Metal foil metallization for backplane-attached solar cells and modules

US9806220B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• OB Realty, LLC · US

Inventors

• Mehrdad M. Moslehi · Dallas, US
• Thom Stalcup · Longmont, US
• Karl-Josef Kramer · San Jose, US
• Anthony Calcaterra · Milpitas, US
• Virendra V. Rana · Berkeley Heights, US
• Sean M. Seutter · Fremont, US
• Pawan Kapur · Palo Alto, US
• Michael Wingert · Los Gatos, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Nov 12, 2014
• Grant date: Oct 31, 2017
• Expiry date: Nov 12, 2034

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y02P70/50

Abstract

A back contact solar cell is described which includes a semiconductor light absorbing layer; a first-level metal layer (M1), the M1 metal layer on a back side of the light absorbing layer, the back side being opposite from a front side of the light absorbing layer designed to receive incident light; an electrically insulating backplane sheet backside of said solar cell with the M1 layer, the backplane sheet comprising a plurality of via holes that expose portions of the M1 layer beneath the backplane sheet; and an M2 layer in contact with the backplane sheet, the M2 layer made of a sheet of pre-fabricated metal foil material comprising a thickness of between 5-250 μm, the M2 layer electrically connected to the M1 layer through the via holes in the backplane sheet.