Reverse bias processing apparatus and reverse bias processing method for photoelectric conversion devices
AssigneeSharp Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorTakanori Nakano
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
When reverse bias processing is performed on a plurality of photoelectric conversion devices connected in series, different potentials are applied to electrodes of three or more photoelectric conversion devices to simultaneously perform reverse bias processing on two or more reverse photoelectric conversion devices. Thereby, time taken to perform reverse bias processing on the photoelectric conversion devices can be reduced.
Claims19
A reverse bias processing apparatus performing reverse bias processing by applying a reverse bias voltage to each of a plurality of photoelectric conversion devices connected in series, each of said plurality of photoelectric conversion devices having a first electrode, a photoelectric conversion semiconductor layer, and a second electrode sequentially formed on a substrate, and said second electrode being electrically connected with said first electrode of an adjacent photoelectric conversion device, comprising:
- potential generating means configured to be capable of outputting at least three potentials different from one another;
- and
- potential applying means simultaneously applying said generated at least three potentials different from one another to said first electrodes or second electrodes of at least three photoelectric conversion devices of said plurality of photoelectric conversion devices, respectively.
A reverse bias processing method for photoelectric conversion devices performing reverse bias processing by applying a reverse bias voltage to each of a plurality of photoelectric conversion devices connected in series, each of said plurality of photoelectric conversion devices having a first electrode, a photoelectric conversion semiconductor layer, and a second electrode sequentially formed on a substrate, and said second electrode being electrically connected with said first electrode of an adjacent photoelectric conversion device, comprising the steps of:
- generating at least three potentials different from one another;
- and
- simultaneously performing reverse bias processing on at least two photoelectric conversion devices by simultaneously applying said generated at least three potentials different from one another to said first electrodes or second electrodes of at least three photoelectric conversion devices of said plurality of photoelectric conversion devices, respectively.
A reverse bias processing method for photoelectric conversion devices applying a reverse bias voltage to each of a plurality of photoelectric conversion devices connected in series, the method comprising the step of simultaneously performing reverse bias processing on a plurality of photoelectric conversion devices not adjacent to one another by simultaneously applying the reverse bias voltage to said plurality of photoelectric conversion devices not adjacent to one another,
- wherein, in said step of simultaneously performing said reverse bias processing on said plurality of photoelectric conversion devices, said reverse voltage is applied such that one or more photoelectric conversion devices not subjected to reverse bias processing connected in series between said plurality of photoelectric conversion devices subjected to reverse bias processing do not perform forward bias operation.
A potential applying apparatus arranged to perform a reverse bias processing on a plurality of photoelectric conversion devices connected in series, each photoelectric conversion device comprising a first electrode, a photoelectric conversion semiconductor layer, and a second electrode sequentially formed on a substrate, and the second electrode being electrically connected with the first electrode of an adjacent photoelectric conversion device, the apparatus comprising:
- a power supply arranged to simultaneously generate at least three potentials different from each other;
- and
- a plurality of conductive members arranged to simultaneously apply the at least three potentials generated by the power supply to terminals of at least three photoelectric conversion devices so as to simultaneously subject at least two of the at least three photoelectric conversion devices to the reverse bias processing, the terminal of each photoelectric conversion device being one of the first and the second electrode.
A method for performing reverse bias processing on a plurality of photoelectric conversion devices connected in series, each photoelectric conversion device comprising a first electrode, a photoelectric conversion semiconductor layer, and a second electrode sequentially formed on a substrate, and the second electrode being electrically connected with the first electrode of an adjacent photoelectric conversion device, the method comprising:
- simultaneously applying at least three different potentials generated by a power supply to terminals of at least three photoelectric conversion devices so as to simultaneously subject at least two of the at least three photoelectric conversion devices to the reverse bias processing, the terminal of each photoelectric conversion device being one of the first and the second electrode.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.