System and method for curing conductive paste using induction heating
AssigneeSolarCity Corporation
InventorPiotr Zajac
Life of this patent
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Abstract
One embodiment can provide a system for curing conductive paste applied on photovoltaic structures using induction heating. The system can include a wafer carrier for carrying a plurality of photovoltaic structures and an induction heater. The wafer carrier can include a surface element that is in direct contact with the photovoltaic structures and is substantially thermally insulating. The induction heater can be positioned above the wafer carrier. The induction heater can include a heating coil and core that do not directly contact the photovoltaic structures.
Claims20
A system for curing conductive paste applied on a plurality photovoltaic structures, comprising:
- a wafer carrier for carrying the photovoltaic structures on a first side of the wafer carrier, wherein the wafer carrier includes a surface element that is in direct contact with the photovoltaic structures;
- and
- a heater positioned on the first side of the wafer carrier, wherein the heater includes an induction coil configured to operate near the photovoltaic structures, thereby providing a localized induce heat for curing the conductive paste.
A method for curing conductive paste applied on photovoltaic structures, comprising:
- placing a plurality of photovoltaic structures on a wafer carrier, wherein the wafer carrier includes a surface element that is in direct contact with the photovoltaic structures;
- positioning the wafer carrier near an induction heater;
- and
- providing an alternating current to an induction coil of the induction heater, which by magnetic induction induces a current in the conductive paste applied to the photovoltaic structures, thereby producing heat in the conductive paste to cure the paste.
A solar panel fabrication method, comprising:
- obtaining a plurality of photovoltaic structures, wherein a photovoltaic structure includes a first edge busbar on a first edge of a first surface and a second edge busbar on an opposite edge of an opposite surface;
- applying conductive paste on the first edge busbar of each photovoltaic structure;
- aligning the photovoltaic structures on a wafer carrier in such a way that the first edge busbar of a first photovoltaic structure overlaps the second edge busbar of an adjacent photovoltaic structure with the conductive paste sandwiched in between;
- and
- positioning the wafer carrier near an induction heater such that an induction coil of the induction heater induces current in the conductive paste, which produces heat in the conductive paste for a predetermined duration to cure the paste, thereby mechanically bond the photovoltaic structures to form a string.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.