Thin-Film Solar Cell Interconnection

Abstract

A method of interconnecting thin-film solar cells formed on a foreign insulating substrate or superstrate is described: the top and bottom layers of the thin-film solar cells having a sheet resistances below 10,000 Ω/sq. The method comprises the steps of forming a thin-film solar cell structure comprising at least an n+-type layer (2,3) and a p+ type layer (4) on the foreign substrate/superstrate, and forming one or more electrical contacts (19), each contact being between an n+ type layer on one portion of the substrate/superstrate to a p+-type layer (16) on an adjacent portion of the substrate/superstrate. Each electrical contact (19) is formed, at least in part, from respective materials of the n+ type layer (2,3) and the p+ type layer (4) of the initially formed solar cell structure: and the materials of the n+ type layer (2,3) and the p+ type layer (4) forming at least part of each electrical contact are brought into a liquid phase by eg laser a first time and subsequently into a mixed solid phase (16) during the formation of the other side of the electrical contact (19). Deposition of a conductor at the bottom of the groove formed by the laser forms the electrical interconnection (19) between the neighbouring cells.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.