JP2011009283A - Solar battery inspection device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently and smoothly perform performance inspections by a plurality of inspection methods relating to a solar battery with one device.SOLUTION: A solar battery inspection device 1 for evaluating the performance of a solar battery cell includes: an electrode plate 7 having a conductive surface 7a mounting the solar battery cell; a base 3 supporting the electrode plate 7; and a probe support plate 9 extending in the Y-axis direction along the conductive surface 7a of the electrode plate 7, having a plurality of probe pins 23 in the Y-axis direction where the pins extend while facing the conductive surface 7a, and rotatably supported by a frame section 5 so that the probe support plate can be brought close to and away from the conductive surface 7a of the electrode plate 7. In the electrode plate 7, a plurality of grooves 11 extending in the X-axis direction on the conductive surface 7a are formed in parallel. The probe pins 23 are formed to be located among the plurality of grooves 11 while the probe support plate 9 is brought close to the conductive surface 7a.

Description

  The present invention relates to a solar cell inspection apparatus for evaluating the performance of a solar cell.

  In recent years, solar cells that use solar energy as a clean energy source have been widely used from the viewpoint of protecting the global environment. The solar cell element constituting such a solar cell is formed of a semiconductor such as a silicon-based semiconductor or a gallium arsenide-based semiconductor, and evaluating the photoconductive effect and photovoltaic effect of the solar cell element Important for performance evaluation.

  For example, as a conventional solar cell element evaluation method, a direct current is introduced in the forward direction with respect to the solar cell element, and as a result, the light emission characteristics of the light generated from the solar cell element are detected, thereby improving the performance of the solar cell element. Is known (see Patent Document 1 below).

  An apparatus is also known in which light is emitted to a solar cell element using a light emitting element such as an LED, and the resulting light emission from the solar cell panel is detected by an imaging element such as a CCD camera (the following patent) Reference 2).

International Publication WO2006 / 059615 JP 2008-224432 A

  Conventional solar cell evaluation methods as described above can be properly used depending on the composition of the target solar cell element, the purpose of the evaluation, etc., but it is also necessary to use an inspection device depending on the evaluation method. The process is complicated, and the inspection apparatus tends to be enlarged as a whole.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of such problems, and a solar cell inspection apparatus capable of efficiently and smoothly performing performance inspection by a plurality of inspection methods relating to solar cells with one apparatus. The purpose is to provide.

  In order to solve the above problems, a solar cell inspection device of the present invention is a solar cell inspection device for evaluating the performance of a solar cell, and includes an electrode plate having a planar conductive surface on which the solar cell is placed, and an electrode A plurality of conductive pins extending along the first direction along the conductive surface of the electrode plate and the support portion for supporting the plate, and extending along the first direction. And an electrode support member rotatably supported by a support portion so that the electrode plate can be moved toward and away from the conductive surface of the electrode plate. The electrode plate includes a first electrode on the conductive surface. A plurality of first groove portions extending in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of the first groove portion are formed in parallel, and the conductive pin has a plurality of first grooves in a state where the electrode support member is close to the conductive surface. It is provided so as to be positioned between the grooves.

  According to such a solar cell inspection apparatus, the solar cell is placed on the conductive surface of the electrode plate, so that the electrode formed on the back surface opposite to the light receiving surface of the solar cell is electrically connected to the electrode plate. At the same time as the electrode support member is rotated toward the conductive surface of the electrode plate, the conductive pin provided on the electrode support member becomes the light receiving surface of the solar cell. It is electrically connected to electrodes provided on the top at a predetermined interval. Thereby, in one apparatus, both emission detection from the light receiving surface while supplying a forward current to the solar cell and light emission detection from the light receiving surface while irradiating the light receiving surface of the solar cell. It can be performed. At this time, the inside of the first groove portion provided on the conductive surface of the electrode plate is attracted from the outside, so that the electrode on the back surface of the solar battery cell is stably adsorbed to the conductive surface, and the conductive pin Is located between the first groove portions, it is possible to reduce the external force on the solar battery cell and prevent the solar battery cell from being damaged. As a result, it is possible to efficiently and smoothly perform the performance inspection of the solar battery cell by two inspection methods with one apparatus.

  It is preferable that the electrode support member is further provided so as to be slidable along the second direction on the conductive surface. In this case, the performance inspection can be executed flexibly corresponding to the formation pattern of various electrodes of the solar battery cell.

  The electrode support member has a screw member for fixing to the support portion, and a spring member that urges the electrode support member in a direction away from the conductive surface between the support portion and the electrode support member. It is also suitable that is further provided. With such a configuration, when adjusting the position of the electrode support member corresponding to the formation pattern of the electrode of the solar battery cell, the contact of the conductive pin to the solar battery cell is prevented and the light receiving surface of the solar battery cell is Damage can be prevented.

  In addition, it is preferable that the electrode plate further includes a second groove portion so as to connect the plurality of first groove portions along the first direction. By having such a second groove portion, the number of suction holes for sucking the solar battery cell to the conductive surface of the electrode plate can be reduced, and the configuration of the suction mechanism can be simplified.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to efficiently and smoothly carry out performance inspection by a plurality of inspection methods relating to solar cells with a single device.

It is a top view of the solar cell inspection apparatus which concerns on suitable one Embodiment of this invention. It is a side view of the solar cell inspection apparatus of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of a general photovoltaic cell. (A) is a top view of a photovoltaic cell, (b) is a back view of a photovoltaic cell. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the attachment structure of the probe support plate of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of a general photovoltaic cell. It is a figure which shows the light-receiving surface image obtained using the solar cell test | inspection apparatus 1 of FIG. It is a top view of the electrode plate which concerns on the modification of this invention.

  Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of a solar cell inspection apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted. Each drawing is made for the purpose of explanation, and is drawn so as to particularly emphasize the target portion of the explanation. Therefore, the dimensional ratio of each member in the drawings does not necessarily match the actual one.

    FIG. 1 is a plan view of a solar cell inspection device 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side view of the solar cell inspection device 1 of FIG.

  The solar cell inspection device 1 is a device for evaluating the performance of solar cells constituting a solar cell module, and corresponds to two inspection methods. The first method is a method for detecting electroluminescence (EL) that is excitation light generated by biasing the solar cell element in the forward direction, and the second method irradiates the solar cell element with light. This is a technique for detecting photoluminescence (PL), which is excitation light generated by the operation.

  Here, the solar cell inspection apparatus 1 has a general solar cell S having a structure as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 as an inspection target. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the solar battery cell S, FIG. 4A is a plan view seen from the light receiving surface side of the solar battery cell S, and FIG. That is, the solar battery cell S having a rectangular plate shape as a whole is made of crystalline silicon, and the N-type layer 102 and the antireflection film 103 are laminated in this order on the light-receiving surface side of the P-type layer 101. A P + type layer 104 is formed on the back surface side opposite to the light receiving surface. Further, the back surface electrode 105 is formed on the entire back surface, and the two light receiving surface electrodes 106 in the form of stripes are formed on the light receiving surface so as to be substantially parallel along the edge of the light receiving surface at a predetermined interval. Is formed. The size of the light receiving surface of the solar battery cell S and the number and interval of the light receiving surface electrodes 106 can vary depending on the type of the solar battery cell S.

  Returning to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the solar cell inspection apparatus 1 includes a substantially rectangular base part (support part) 3 and a substantially rectangular frame-like frame part (support part) attached to the base part 3. 5, a substantially rectangular electrode plate 7 mounted on the base portion 3, and a long probe support plate (electrode support member) 9 supported by the frame body portion 5.

  The electrode plate 7 is a metal plate such as a copper plate embedded and fixed in the center of the base portion 3, and has a planar conductive surface 7 a on the surface thereof. The electrode plate 7 is a member for placing the solar battery cell S in a state where the back surface electrode 105 is in contact with the conductive surface 7 a, and functions as an electrode member for connection to the back surface electrode 105. The electrode plate 7 is electrically connected to a negative electrode coaxial connector 17 a provided on the side surface of the base part 3 via a wiring member inside the base part 3.

  In addition, a plurality of linear grooves 11 are formed in parallel at substantially equal intervals on the electrode plate 7 so as to extend along the X-axis direction parallel to the edge of the conductive surface 7a on the conductive surface 7a. Between the ends of these groove portions 11 on the conductive surface 7a, two linear groove portions are connected so as to connect the plurality of groove portions 11 along the Y-axis direction perpendicular to the X-axis direction. 13 is further formed. In other words, a rectangular groove portion along the X-axis and Y-axis directions is formed on the conductive surface 7a by the pair of groove portions 11 and the pair of groove portions 13, and two opposite sides of the rectangular groove portion are defined as X. A plurality of grooves 11 are further formed to bypass along the axial direction. These groove portions 11, 13 correspond to the size of the back surface of the solar cell S to be inspected, and when the solar cell S is placed on the electrode plate 7, the entire portion where the groove portions 11, 13 are formed. The length and the position are set so as to be covered by the solar battery cell S.

  Furthermore, a through-hole 15 that penetrates toward the inside of the base portion 3 is formed in any part of the groove portion 11 and the groove portion 13. The through hole 15 is preferably formed near the center of the electrode plate 7. By forming the through hole 15 in the vicinity of the center of the electrode plate 7, the solar cells S can be adsorbed uniformly, and the risk of destroying the solar cells S by adsorption can be reduced. The through-hole 15 is connected to a suction port 18 provided to protrude from the side surface of the base unit 3 inside the base unit 3, and sucks air in the grooves 11 and 13 from the suction port 18 to the outside. Is provided to adsorb the back surface of the solar battery cell S to the conductive surface 7 a of the electrode plate 7.

  The frame body portion 5 has an end portion in the Y-axis direction supported by a hinge portion 19 fixed to the base portion 3, and is centered on an end side along the X axis with respect to the base portion 3. It is made rotatable. That is, by bringing the frame body part 5 closer to the base part 3, the electrode plate 7 can be accommodated in the hollow part 21 inside the frame body part 5, and conversely, the frame body part 5 is placed on the base part. By separating from 3, the hollow portion 21 can be moved away from the electrode plate 7.

  A plurality of probe support plates 9 and the frame body part 5 are opposed to the frame body part 5 so as to be bridged over the hollow part 21 along the Y-axis direction in a state of being closed toward the base part 3. It is attached between the frames. The probe support plate 9 is a long flat plate member extending in the Y-axis direction, and is attached along the YZ plane. Furthermore, a plurality of conductive probe pins (conductive pins) 23 extending in the Z-axis direction so as to face the conductive surface 7a are penetrated through the probe support plate 9 at substantially equal intervals along the Y-axis direction. And fixed. These probe pins 23 are provided so that the ends of the probe pins 23 are located in the vicinity of the midpoint of the two grooves 11 formed on the conductive surface 7a when the frame 5 is closed, and gold plating is applied. It is made of a conductive metal such as nickel. Here, a conducting part 20 made of a copper plate or the like is formed in the frame part 5, and the conducting part 20 is connected to the positive electrode coaxial connector via the wiring members inside the frame part 5 and the base part 3. 17b is electrically connected. Therefore, by electrically connecting the conductive member formed at the end of the probe support plate 9 and the conducting portion 20, the probe pin 23 and the positive electrode coaxial connector 17 b can be electrically connected. Appropriate voltage can be applied. In addition, it is preferable that the conduction | electrical_connection part 20 is formed over the range in which the probe support plate 9 can be arrange | positioned. Thereby, electrical connection with the probe support plate 9 becomes possible irrespective of the number and arrangement positions of the probe support plates 9. Moreover, the conduction | electrical_connection part 20 should just be formed in the location where the probe support plate 9 of the frame part 5 is attached.

  The probe support plate 9 having such a configuration is rotatably supported by the frame body portion 5 so that the tip of the probe pin 23 can approach and leave the conductive surface 7a of the electrode plate 7. become. Further, when the probe support plate 9 is brought close to the conductive surface 7a together with the frame body portion 5, the tip of the probe pin 23 is prevented from overlapping the position of the groove 11 on the conductive surface 7a.

  Here, the detail of the attachment structure of the probe support plate 9 with respect to the frame part 5 is demonstrated. FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view along the YZ plane showing the mounting structure of the probe support plate 9. As shown in the figure, when attaching the probe support plate 9 to the frame body portion 5, it faces the frame body portion 5 at the end of the probe support plate 9 (in the Z-axis direction when the frame body portion 5 is closed). (D) A fixing screw (screw member) 27 is inserted into the through-hole. Further, a screw receiving portion 25 is attached so as to sandwich the frame body portion 5 from the Z-axis direction, and a fixing screw (screw member) 27 penetrating the probe support plate 9 is screwed into the screw hole of the screw receiving portion 25. (FIG. 5 (a)). Further, between the probe support plate 9 and the frame body portion 5, the probe support plate 9 is moved away from the conductive surface 7 a of the electrode plate 7 when the fixing screw 27 is loosened (the frame body portion 5 is closed). In the state, a spring member 29 that urges (in the + Z-axis direction) is incorporated. In this state, when the fixing screw 27 is further tightened, the probe support plate 9 is lowered, and the lower end surface A thereof comes into contact with the frame body portion 5 (FIG. 5B). Further, as the fixing screw 27 is tightened, the screw receiving portion 25 is lifted, and the upper end surface B of the lower portion of the screw receiving portion 25 comes into contact with the frame body portion 5, so that the probe support plate 9 is in contact with the frame body portion 5. (Fig. 5 (c)). With such an attachment structure, the probe support plate 9 can be oriented with the probe pin 23 in a state in which the frame body portion 5 is closed by loosening the fixing screws 27 at both ends to bring the probe support plate 9 into the state shown in FIG. Is maintained slidable along the edge of the hollow portion 21 of the frame body portion 5 (along the X-axis direction).

  According to the solar cell inspection apparatus 1 described above, the back surface electrode 105 of the solar cell S is electrically connected to the electrode plate 7 by placing the solar cell S on the conductive surface 7 a of the electrode plate 7. Simultaneously with the connection, the probe support plate 9 is rotated so as to approach the conductive surface 7a of the electrode plate 7, whereby a plurality of probe pins 23 provided on the probe support plate 9 become solar cells. In accordance with the formation pattern of the light receiving surface electrode 106 of the cell S, the entire surface of the light receiving surface electrode 106 is evenly connected. Thereby, the illumination device that irradiates the excitation light obliquely above the conductive surface 7a of the solar cell inspection device 1, and the CCD for detecting the light from the light receiving surface of the solar cell S above the solar cell inspection device 1. By preparing an imaging device such as a camera or a CMOS camera, light emission detection (EL detection method) from the light receiving surface while supplying a forward current to the entire solar cell element constituting the solar cell S, and a solar cell Both light emission detection (PL detection method) from the light receiving surface while irradiating the entire light receiving surface of the cell can be performed.

  At this time, by sucking the inside of the grooves 11 and 13 provided on the conductive surface 7a of the electrode plate 7 from the outside, the back electrode 105 of the solar battery cell S is stably adsorbed on the conductive surface 7a. Furthermore, since the probe pin 23 is located between the two groove portions 11, the external force applied to the solar cell S when connecting the probe pin 23 and the light receiving surface electrode 106 is reduced, and the solar cell S is damaged. Can be prevented. As a result, it is possible to efficiently and smoothly perform the performance inspection of the solar battery cell by two inspection methods with one apparatus.

  In addition, since the probe support plate 9 is provided so as to be slidable along the X-axis direction on the conductive surface 7a, the performance test can be flexibly adapted to the formation patterns of various light receiving surface electrodes of the solar cells S. Can be executed.

  Furthermore, since the groove part 13 is formed in the X-axis direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the probe pins 23, the contact area between the back electrode 105 of the solar battery cell S and the conductive surface 7a increases. This is because, as shown in FIG. 6, the general solar battery cell S has a property of being easily bent in a direction perpendicular to the formation direction of the light-receiving surface electrode 106, and the groove 13 reliably ensures this bending. This is because it can be reduced. Thereby, not only the contact area can be expanded, but also damage of the solar battery cell S due to an external force by the probe pin 23 applied when the solar battery cell S is deformed can be prevented. Furthermore, when the probe support plate 9 is slid to adjust the position of the probe pin 23, the positions of the groove 11 and the probe pin 23 do not overlap, and damage to the solar battery cell S can be further prevented.

  Moreover, according to the attachment structure with respect to the frame body part 5 of the probe support plate 9, the position of the probe support plate 9 in the state which closed the frame part 5 corresponding to the formation pattern of the light-receiving surface electrode 106 of the photovoltaic cell S. When fine adjustment is performed, contact of the probe pin 23 with the solar battery cell S can be prevented, and damage to the light receiving surface of the solar battery cell S can be prevented.

  Moreover, since the groove part 13 is further formed in the electroconductive surface 7a of the electrode plate 7 so that the groove part 11 may be bypassed along the Y-axis direction, it is for attracting | sucking the photovoltaic cell S to the electroconductive surface 7a. The number of through holes can be reduced, and the configuration of the suction mechanism can be simplified.

  In FIG. 7, the light-receiving surface image of the polycrystal silicon solar cell obtained using the solar cell inspection apparatus 1 of this embodiment is shown, (a) is the image data obtained by the PL detection method, (B) is image data obtained by the EL detection method. As can be seen from these results, cracks, which are defective portions of the solar cell element, appear as low luminance portions in the image data (portions surrounded by circles). Thus, according to the solar cell inspection apparatus 1, the evaluation result of the light-receiving surface by two inspection methods can be obtained favorably.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to embodiment mentioned above. For example, various modifications can be taken with respect to the structure of the electrode plate 7 of the present embodiment, and like the electrode plate 207 shown in FIG. 8, the groove 13 </ b> A is meandered to connect the plurality of grooves 11. That is, the two adjacent groove portions 11 may be formed in a U shape. Further, the grooves 11 and 13 are not necessarily formed in a straight line shape, and may be zigzag or arcuate as long as they extend in the X-axis direction or the Y-axis direction.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Solar cell inspection apparatus, 3 ... Base part (support part), 5 ... Frame part (support part), 7,207 ... Electrode plate, 7a ... Conductive surface, 9 ... Probe support plate (electrode support member) 11, 11, 13 A... Groove, 23... Probe pin (conductive pin), 27 .. fixing screw (screw member), 29 .. spring member, S.

Claims (4)

A solar cell inspection device for evaluating the performance of a solar cell,
An electrode plate having a planar conductive surface on which the solar cell is placed;
A support portion for supporting the electrode plate;
Extending along a first direction along the conductive surface of the electrode plate, and having a plurality of conductive pins extending along the first direction facing the conductive surface, An electrode support member rotatably supported by the support portion so as to be able to approach and leave the conductive surface of the electrode plate;
In the electrode plate, a plurality of first groove portions extending in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction on the conductive surface are formed in parallel,
The conductive pin is provided so that the electrode support member is positioned between the plurality of first grooves in a state where the electrode support member is close to the conductive surface.
A solar cell inspection apparatus characterized by that. The electrode support member is further provided so as to be slidable along the second direction on the conductive surface.
The solar cell inspection apparatus according to claim 1. The electrode support member has a screw member for fixing to the support portion,
A spring member that urges the electrode support member in a direction away from the conductive surface is further provided between the support portion and the electrode support member.
The solar cell inspection apparatus according to claim 2. The electrode plate is further formed with a second groove so as to connect the plurality of first grooves along the first direction.
The solar cell inspection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein