System and method for estimating the short circuit current of a solar device
AssigneeFirst Solar, Inc.
InventorsArnold Allenic, Oleh Petro Karpenko
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Described herein is a method and system for determining a short-circuit current of a solar device before the solar device is tested in a solar simulator. A solar device includes a substrate layer, a front contact layer, a window/emitter layer, an absorber layer and a back contact. A thickness of the window/emitter layer and an absorption wavelength of the absorber layer are determined. The window/emitter layer thickness and absorber layer absorption wavelength are used with a fitting parameter that corresponds to transmission properties of the substrate and first contact layers in order to determine the solar device's short-circuit current.
Claims71
A method of determining a short-circuit current for a solar device, the method comprising:
- determining a thickness of a window/emitter layer of the solar device before the device is fully assembled;
- determining an absorption wavelength of an absorber layer of the solar device before the device is fully assembled;
- determining a fitting parameter that indicates transmission properties of at least one transparent layer of the solar device;
- and
- using the determined window/emitter layer thickness, the determined absorber layer absorption wavelength and the determined fitting parameter to determine the short-circuit current for the solar device.
A method of determining a short-circuit conductance of a solar device, the method comprising:
- determining a short-circuit current of a solar device before the solar device is tested in a solar simulator;
- adjusting a current compliance range of the solar simulator to a new range before testing the solar device if the solar device's determined short-circuit current falls outside of the solar simulator's current compliance range;
- testing the solar device using the solar simulator to generate a current-voltage curve, the current-voltage curve being uncapped due to the new range;
- and
- using the generated current-voltage curve to determine the short-circuit conductance of the solar device.
A system for determining a short-circuit conductance of a solar device, the system comprising:
- a first solar device assembly facility configured to partially manufacture a solar device to include at least a first contact layer, a window/emitter layer and an absorber layer;
- a measurement chamber configured to determine a thickness of the window/emitter layer and an absorption wavelength of the absorber layer of the solar device;
- a second solar device assembly facility configured to add at least a second contact to the solar device after the solar device is measured in the measurement chamber;
- a processor for determining a short-circuit current of the solar device using the determined window/emitter layer thickness and absorber layer absorption wavelength and a fitting parameter which corresponds to a transmission property of a substrate layer and a front contact layer of the solar device;
- and
- a solar simulator configured to test the solar device and generate a current-voltage curve from which the solar device's short-circuit conductance is determined, wherein a compliance of the solar simulator is adjusted before testing of the solar device if the determined short-circuit current exceeds the compliance.
A processing system for determining a short-circuit conductance of a solar device, the system comprising:
- a solar simulator;
- and
- one or more processors, the one or more processors configured to:
- determine a short-circuit current of a solar device before the solar device is tested in the solar simulator;
- adjust a compliance of the solar simulator before the solar device is tested if the solar device's determined short-circuit current exceeds the solar simulator's set compliance;
- and
- use a current-voltage curve generated by the testing of the solar device by the solar simulator to determine the short-circuit conductance of the solar device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.