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US 2020/0403113 A1Published application
Multi-operation tool for photovoltaic cell processing
AssigneeSunPower Corporation
InventorsNathan Phillips Beckett, Gilad Almogy
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Multi-operation tools for photovoltaic cell processing are described. In an example, a multi-operation tool includes a conveyor system to move a photovoltaic (PV) cell continuously along a conveyor path through a laser scribing station and an adhesive printing station. Furthermore, the PV cell may be aligned to a laser head of the laser scribing station and a printer head of the adhesive printing station in a single alignment operation prior to being laser scribed and printed with an adhesive in a continuous process.
Claims20
A method, comprising:
- loading a photovoltaic (PV) cell on a cell platform of a conveyor system of a multi-operation tool, wherein the conveyor system includes an actuator operably coupled to the cell platform to move the cell platform along a conveyor path from a loading location to an unloading location;
- moving the cell platform along the conveyor path from the loading location to a lasing location, wherein the lasing location is under a laser head of a laser scribing station of the multi-operation tool;
- laser scribing, by the laser head, a scribe line on a first surface of the PV cell;
- moving the cell platform along the conveyor path from the lasing location to a printing location, wherein the printing location is under a printer head of an adhesive printing station of the multi-operation tool;
- and
- printing, by the printer head, an adhesive on the first surface of the PV cell.
3 more elements
A method, comprising:
- supporting a bottom surface of a photovoltaic (PV) cell on a cell platform of a conveyor system, wherein the conveyor system includes an actuator operably coupled to the cell platform to move the cell platform along a conveyor path from a loading location to an unloading location;
- moving the cell platform along the conveyor path from the loading location to a lasing location of a laser scribing station;
- laser scribing, at the lasing location, a scribe line on a top surface of the PV cell;
- moving the cell platform along the conveyor path from the lasing location to a printing location of an adhesive printing station;
- and
- printing, at the printing location, an adhesive on the top surface of the PV cell;
- moving the cell platform along the conveyor path from the printing location to the unloading location.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.