Patent · US Expired

Method of fabricating electrically isolated photovoltaic modules arrayed on a substrate and product obtained thereby

US4667058A · kind A · utility

34Cited by
2References
21Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJul 1, 1985
Grant dateMay 19, 1987
Priority date
Expiry dateJul 1, 2005

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY10S438/94
  • WIPO fieldSemiconductors
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method of fabricating electrically isolated photovoltaic modules arrayed on a substrate by forming overlying front contact strips, photovoltaic strips, and back contact strips on a flat transparent substrate, laser scribing between modules to electrically isolate adjacent modules for the simultaneous testing and electrical curing of the modules on a single substrate, and plasma etching the inter-module grooves formed by the laser isolation step to improve the percentage of modules on a single substrate that pass minimum performance criteria. Also disclosed is an array of electrically isolated, thin-film semiconductor devices fabricated on a single substrate, wherein adjacent semiconductor devices are separated by laser-scribed grooves extending through the devices to the substrate and the walls of the grooves have been etched by plasma etching.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.