Radially arranged metal contact fingers for solar cells
AssigneeSunPower Corporation
InventorsStaffan Westerberg, Peter John Cousins
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A solar cell includes negative metal contact fingers and positive metal contact fingers. The negative metal contact fingers are interdigitated with the positive metal contact fingers. The metal contact fingers, both positive and negative, have a radial design where they radially extend to surround at least 25% of a perimeter of a corresponding contact pad. The metal contact fingers have bend points, which collectively form a radial pattern with a center point within the contact pad. Exactly two metal contact pads merge into a single leading metal contact pad that is wider than either of the exactly two metal contact pads.
Claims19
A solar cell comprising:
- a first negative contact pad at a first corner of the solar cell;
- a second negative contact pad at a second corner of the solar cell;
- a first plurality of negative metal contact fingers that are disposed in parallel to an edge of the solar cell and extend towards the first negative contact pad from the first corner of the solar cell;
- a second plurality of negative metal contact fingers that are disposed in parallel to the edge of the solar cell and extend towards the second negative contact pad from the second corner of the solar cell;
- a third plurality of negative metal contact fingers that are disposed in parallel to the edge of the solar cell and extend towards the first negative contact pad from a center of the solar cell;
- and
- a fourth plurality of negative metal contact fingers that are disposed in parallel to the edge of the solar cell and extend towards the second negative contact pad from the center of the solar cell.
A solar cell comprising:
- a first contact pad at a first corner of the solar cell, the first contact pad being electrically coupled to a first diffusion region of a first polarity of the solar cell;
- a first plurality of metal contact fingers that extend towards the first contact pad from the first corner of the solar cell;
- a second contact pad at a second corner of the solar cell, the second contact pad being electrically coupled to a second diffusion region of a second polarity that is opposite to the first polarity of the solar cell;
- a second plurality of metal contact fingers that extend towards the second contact pad from the second corner of the solar cell;
- and
- a third plurality of metal contact fingers that extend towards the first contact pad from a center of the solar cell.
A method of arranging metal contact fingers of a solar cell, the method comprising:
- interdigitating a plurality of negative metal contact fingers with a plurality of positive metal contact fingers, a first set of negative metal contact fingers in the plurality of negative metal contact fingers being electrically connected to a first negative contact pad at a first corner of the solar cell, and a second set of negative metal contact fingers in the plurality of negative metal contact fingers being electrically connected to a second negative contact pad at a second corner of the solar cell;
- arranging the first set of negative metal contact fingers to extend towards the first negative contact pad from the first corner of the solar cell;
- arranging the second set of negative metal contact fingers to extend towards the second negative contact pad from the second corner of the solar cell;
- arranging a third set of negative metal contact fingers in the plurality of negative metal contact fingers to extend towards the first negative contact pad from a center of the solar cell;
- and
- arranging a fourth set of negative metal contact fingers in the plurality of negative metal contact fingers to extend towards the second negative contact pad from the center of the solar cell.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.