Method for production of solar cells and solar cells produced thereby
AssigneeWerner H. Bloss
InventorsGerhard Bilger, Gert Hewig, Fritz Pfisterer, Hans-Werner Schock
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Abstract
A method for the production of solar cells with a thin-layer PN heterojunction, having a cadmium sulfide layer vapor deposited on an electrically conductive support and a cuprous sulfide layer chemically produced on the cadmium sulfide layer, and having an electrically conductive grid in contact with the cuprous sulfide layer, wherein the two layers and the conductive support are formed into one structural part, and the conductive grid is formed into a second structural part including a covering glass member, and the two structural parts are adhesively joined to form a closed encapsulated cell.
Claims32
A method for the production of closed encapsulated solar cells with a thin film PN heterojunction, having a cadmium sulfide layer deposited on an electrically conductive support and a cuprous sulfide layer chemically produced on the cadmium sulfide layer, comprising the steps of depositing a layer of cadmium sulfide on an electrically conductive support, chemically producing a cuprous sulfide layer on the cadmium sulfide, thereby forming a lower part comprising the electrically conductive support, the layer of cadmium sulfide, and the layer of cuprous sulfide;
- depositing an adhesive material on a cover glass member, forming a conductive grid on the adhesive material, the cover glass member, adhesive material, and conductive grid forming an upper part;
- and joining the upper part with the lower part by means of said adhesive material, having the electrically conductive support and cover glass member be outer surfaces of the joined member, whereby the interface between the upper part and the lower part is formed between the electrically conductive grid and the cuprous sulfide layer, to form closed encapsulated solar cells.
Closed encapsulated solar cells comprising:
- (a) an upper part comprising a cover glass member having adhesively attached thereto a plurality of individual electrically conductive grids;
- (b) a plurality of lower parts, each lower part comprising a structural part, an electrically conductive support on the structural part, a cadmium sulfide layer on the electrically conductive support, and a cuprous sulfide layer on the cadmium sulfide layer;
- (c) wherein the plurality of individual electrically conductive grids attached to the cover glass member are arranged in at least one row, with a lower part associated with each grid and arranged with respect to its associated grid such that the electrically conductive support of each lower part contacts the grid associated with the adjacent lower part in the row, and wherein on one side of the cover glass an edge strip of the outer grids is exposed as a contact, while on the other side an edge strip of an electrically conductive support is exposed as a contact, the lower part and upper part being joined such that the cover glass member and the structural part form the outer surface of the solar cells, whereby closed encapsulated solar cells are formed.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.