteristics of the plurality of photovoltaic sub-cells are measured simultaneously.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein during step (c), the I-V characteristics of the plurality of photovoltaic sub-cells are measured successively by the voltage and current measurement device, and measurement results are time multiplexed at an output of the voltage and current measurement device.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein step (a) is implemented with at least contact elements disposed against metallizations present at front and rear faces of the plurality of photovoltaic sub-cells, each of the contact elements including a plurality of parts electrically insulated from each other and configured to be each connected to the voltage and current measurement device.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein step (a) is implemented with at least contact elements disposed against metallizations present at front and rear faces of the plurality of photovoltaic sub-cells connected to each other in the assembly, each of the contact elements including a plurality of parts electrically insulated from each other and configured to be each connected to the voltage and current measurement device.