# US 2009/0260689 A1 · Solar cell lead wire, method of making the same, and solar cell

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- Number: US 2009/0260689 A1
- Document ID: US20090260689A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 12/385,417
- Filed: 2009-04-07
- Published: 2009-10-22
- Earliest claimed: 2008-02-13
- Assignees: Hitachi Cable, Ltd.; Hitachi Cable Fine-Tech, Ltd.
- Inventors: Hajime Nishi; Yuju Endo; Hiroyuki Akutsu; Hiroshi Okikawa
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20090260689A1

## CPC

- C23C 26/02: applying molten material to the substrate
- C23C 2/02: Pretreatment of the material to be coated, e.g. for coating on selected surface areas (C23C2/30 takes precedence)
- C23C 2/022: {by heating}
- C23C 2/08: Tin or alloys based thereon
- C23C 6/00: Coating by casting molten material on the substrate
- H10F 19/904: {characterised by the shapes of the structures}
- Y02E 10/50: Photovoltaic [PV] energy
- C23C: COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL (making metal-coated products by extrusion B21C23/22; covering with metal by connecting pre-existing layers to articles, see the relevant places, e.g. B21D39/00, B23K; metallising of glass C03C; metallising mortars, concrete, artificial stone, ceramics or natural stone C04B41/00; enamelling of, or applying a vitreous layer to, metals C23D; treating metal surfaces or coating of metals by electrolysis or electrophoresis C25D; single-crystal film growth C30B; by metallising textiles D06M11/83; decorating textiles by locally metallising D06Q1/04)
- H10F: INORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES SENSITIVE TO INFRARED RADIATION, LIGHT, ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION OF SHORTER WAVELENGTH OR CORPUSCULAR RADIATION
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION

## Abstract

A solar cell lead wire includes a conducting material, and a molten solder plated layer formed on the conducting material. The conducting material includes a concave-convex conducting material that includes a concavity on top and under surfaces thereof, respectively, and a convexity on a side surface thereof, and that is formed by die processing a strip-shaped conducting material, and the molten solder plated layer comprises a flat surface formed by supplying a molten solder to the concavity of the concave-convex conducting material.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A solar cell lead wire, comprising:
a conducting material; and
a molten solder plated layer formed on the conducting material,
wherein the conducting material comprises a concave-convex conducting material that comprises a concavity on top and under surfaces thereof, respectively, and a convexity on a side surface thereof, and that is formed by die processing a strip-shaped conducting material, and
the molten solder plated layer comprises a flat surface formed by supplying a molten solder to the concavity of the concave-convex conducting material.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The solar cell lead wire according to claim 1, wherein the molten solder plated layer comprises a flat surface formed on the top and under surfaces of the conducting material formed by supplying a molten solder to the concavity of the concave-convex conducting material.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The solar cell lead wire according to claim 1, wherein the strip-shaped conducting material comprises a rectangular wire having a volume resistivity of not more than 50 μΩ.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The solar cell lead wire according to claim 1, wherein the strip-shaped conducting material includes any one of Cu, Al, Ag, and Au.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The solar cell lead wire according to claim 1, wherein the strip-shaped conducting material includes any one of a tough pitch Cu, a low-oxygen Cu, an oxygen-free Cu, a phosphorus deoxidized Cu and a high purity Cu with a purity of not less than 99.9999%.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The solar cell lead wire according to claim 1, wherein the molten solder plated layer includes a Sn based solder or a Sn based solder alloy including Sn as a first component and not less than 0.1% by weight of at least one element selected from Pb, In, Bi, Sb, Ag, Zn, Ni and Cu as a second component.

### Claim 7

A method of making a solar cell lead wire, comprising:
forming a strip-shaped conducting material by applying a roll processing or a slit processing to a raw conducting material;
forming a concave-convex conducting material having a concavity on top and under surfaces thereof, respectively, and a convexity on a side surface thereof by applying a die processing to the strip-shaped conducting material;
heat-treating the concave-convex conducting material by using a continuous current heating furnace, a continuous heating furnace or a batch heating equipment; and
forming a molten solder plated layer so as to have a flat surface by supplying a molten solder to the concavity.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

A solar cell, comprising:
a semiconductor substrate comprising a front surface electrode and a rear surface electrode; and
the solar cell lead wire according to claim 1,
wherein the solar cell lead wire is joined to the front surface electrode and the rear surface electrode of the semiconductor substrate by soldering of the molten solder of the molten solder plated layer.