# US 2014/0150862 A1 · Assembly for back contact photovoltaic module > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0150862 A1 - Document ID: US20140150862A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/094,865 - Filed: 2013-12-03 - Published: 2014-06-05 - Earliest claimed: 2012-12-04 - Assignees: E. I. Du Pont de Nemours and Company - Applicants: E I Du Pont De Nemours and Company - Inventors: Zelin Liu; Minfang Mu; Ke Yu; Philip L. Boydell - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140150862A1 ## CPC - H10F 19/85: Protective back sheets - H10F 19/908: {for back-contact photovoltaic cells} - Y02E 10/50: Photovoltaic [PV] energy - 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 An assembly for forming a back-contact photovoltaic module includes an integrated back-sheet with a substrate, an electrically conductive metal circuit adhered to a front surface of the substrate, and a back insulating layer adhered to the electrically conductive metal circuit. The back insulating layer has openings aligned with the electrically conductive metal circuit and with electrical contacts on the back side of a back-contact solar cell. A front sheet and front encapsulant layer are provided on a front surface of the solar cell. The back insulating layer or the front encapsulant layer has a concave opening that complements the solar cell profile. When the back-contact solar cell is received in the concave opening, the electrical contacts on the back side of the solar cell align with the openings of the back insulating layer and with the electrically conductive metal circuit. A process for forming the described assembly is also provided. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An assembly for forming a back-contact photovoltaic module, comprising: a substrate having back surface and a front surface; an electrically conductive metal circuit adhered to the front surface of said substrate; a back insulating layer having first and second opposite sides, the first side of said back insulating layer being adhered to said electrically conductive metal circuit, said back insulating layer having a plurality of openings passing through said back insulating layer that are aligned with said electrically conductive metal circuit; a back-contact solar cell having a front light-receiving side, an opposite back side with a plurality of positive and negative polarity electrical contacts formed on said back side of said back-contact solar cell, the back side of said back-contact solar cell facing said back insulating layer, said back-contact solar cell having a side edge between the front light-receiving side and back side of the solar cell, the side edge defining a profile of the back-contact solar cell; a front encapsulant layer having opposite first and second sides, the first side of said front encapsulant layer facing the front light-receiving side of said back-contact solar cell; a transparent front sheet abutting the second side of said front encapsulant layer; wherein at least one of the second side of the back insulating layer and the first side of the front encapsulant layer has a concave opening formed thereon that complements the profile of said back-contact solar cell such that the back-contact solar cell fits into the concave opening, and wherein when the back-contact solar cell is received in said concave opening, the positive and negative polarity electrical contacts formed on the back side of the back-contact solar cell align with the openings passing through said back insulating layer and with the electrically conductive metal circuit. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The assembly of claim 1 wherein the concave opening is on the second side of said back insulating layer. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The assembly of claim 2 wherein the back insulating layer is an encapsulant layer. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The assembly of claim 3 wherein said back insulating layer comprises a first polymer layer adhered to said electrically conductive metal circuit and a second polymer layer adhered to said first polymer layer, and wherein the peel strength between said electrically conductive metal circuit and said first polymer layer is greater than the peel strength between said first polymer layer and said second polymer layer. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The assembly of claim 4 wherein said concave opening is a die-cut portion of said second polymer layer that is peeled off from said first polymer layer. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The assembly of claim 5 wherein said plurality of openings passing through said back insulating layer are via openings die cut in said first polymer layer. ### Claim 7 (depends on 4) The assembly of claim 4 wherein said first polymer layer and said second polymer layer are a film or sheet comprising polyolefins, poly(vinyl butyral), polyurethane, polyvinylchloride, acid copolymers, silicone elastomers, epoxy resins, or a combination thereof. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The assembly of claim 7 wherein said first polymer layer is comprised of ethylene vinyl acetate and a cross-linking agent. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The assembly of claim 7 wherein said first polymer layer is an ethylene copolymer tie layer. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The assembly of claim 8 wherein said second polymer layer is comprised of ethylene vinyl acrylate. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The assembly of claim 1 wherein the concave opening is on the first side of said front encapsulant layer. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The assembly of claim 11 wherein said front encapsulant layer is a film or sheet comprising polyolefins, poly(vinyl butyral), polyurethane, polyvinylchloride, acid copolymers, silicone elastomers, epoxy resins, or a combination thereof. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The assembly of claim 11 wherein said front encapsulant layer comprises a first front encapsulant sub-layer adhered to said transparent front sheet and a second front encapsulant sub-layer adhered to said first front encapsulant sub-layer, and wherein the peel strength between said transparent front sheet and said first front encapsulant sub-layer is greater than the peel strength between said first front encapsulant sub-layer and said second front encapsulant sub-layer. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The assembly of claim 13 wherein said concave opening is a die-cut portion of said second front encapsulant sub-layer that is peeled off from said first front encapsulant sub-layer. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The assembly of claim 11 wherein said back insulating layer is a back encapsulant layer with via openings die cut in said back encapsulant layer. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) A photovoltaic module comprising the assembly of claim 1. ### Claim 17 A process for forming a back-contact photovoltaic module, comprising: providing a substrate having a back surface and a front surface; adhering an electrically conductive metal circuit to the front surface of said substrate; providing a back insulating layer having first and second opposite sides, and in any order adhering the first side of said back insulating layer to said electrically conductive metal circuit, and forming a plurality of openings passing through said back insulating layer that are aligned with said electrically conductive metal circuit; providing electrically conductive adhesive in the plurality of openings passing through said back insulating layer; providing a back-contact solar cell having a front light-receiving side and an opposite back side with a plurality of positive and negative polarity electrical contacts formed on said back side of said back-contact solar cell, said back-contact solar cell having an exterior profile shape; providing a front encapsulant layer having opposite first and second sides, and positioning the first side of said front encapsulant layer to face the front light-receiving side of said back-contact solar cell; providing a transparent front sheet over the second side of said front encapsulant layer; forming a concave opening in at least one of the second side of the back insulating layer and the first side of the front encapsulant layer which concave opening complements the exterior shape profile of said back-contact solar cell, such that the back-contact solar cell fits into the concave opening, and positioning the back-contact solar cell in said concave opening with the back side of said back-contact solar cell facing the second side of said back insulating layer so that the positive and negative polarity electrical contacts on the back side of the back-contact solar cell align with the openings passing through said back insulating layer and with the electrically conductive metal circuit; applying heat and pressure to the transparent front sheet and the substrate to attach the front sheet and the substrate to the back-contact solar cell, and to electrically connect the positive and negative polarity electrical contacts on the back side of the back-contact solar cell to the electrically conductive metal circuit by way of the electrically conductive adhesive in the plurality of openings passing through the back insulating layer. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The process of claim 17 wherein the concave opening is formed in the second side of the back insulating layer. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The process of claim 17 wherein the concave opening is formed in the first side of the front encapsulant layer. ### Claim 20 An integrated back-sheet for a back-contact photovoltaic module, comprising: a substrate having a back surface and a front surface; an electrically conductive metal circuit adhered to the front surface of said substrate; a back insulating layer having first and second opposite sides, the first side of said back insulating layer being adhered to said electrically conductive metal circuit, said back insulating layer having a plurality of openings passing through said back insulating layer that are aligned with said electrically conductive metal circuit; wherein the second side of the back insulating layer has a concave opening formed thereon that complements a profile of a back-contact solar cell such that when the back-contact solar cell is received in said concave opening, electrical contacts on the back side of the back-contact solar cell align with the openings passing through said back insulating layer and with the electrically conductive metal circuit.