Planarization of photovoltaics

Abstract

Various processes can apply pressure and/or heat to a photovoltaic (PV) layer, including processes that integrate solar cells into different types of industrial glass such as an autoclave lamination process. The disclosure describes a planarization technique that can be used on the PV layer to eliminate point loads caused by such processes. In an aspect, a method for producing a component is described that includes disposing or placing a planarization material on a PV layer, modifying a physical form of the planarization material to provide a planar surface made of the planarization material on one side of the PV layer having surface irregularities, and forming a stack of layers (e.g., as part of an autoclave lamination process) for the component by disposing a first layer over the planar surface on the one side of the PV layer and a second layer over the other, opposite side of the PV layer.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.