JP2012164818A - Reverse bias processing apparatus and reverser bias processing method using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a reverse bias processing apparatus which can perform, in the same manufacturing line, reverse bias processing on a plurality models of thin film photoelectric conversion modules respectively having widths, different from one another, of the photoelectric conversion cells in a serial connection direction.SOLUTION: A reverse bias processing apparatus which performs reverse bias processing on a thin film photoelectric conversion module having a string 100 of a plurality of photoelectric conversion cells electrically connected in series with one another, in each of which a first electrode layer, a photoelectric conversion layer, and a second electrode layer are sequentially laminated on an insulation substrate, by applying a reverse bias between the neighboring photoelectric conversion cells in a first direction that is the serial connection direction. The a reverse bias processing apparatus comprises a terminal fix part 10 having three or more terminal attach/detach parts 11a aligned in the first direction, a pair of terminal parts 20 detachably fixed to selected two of the terminal attach/detach parts 11a, a power supply part applying reverse bias voltage to between the pair of terminal parts, and an electrical connection part electrically connecting the power supply part with the terminal parts.

Description

  The present invention relates to a reverse bias processing apparatus that performs reverse bias processing on a photoelectric conversion cell of a thin film photoelectric conversion module and a reverse bias processing method using the reverse bias processing device.

In recent years, a thin film solar cell formed by a plasma CVD method using a gas as a raw material has attracted attention. Examples of the thin film solar cell include a silicon thin film solar cell made of a silicon thin film, a CIS or CIGS compound thin film solar cell, and the like, and development and production expansion are being promoted.
These thin-film solar cells are formed by sequentially laminating a transparent electrode, a photoelectric conversion layer, and a back electrode on a substrate by plasma CVD, sputtering, vacuum deposition, or the like. In a thin film solar cell, the photoelectric conversion layer sandwiched between two electrodes is thin, so that if a pinhole is generated in the photoelectric conversion layer, a short circuit is easily generated between the electrodes, thereby reducing power generation characteristics.
In addition, when some of the cells connected in series cannot generate power due to projection, the voltage generated in other cells is applied to the thin film photovoltaic cell in the reverse bias direction with respect to the pn junction of the cell that cannot generate power. The At that time, if a short-circuit portion exists in a cell to which a voltage is applied, a large current flows there concentrically, a large Joule heat is generated, and a site “hot spot” that is locally hot is generated. As a result, a defect occurs due to a so-called “hot spot phenomenon” in which film peeling occurs between the electrode and the photoelectric conversion layer starting from the short-circuit portion or the substrate is damaged.
By applying a reverse bias voltage at a voltage value in a range where defects due to the hot spot phenomenon do not occur between the electrodes of the solar cell for the purpose of such characteristic recovery of the thin film solar cell and suppression of defects due to the hot spot phenomenon, A reverse bias processing method and apparatus have been proposed in which a short-circuit portion (pinhole portion) is scattered and removed or is oxidized and insulated by Joule heat generated at that time.

  As a prior art 1, in a thin film photoelectric conversion module including a string in which a plurality of photoelectric conversion cells in which a first electrode layer, a photoelectric conversion layer, and a second electrode layer are sequentially stacked on an insulating substrate are connected in series, A short-circuit portion removing method and a short-circuit portion removing apparatus are disclosed in which a voltage equal to or lower than a withstand voltage is applied in the opposite direction to the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer of the conversion cell to remove the short-circuit portion (for example, a patent) Reference 1). In this case, since the second electrode layer of one photoelectric conversion cell is connected to the first electrode layer of the other photoelectric conversion cell, a voltage equal to or lower than the withstand voltage in the reverse direction is applied to the other photoelectric conversion cell. It will be.

  In the short-circuit removal method and apparatus according to Prior Art 1, a plurality of dot-shaped, one or a plurality of linear, or one or a plurality of planar contact portions are provided on the second electrode layers of two adjacent photoelectric conversion cells. The application member which has is made to contact. As a result, the distance from the application member to the short-circuit portion is shortened, and the voltage drop in the first and second electrode layers is reduced. Therefore, the setting and control of the applied voltage are easy and stable, and the short-circuit portion is reliably removed. It is said that you can do it.

  Further, as a conventional technique 2, a string in which a plurality of photoelectric conversion cells each including a first electrode layer, a photoelectric conversion layer, and a second electrode layer sequentially stacked on the surface of an insulating substrate are electrically connected in series with each other, Dividing the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer into a plurality of dividing grooves extending in the series connection direction for electrically insulating and separating the plurality of divided strings connected in parallel to each other; A manufacturing method and a manufacturing apparatus of a thin film photoelectric conversion module including a step of applying a reverse bias voltage to a conversion cell to perform a reverse bias process is disclosed (for example, see Patent Document 2).

The string of the thin film photoelectric conversion module disclosed in the prior art 1 and the prior art 2 is formed by connecting a plurality of photoelectric conversion cells in series as described above. The output voltage of the thin film photoelectric conversion module is proportional to the number of photoelectric conversion cells connected in series with each other (the number of serial connections).
Since the required output voltage varies depending on applications such as industrial use and home use, a plurality of types of thin film photoelectric conversion modules corresponding to various demands can be manufactured by appropriately changing the number of series connections. Here, in the production line of thin film photoelectric conversion modules, different types of thin film photoelectric conversion modules are used in one production line from the viewpoint of improving the operating rate of production equipment, suppressing capital investment, and flexibility to cope with fluctuations in supply and demand. It is preferable that it can be manufactured.
Therefore, in each manufacturing apparatus included in the thin film solar cell manufacturing line, it is preferable that a single manufacturing apparatus can process a plurality of types of thin film photoelectric conversion modules having different numbers of serial connections.

Moreover, since the thin film photoelectric conversion module disclosed in Prior Art 2 has a plurality of strings in parallel, the area per photoelectric conversion cell is small. As a result, the distance between the short-circuit portion and the applying member to which the reverse bias voltage is applied is shortened, so that the effect of removing the short-circuit portion by the reverse bias treatment is improved, and a high-quality thin film photoelectric conversion module can be manufactured. However, when the number of strings is increased, the photoelectric conversion area of the thin film photoelectric conversion module as a whole decreases, so that the power generation performance decreases.
The required quality varies depending on applications such as industrial use and household use. Therefore, in the production line of the thin film photoelectric conversion module, it is preferable that the number of strings can be appropriately changed according to the required quality.
Therefore, as in the case of the increase / decrease in the number of photoelectric conversion cells described above, a single manufacturing apparatus can process a plurality of types of thin film photoelectric conversion modules having different numbers of strings in each manufacturing apparatus included in the thin film solar cell manufacturing line. Preferably there is.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-4202 WO2009 / 020073 publication

The substrate size of the thin film photoelectric conversion module that can be manufactured on one manufacturing line is generally determined by the specifications of the processing apparatus and the transport apparatus. Therefore, when manufacturing multiple types of thin film photoelectric conversion modules with different numbers of series connections on the same production line, the number of divisions in the series connection direction of the strings in the photoelectric conversion modules using substrates of approximately the same size, i.e., the number of series connections. It is supported by changing. Accordingly, the width of each photoelectric conversion cell in the series connection direction varies depending on the variation in the number of series connections. Specifically, as the number of divisions in the serial connection direction of the strings of the thin film photoelectric conversion module increases, the width of each photoelectric conversion cell in the serial connection direction becomes narrower.
Therefore, the reverse bias processing apparatus included in the production line of the thin film photoelectric conversion module processes a plurality of types of photoelectric conversion modules having different widths in the serial connection direction of the photoelectric conversion cells. At this time, as in the conventional reverse bias processing device disclosed in Patent Document 2, the distance between a pair of application members that apply a reverse bias voltage to two photoelectric conversion cells adjacent in the series connection direction is one thin film. If the photoelectric conversion module is fixed at a constant interval so as to be in contact with the approximate center of each adjacent photoelectric conversion cell, the following problem occurs.

That is, when reverse bias processing is performed on another thin film photoelectric conversion module in which the application member of the reverse bias processing apparatus has a width different from the width of each photoelectric conversion cell of one thin film photoelectric conversion module, It will contact | abut to the position away from the center position of each photoelectric conversion cell which the conversion module adjoins. As the short-circuit portion moves away from the contact position of the application member, the removal efficiency of the short-circuit portion by the reverse bias process decreases due to the voltage drop. Since the time required for one reverse bias process is rate-controlled by the short-circuit portion that is located farthest from the contact portion of the application member, the contact position of the application member becomes farther from the center position of each photoelectric conversion cell. The time required for the reverse bias process in the photoelectric conversion module becomes longer.
Furthermore, the reverse bias processing for the short-circuited portion away from the contact portion becomes incomplete and the short-circuited portion remains, so that the characteristic recovery by the reverse-bias processing may not be sufficient or a short-circuited portion that may become a hot spot may remain. There is.

In addition, when the width of the series connection direction of the photoelectric conversion cells of the other thin film photoelectric conversion module is smaller than 1/2 with respect to one thin film photoelectric conversion module that has been conventionally processed, the pair of application members is The two adjacent photoelectric conversion cells cannot be brought into contact with each other, and the reverse bias process cannot be performed.
Further, when the number of photoelectric conversion module strings is different, the same problem as in the case where the number of photoelectric conversion cells described above is different occurs.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and corresponds to a plurality of types of thin film photoelectric conversion modules having different widths in the series connection direction of the photoelectric conversion cells and further in the direction orthogonal to the series connection direction. It is an object of the present invention to provide a reverse bias processing apparatus and a reverse bias processing method using the same.

Thus, according to the present invention, a thin film photoelectric conversion having a string in which a plurality of photoelectric conversion cells in which a first electrode layer, a photoelectric conversion layer, and a second electrode layer are sequentially stacked on an insulating substrate are electrically connected in series. A reverse bias processing device that applies a reverse bias voltage to the module by applying a reverse bias voltage between the photoelectric conversion cells adjacent to each other in the first direction that is the direction of the series connection,
A terminal fixing part having three or more terminal attaching / detaching parts arranged in the first direction, a pair of terminal parts detachably fixed at two locations selected from the terminal attaching / detaching part, and the pair of terminal parts There is provided a reverse bias processing apparatus including a power supply unit that applies a reverse bias voltage to the power supply unit, and an electrical connection unit that electrically connects the power supply unit and the terminal unit.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a reverse bias processing method for the thin film photoelectric conversion module using the reverse bias processing apparatus,
According to the width of the photoelectric conversion cell in the first direction, one terminal portion of the pair of terminal portions is brought into contact with one of the adjacent photoelectric conversion cells from three or more terminal attaching / detaching portions of each row. After selecting the two terminal attaching / detaching portions and fixing the pair of terminal portions so that the other terminal portions in the pair of terminal portions can contact the other of the adjacent photoelectric conversion cells,
There is provided a reverse bias processing method in which a reverse bias voltage is applied between the pair of terminal portions by bringing the pair of terminal portions into contact with the photoelectric conversion cell.
Moreover, according to another viewpoint of this invention, the manufacturing method of the thin film photoelectric conversion module which performs the said reverse bias processing method is provided.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, the reverse bias processing device, a production control device communicably connected to the reverse bias processing device, and a warning communicably connected to the reverse bias processing device. With the device,
The production control device is configured to transmit model information including a width in the first direction of the photoelectric conversion cell in the string to the reverse bias processing device for the thin film photoelectric conversion module before being subjected to the reverse bias processing,
The reverse bias processing device has a fixed position of a pair of terminal portions in the reverse bias processing device that has received the model information.
When the position corresponding to the width in the first direction of the photoelectric conversion cell included in the transmitted model information is the same as the position, the operation state is maintained and reverse bias processing is performed.
When the position is different from the position corresponding to the width in the first direction of the photoelectric conversion cell included in the transmitted model information, a signal for requesting replacement of the terminal portion to the position corresponding to the model information is issued. Send to the warning device,
The warning device is provided with a thin film photoelectric conversion module manufacturing apparatus configured to transmit instruction information for instructing replacement of the terminal portion to an operator.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, the reverse bias processing method, the production control device communicably connected to the reverse bias processing device, and the reverse bias processing device according to the reverse bias processing method, A method of manufacturing a thin film photoelectric conversion module that performs reverse bias processing using a manufacturing apparatus of a thin film photoelectric conversion module including a warning device that is communicably connected,
The production control device transmits model information including the width in the first direction of the photoelectric conversion cell in the string of the thin film photoelectric conversion module to the reverse bias processing device,
The fixed position of the pair of terminal portions corresponding to the string in the reverse bias processing apparatus that has received the model information,
When the position corresponding to the width in the first direction of the photoelectric conversion cell included in the transmitted model information is the same as the position, the reverse bias processing is performed while maintaining the operating state of the reverse bias processing device,
When the position corresponding to the width in the first direction of the photoelectric conversion cell included in the transmitted model information is different from the position corresponding to the model information, the reverse bias processing device is temporarily stopped and the terminal unit is replaced with the position corresponding to the model information. A signal requesting to the warning device,
The warning device transmits instruction information for instructing replacement of the terminal portion to the operator, thereby providing a method of manufacturing a thin film photoelectric conversion module in which the operator replaces the terminal portion.
Moreover, according to another viewpoint of this invention, the thin film photoelectric conversion module manufactured by the manufacturing method of the said thin film photoelectric conversion module is provided.

According to the present invention, when processing a plurality of types of thin film photoelectric conversion modules having different numbers of divisions in the series connection direction of strings, a reverse bias processing apparatus capable of handling different models with a simple operation is provided, whereby the same production line is provided. Thus, the reverse bias treatment can be performed efficiently, and the productivity of the thin film photoelectric conversion module can be improved.
According to the apparatus for manufacturing a thin film photoelectric conversion module of the present invention, it is possible to warn in advance whether or not there is an operation for making the reverse bias processing device correspond to the model of the thin film solar cell module before the reverse bias processing, and smooth operation correspondence is possible. By realizing this, the operating rate of the manufacturing apparatus can be improved. Moreover, it can prevent that the thin film solar cell module of the model which is not corresponding | compatible corresponds to a reverse bias processing apparatus accidentally, and can reduce a manufacturing apparatus trouble and a thin film solar cell module defect by it.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a thin film photoelectric conversion module that is reverse-biased by the reverse-bias processing apparatus of Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the thin film photoelectric conversion module of FIG. 1 cut in the arrow X direction. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a reverse bias processing apparatus and a reverse bias processing step according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view showing the vicinity of the terminal fixing portion in the reverse bias processing apparatus of the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view illustrating the structure of the terminal fixing portion and the terminal portion in the reverse bias processing apparatus of the first embodiment. 6A is a plan view of a 6-series thin film photoelectric conversion module M1, and FIG. 6B is a plan view of a 12-series thin film photoelectric conversion module M11. FIG. 7A is a plan view showing a terminal fixing portion as a first modification of the reverse bias processing apparatus of the second embodiment, and FIG. 7B is a plan view showing the terminal fixing portion as a second modification. . FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view showing a thin film photoelectric conversion module that is reverse-biased by the reverse-bias processing apparatus according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the thin film photoelectric conversion module of FIG. 8 cut in the arrow Y direction. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a reverse bias processing apparatus according to the third embodiment. FIG. 11 is a partial perspective view for explaining that the four rod-shaped terminals fixed to the terminal fixing portion in the reverse bias processing apparatus of Embodiment 3 correspond to four cells. FIG. 12 is a partial cross-sectional view illustrating the structure of the terminal fixing portion and the terminal portion in the reverse bias processing apparatus of the third embodiment. FIG. 13 is a plan view showing a terminal fixing portion in the reverse bias processing apparatus of the third embodiment. FIG. 14 is a layout diagram of voltage application units in the reverse bias processing apparatus of the third embodiment. FIG. 15 is a conceptual diagram showing a power supply in the reverse bias processing apparatus of the third embodiment. FIG. 16 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a first example of the moving mechanism of the reverse bias processing means in the third embodiment. FIG. 17 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a second example of the moving mechanism of the reverse bias processing unit according to the third embodiment. FIG. 18 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a third example of the moving mechanism of the reverse bias processing unit according to the third embodiment. FIG. 19 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a fourth example of the moving mechanism of the reverse bias processing unit according to the third embodiment. FIG. 20A is a plan view of a 6 series thin film photoelectric conversion module having 6 rows of divided strings, and FIG. 20B is a plan view of a 12 series thin film photoelectric conversion module having 6 rows of divided strings. is there. FIG. 21 is a plan view showing a terminal fixing portion in the reverse bias processing apparatus of the fourth embodiment. FIG. 22 is a plan view showing a terminal fixing portion as a first modification of the reverse bias processing apparatus according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 23 is a plan view showing a terminal fixing portion as a second modification of the reverse bias processing apparatus according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 24 is a block diagram for explaining a thin-film photoelectric conversion module manufacturing apparatus according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention including any one of the reverse bias processing apparatuses according to Embodiments 1 to 4.

  An embodiment of the reverse bias processing apparatus of the present invention includes a string formed by electrically connecting a plurality of photoelectric conversion cells in which a first electrode layer, a photoelectric conversion layer, and a second electrode layer are sequentially stacked on an insulating substrate. A reverse bias processing apparatus for applying a reverse bias voltage to the thin film photoelectric conversion module having a reverse bias voltage applied between the photoelectric conversion cells adjacent to each other in the first direction which is the direction of series connection, A terminal fixing part having three or more terminal attaching / detaching parts arranged in the first direction, a pair of terminal parts fixed detachably at two locations selected from the terminal attaching / detaching part, and the pair of terminal parts A power supply unit that applies a reverse bias voltage; and an electrical connection unit that electrically connects the power supply unit and the terminal unit.

Here, the reverse bias process will be described.
By performing a reverse bias process on the photoelectric conversion cell, it is possible to determine whether or not a short-circuit portion exists in that portion and to what extent the short-circuit portion is.
When a reverse bias voltage is applied, almost no current flows when there is no short circuit, but when there is a short circuit, current flows and the short circuit is removed. However, when the resistance value of the short circuit portion is very small, heat generation is not sufficient even when current flows, and the short circuit portion cannot be removed.
By measuring the change over time of the current value that flows when a reverse bias voltage is applied, it is possible to classify the short-circuited portion present in the photoelectric conversion cell that is the processing target and determine the repair status as follows. .

(I) If the value of the current that flows when a reverse bias voltage of a constant value (for example, 5 V) is applied is equal to or less than a specified value, there is no short circuit.
(II) At the start of reverse bias voltage application at a constant value (for example, 5V), a current greater than the specified value flows, but when the current gradually decreases and eventually falls below the specified value, the short circuit is removed. Can be judged. Further, the resistance value of the short circuit portion can be calculated based on the value of the current flowing at the start of application of the reverse bias voltage, and the degree of short circuit can be classified.
(III) If the current value does not fall below the specified value even when a reverse bias voltage of a constant value (for example, 5V) is applied for a predetermined time (for example, about several seconds), the resistance value of the short circuit portion is small and cannot be removed. Judgment can be made.
In the embodiment of the present invention, the measurement results as described above can be obtained for each photoelectric conversion cell in the string, and the failure analysis of the thin film photoelectric conversion module becomes easy.

The embodiment of the thin film photoelectric conversion module applied to the present invention has a structure in which a plurality of photoelectric conversion cells in which a first electrode layer, a photoelectric conversion layer, and a second electrode layer are sequentially stacked on an insulating substrate are integrated. The photoelectric conversion layer is not particularly limited, and examples of the photoelectric conversion layer include a pn junction type, a pin junction type, a hetero junction type, and a tandem structure type in which a plurality of pn or pin junctions are stacked. Further, the embodiment of the present invention is applicable to both a super straight type thin film photoelectric conversion module using a transparent substrate as an insulating substrate and a substrate type thin film photoelectric conversion module using an opaque substrate.
In addition, an embodiment of a thin film photoelectric conversion module applied to the present invention is a thin film photoelectric conversion module having one or more strings each formed by electrically connecting a plurality of photoelectric conversion cells in series.

The embodiment of the reverse bias processing apparatus of the present invention may be configured as follows.
(1) The terminal portion includes an attachment portion that is detachably fixed to the terminal attachment / detachment portion, and a plurality of contact portions that can contact the photoelectric conversion cell at a plurality of locations.
When the number of thin film photoelectric conversion modules is one, each photoelectric conversion cell is formed in a long shape extending in the second direction to the vicinity of the outer peripheral portion of the insulating substrate. According to the configuration of (1) above, when such a long photoelectric conversion cell is reverse-biased, each contact portion of the pair of terminal portions has a plurality of longitudinal positions of two adjacent photoelectric conversion cells. The contact portions of the pair of terminal portions face each other. Thereby, since the distance between the short-circuit portion between each photoelectric conversion cell and each contact portion of the terminal portion is shortened, the removal efficiency of the short-circuit portion can be increased and the reverse bias process can be performed in a short time. In addition, as a terminal part which can contact | abut to a photoelectric conversion cell in multiple places, a comb-shaped terminal part can be illustrated, for example. Or you may make it contact the some terminal part located in a line with respect to one photoelectric conversion cell.

(2) In the thin film photoelectric conversion module, the string is formed in the first direction by a division groove extending in the first direction formed by partially removing at least the photoelectric conversion layer and the second electrode layer. It consists of a plurality of divided strings formed side by side in a second direction orthogonal to each other,
The terminal fixing portion has a plurality of rows of the terminal attaching / detaching portions arranged in parallel in the second direction.
In this way, reverse bias processing can be performed on a plurality of types of thin film photoelectric conversion modules having a plurality of strings arranged in the second direction. At this time, each terminal portion can be brought into contact with four or more photoelectric conversion cells in two or more strings in one reverse bias process.

(3) In the case of (2), in particular, when the terminal fixing portion has three or more rows of the terminal attaching / detaching portions in parallel in the second direction, the width of the photoelectric conversion cell in the second direction is Different types of thin film photoelectric conversion modules can be handled.

(4) In the cases (2) and (3), the interval in the second direction between one row of the terminal attaching / detaching portion and another row of the terminal attaching / detaching portion adjacent to the one row is The width of the string in the second direction may be the same.
By doing so, each terminal portion can be brought into contact with the intermediate position of the width in the second direction of each photoelectric conversion cell for each reverse bias process, and a short circuit existing in the photoelectric conversion cell that can be removed by the reverse bias process. By making the contact positions of the terminal portions in the second direction substantially uniform with respect to the portion, the reverse bias process can be performed without reducing the short-circuit portion removal efficiency.

(5) The terminal fixing portion includes an insulating portion that electrically insulates between the terminal portions.
For example, it is possible to easily insulate the terminal portions from each other by forming the entire terminal fixing portion from an insulating material. Alternatively, only the vicinity of the inner surface of the terminal insertion hole may be used as the insulating portion.
(6) The terminal attaching / detaching portion includes a terminal insertion hole through which the terminal portion can be inserted, and a female screw portion formed in the terminal insertion hole,
The terminal portion has a male screw portion that is screwed into a female screw portion of the terminal insertion hole.
In this way, the terminal part inserted through the terminal insertion hole can be fixed to the terminal fixing part with a simple configuration.

(7) It further includes an elevating part for contacting or separating the terminal part and the photoelectric conversion cell.
In this case, the pair of terminal portions may be lifted or lowered by the lifting portion, or the photoelectric conversion module may be lifted or lowered. From the viewpoint of reducing the size of the elevating part, it is preferable to elevate the pair of terminal parts by the elevating part.
Moreover, you may provide the moving mechanism part which moves a terminal fixing | fixed part. As a specific moving mechanism unit, a robot arm, a ball screw mechanism, a belt wheel mechanism, or the like can be used.

  Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a thin film photoelectric conversion module M1 that is reverse-biased by a reverse bias processing apparatus of FIG. 3 to be described later in Embodiment 1 of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a thin-film photoelectric conversion module M1 of FIG. It is the schematic sectional drawing which cut | disconnected in the arrow X direction.
First, the thin film photoelectric conversion module M1 will be described, and then the reverse bias processing apparatus will be described.

<Thin film photoelectric conversion module>
The thin film photoelectric conversion module M1 has a strip-like shape in which a first electrode layer 102 as a transparent electrode layer, a photoelectric conversion layer 103, and a second electrode layer 104 as a back electrode layer are stacked in this order on a transparent insulating substrate 101. A plurality of photoelectric conversion cells S1 are arranged in parallel, and the plurality of photoelectric conversion cells S1 are electrically connected in series. That is, the string 100 is formed by electrically connecting a plurality of photoelectric conversion cells S1 in series.
Hereinafter, the “photoelectric conversion cell S1” is simply referred to as “cell S1”. The thin film photoelectric conversion module M <b> 1 of Embodiment 1 has one string 100.

The string 100 is configured as follows.
The transparent electrode layer 102 is separated by the first separation groove 107 filled with the photoelectric conversion layer 103, and the photoelectric conversion layer 103 and the back electrode layer 105 are separated by the second separation groove 108. Then, the first electrode of another cell S1 adjacent to the second electrode layer 104 of one cell S1 passes through the contact line 109 formed by removing the photoelectric conversion layer 103 by a processing apparatus using a laser scribing method or the like. By being connected to the electrode layer 102, the plurality of cells S1 are electrically connected in series. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 111 denotes a stacking unit between two adjacent cells S1.

Examples of the transparent insulating substrate 101 include a light-transmitting conductive film laminated on the substrate, a glass substrate having heat resistance against heat applied when forming a semiconductor film and a metal film, and a resin substrate such as polyimide. It can be used. The first electrode layer 102 is made of a transparent conductive film, and for example, SnO ₂ , ITO, ZnO, or the like can be used.

The p-type semiconductor layer is doped with p-type impurity atoms such as boron and aluminum, and the n-type semiconductor layer is doped with n-type impurity atoms such as phosphorus. The i-type semiconductor layer may be a completely non-doped semiconductor layer or a semiconductor layer containing a small amount of p-type or n-type impurities. Note that in this specification, “amorphous layer” and “microcrystalline layer” mean amorphous and microcrystalline semiconductor layers, respectively.
The material of each semiconductor layer forming the photoelectric conversion layer is not particularly limited, for example, made of silicon-based semiconductor, CIS (CuInSe ₂₎ compound semiconductor, CIGS (Cu (In, Ga ) Se 2) compound semiconductor or the like. Hereinafter, in the embodiment of the present invention, description will be given by taking as an example the case where each semiconductor layer is made of a silicon-based semiconductor. “Silicon-based semiconductor” means amorphous or microcrystalline silicon, or a semiconductor in which an impurity such as carbon or germanium is added to amorphous or microcrystalline silicon (silicon carbide, silicon germanium, or the like). Further, “microcrystalline silicon” means silicon in a mixed phase state of crystalline silicon having a small crystal grain size (about several tens to thousands of thousands) and amorphous silicon. Microcrystalline silicon is formed, for example, when a crystalline silicon thin film is manufactured at a low temperature using a non-equilibrium process such as a plasma CVD method.

The configuration and material of the second electrode layer 104 are not particularly limited, but in one example, the second electrode 104 has a stacked structure in which a transparent conductive film and a metal film are stacked on a photoelectric conversion layer. The transparent conductive film is made of SnO ₂ , ITO, ZnO or the like. The metal film is particularly preferably made of a metal excellent in electrical conductivity and reflection characteristics such as silver and aluminum, or an alloy thereof. The transparent conductive film and the metal film can be formed by a method such as CVD, sputtering, or vapor deposition.

The thin film photoelectric conversion module M1 of this embodiment can be formed as follows.
The first electrode layer 102 is laminated in advance with a film thickness of about 500 to 1000 nm on the transparent insulating substrate 101, or is laminated by a film forming apparatus using a thermal CVD method, a sputtering method, or the like. Next, a part of the first electrode layer 102 is removed at a predetermined interval (about 7 to 18 mm) by a laser scribing device to form a plurality of first separation grooves 107.
Subsequently, the photoelectric conversion layer 103 is stacked with a film thickness of about 300 to 3000 nm on the first electrode layer 102 separated by the first separation groove 107 by a plasma CVD method or the like. The photoelectric conversion layer 103 is formed by sequentially stacking a p-type silicon semiconductor layer, an i-type silicon semiconductor layer, and an n-type silicon semiconductor layer on the first electrode 102.
Thereafter, a plurality of contact lines 109 are formed by removing a part of the photoelectric conversion layer 103 at a predetermined interval (about 7 to 18 mm) by a laser scribing device.

Subsequently, the second electrode layer 104 is formed by laminating the transparent conductive layer and the metal layer in this order on the photoelectric conversion layer 103 by a film forming apparatus using a sputtering method, a vapor deposition method, or the like. As a result, the contact line 109 is filled with the second electrode layer 104.
Next, a plurality of second separation grooves 108 are formed by removing a part of the photoelectric conversion layer 103 and the second electrode layer 104 at a predetermined interval (about 7 to 18 mm) with a laser scribing device.
The laser scribing apparatus for forming the first separation groove 107, the contact line 109, and the second separation groove 108 is a YAG laser or YVO ₄ laser adjusted to a wavelength that is absorbed by a layer to be removed when forming each groove. Is preferably used.

As a result, the string 100 in which the plurality of cells S1 are connected in series to each other is formed on the transparent insulating substrate 101 (see FIG. 1). This string 100 is an object of reverse bias processing described later. In FIGS. 1 and 2, and FIGS. 3 and 4 to be described later, which are Embodiment 1 of the present invention, a 6 series thin film photoelectric conversion module M1 in which 6 cells S1 are connected in series is illustrated.
As shown in FIG. 2, the cell S1 on one end side in the X direction of each string is formed to have a shorter dimension in the X direction than the other cells S1, and this cell S1 is not a photoelectric conversion element. Used as an electrode during reverse bias processing described later.

<Reverse bias processing device>
3 is a perspective view showing the reverse bias processing apparatus of the first embodiment, FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view showing the vicinity of the terminal fixing portion in the reverse bias processing apparatus of the first embodiment, and FIG. 5 is the reverse of the first embodiment. It is a fragmentary sectional view explaining the structure of the terminal fixing | fixed part and terminal part in a bias processing apparatus.
The reverse bias processing apparatus P1 is a pair in which a reverse bias voltage is applied to two adjacent photoelectric conversion cells S1 in a first direction (hereinafter referred to as X direction) which is a direction of series connection of the photoelectric conversion cells S1. This is a reverse bias processing apparatus that performs a reverse bias process on the thin film photoelectric conversion module M <b> 1 by contacting the terminal portion 20.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the reverse bias processing apparatus P1 includes a terminal fixing portion 10 having one row of four terminal insertion holes 11a arranged in the X direction in the Y direction perpendicular to the X direction. The pair of terminal portions 20 that are removably inserted into the two terminal insertion holes 11a selected from the four terminal insertion holes 11a in this row and fixed to the terminal fixing portion 10 are provided.
Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the reverse bias processing apparatus P1 includes an elevating mechanism unit 30 that elevates and lowers the terminal fixing unit 10, a moving mechanism unit 40 that moves the terminal fixing unit 10 in the X direction together with the elevating mechanism unit 30, A power supply (not shown) having an output terminal for outputting a constant voltage is provided, and the output terminal of the power supply and the pair of terminal portions 10 are electrically connected by wiring (not shown).

The terminal fixing part 10 is integrally provided at an intermediate position between the rectangular insulating plate part 11 having the four terminal insertion holes 11 a and the four terminal insertion holes 11 in the insulating plate part 11, and the lifting mechanism part 30. A cylindrical portion 12 for inserting and connecting the rod tips of the rods, and a fixing fitting 13 for fixing a rod-like mounting portion 21 (described later) of the pair of terminal portions 20 inserted through the two terminal insertion holes 11. It becomes. The fixture 13 is composed of, for example, a washer 13a and a thumbscrew 13b.
The terminal portion 20 includes the rod-shaped mounting portion 21 having a male screw 21a screwed with the thumbscrew 13b, and a comb-shaped portion 22 having a plurality of contact portions 22a connected to the rod-shaped mounting portion 21. The rod-shaped mounting portion 21 protrudes upward from the longitudinal middle position of the upper edge of the comb-shaped portion 22.

As shown in FIG. 5, the insulating plate portion 11 is formed symmetrically with respect to a center line C passing through the cylindrical portion 12. Then, on one side of the center line C, the distance L1 between the center position of the outer terminal insertion hole 11a and the center position of the inner terminal insertion hole 11a, and the distance between the center position of the inner terminal insertion hole 11a and the center line C. It is set equal to L1.
Therefore, the distance (L1 × 4) between the two terminal insertion holes 11a at both ends is twice the distance (L1 × 2) between the two inner terminal insertion holes 11a.

The elevating mechanism 30 is made of, for example, an expandable / contractible air cylinder, and the air cylinder main body is formed on the inner surface of the box 42 so that the rod portion 31 of the air cylinder can move vertically to the lower opening side of the box 42. It is fixed. And the insulating board part 11 of the terminal fixing | fixed part 10 is being fixed to the lower end of the rod part 31 horizontally.
In this manner, the terminal fixing unit 10 is housed in the box 42 together with the lifting mechanism unit 30 to constitute the voltage application unit U1.
Note that a flexible air tube for connecting compressed air to each air cylinder by connecting an air supply source (not shown) and an air cylinder is accommodated in a cover 41 of the moving mechanism section 40 described later.

  The moving mechanism unit 40 is configured to be able to move the box 42 of the voltage applying unit U1 in the X direction, and the specific configuration is not particularly limited. For example, a ball screw mechanism (see FIGS. 16 and 17), a belt vehicle, A mechanism (pulley mechanism) (see FIGS. 18 and 19), a chain / sprocket mechanism, or the like can be employed. Details of these mechanisms will be described later.

<Reverse bias processing method>
According to the reverse bias processing apparatus P1 provided with the moving mechanism section 40, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, for example, the rod-shaped mounting portion 21 of the pair of terminal portions 20 is inserted into the two terminal insertion holes 11a at both ends. To prepare a state in which a predetermined voltage can be applied to the pair of terminal portions 20.
Next, as shown in FIG. 3, when the pair of terminal portions 20 of the voltage application unit U <b> 1 is moved onto the cell S <b> 1 of the string 100 to be reverse-biased, the lifting mechanism portion 30 and the terminal fixing portion 10 together. The terminal portion 20 is lowered and brought into contact with the second electrode layers of the two cells S1, and the reverse bias process is performed.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 2, when reverse bias processing is performed in order from the cell S1 at one end, first, the pair of terminal portions 20 are brought into contact with the second electrode layers 104f1 and 104f2 of the two adjacent cells S1 and S1. . The second electrode layer 104f1 of one cell S1 is a back electrode on the n-type semiconductor layer side of the photoelectric conversion layer 103. The second electrode layer 104f2 of the other cell S1 is connected to the first electrode layer 102f1 on the p-type semiconductor layer side of the photoelectric conversion layer 103 in the one cell S1. Therefore, if a positive potential is applied to one second electrode layer 104f1 and 0V is applied to the other second electrode layer 104f2, a reverse voltage is applied to the photoelectric conversion layer 103 of one cell S1, and a reverse bias process is performed. Is done.

For example, a potential of +3 V is output to one output terminal of the power supply, a potential of 0 V is output to the other output terminal, and a voltage of 3 V is applied between the second electrode layers 104f1 and 104f2 for 1 second. Thereby, a reverse voltage (reverse bias voltage) of 3 V is applied to the photoelectric conversion layer 103 for 1 second.
When almost no current flows due to this voltage application, it is determined that there is no short-circuit portion in the cell S1, the reverse bias process is terminated, and the second electrode layer at a position shifted by one from the pair of terminal portions 20 The reverse bias processing of the next cell S1 is performed in contact with 104f2 and 104f3.
On the other hand, when a current of a predetermined value or more flows when a voltage is applied and the current does not decrease within 1 second of the voltage application period, the potential of one output terminal is changed to 5 V, and a reverse bias voltage is applied for 1 second. If the current still does not decrease, it is determined that the reverse bias process cannot be performed, the process is terminated, and the reverse bias process for the next cell S1 is performed. Here, if the potential output to one of the output terminals is too large, the pin junction of the cell S1 is destroyed, so the voltage applied to the cell S1 needs to be equal to or lower than the withstand voltage.

By the above procedure, all the cells S1 of the string 100 are sequentially reverse-biased. Note that the cell S1 in the portion of the second electrode 104f6 is not used as a photoelectric conversion element, and therefore the reverse bias process of the cell S1 is omitted.
After the reverse bias processing for all the cells S1 of the string 100 is completed, the degree of short circuit is classified as described above based on the data acquired during the reverse bias processing of each cell S1, and a short circuit portion is generated in any part. It is possible to easily analyze whether it is easy to do. By feeding back the analysis result, it can be used for process improvement such as a film forming process of the photoelectric conversion layer.

  According to the configuration in which a plurality of contact portions 22a of each terminal portion 20 are provided and the reverse bias voltage is applied to the cell S1 at a plurality of contact points as in the reverse bias process of the first embodiment of the present invention, the adjacent two A plurality of short-circuit portions existing between two cells S1 can be equally reverse-biased, whereby the short-circuit portions can be efficiently removed, thereby reducing the time required for reverse-bias processing, It is possible to reduce the remaining short-circuit portion that can be a hot spot.

By the way, the output voltage of the thin film photoelectric conversion module is proportional to the number of cells connected in series with each other (the number of serial connections). There are various output voltage values of thin film photoelectric conversion modules required as market demand, and accordingly, it is possible to make thin film photoelectric conversion modules with various output voltage values in one thin film photoelectric conversion module production line. It is preferable from the viewpoint of maintaining the operating rate of the production line and flexibility with respect to fluctuations in demand.
In this embodiment, as an example, the 6 series thin film photoelectric conversion module M1 shown in FIG. 6 (A) or the 12 series thin film photoelectric module shown in FIG. The conversion modules M11 are manufactured on a single manufacturing line as thin film photoelectric conversion modules of different models. In this case, since the substrate size is limited by the specifications of the processing device, the transport device and the like constituting the production line, it is preferable to use the same size substrate even in different models. Therefore, in FIG. 6, the thin film photoelectric conversion module M1 and The substrate size of the thin film photoelectric conversion module M11 is the same. Here, the width W11 in the X direction of the cell S11 of the 12 series thin film photoelectric conversion module M11 is about ½ of the width W1 in the X direction of the cell S1 of the 6 series thin film photoelectric conversion module M1. 6A is a plan view of a 6-series thin film photoelectric conversion module M1, and FIG. 6B is a plan view of a 12-series thin film photoelectric conversion module M11.

Thus, when manufacturing a plurality of different types of thin film photoelectric conversion modules on the same manufacturing line, the reverse bias processing apparatus P1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention can perform processing corresponding to different models.
For example, when switching from the reverse bias process corresponding to the 6 series thin film photoelectric conversion module M1 to the reverse bias process corresponding to the 12 series thin film photoelectric conversion module M11, as shown in FIG. The pair of terminal portions 20 are replaced from the inner terminal insertion holes 11a through 11a. That is, changing the distance between the pair of terminal portions 20 from L1 × 4 to L1 × 2 can be realized by a simple operation of replacing the terminal portions, and can correspond to processing of different models.

  In addition, arrangement | positioning and the space | interval of the four terminal penetration holes 11a in the terminal fixing | fixed part 10 of Embodiment 1 are set so that it may respond to the thin film photoelectric conversion module manufactured, and the space | interval L1x4 of a pair of terminal part 20 is set. The width L1 × 2 of the pair of terminal portions 20 is equal to the width W1 in the X direction of the cell S11 of the 12 series thin film photoelectric conversion module M11. Is equivalent to Therefore, each contact part 22a of a pair of terminal part 20 contact | abuts to the intermediate position of the width | variety of X direction of cell S1, or the intermediate position of the width | variety of X direction of cell S11.

  Moreover, this invention is not limited to the said form, The space | interval and number of terminal penetration holes can be changed suitably. By reducing the distance between the terminal insertion holes and providing more terminal insertion holes, the distance between the pair of terminal parts can be adjusted more finely, and it is suitable for many different types of thin film photoelectric conversion modules. Reverse bias processing can be performed.

For example, the number of terminal insertion holes is three for two types of thin film photoelectric conversion modules having different widths in the second direction of the photoelectric conversion cells. In this case, one terminal portion is always fixed to the terminal insertion hole at one end, and the other terminal portion is selectively fixed to the remaining two terminal insertion holes, so that a wide photoelectric conversion cell can be obtained. On the other hand, the interval between the pair of terminal portions is widened, the gap between the pair of terminal portions is narrowed for a narrow photoelectric conversion cell, and the pair of terminal portions is appropriately connected to two photoelectric conversion cells adjacent in the first direction. It can be brought into contact with a place (intermediate position of the width in the first direction).
In addition, by setting the number of terminal insertion holes in each row of terminal fixing portions to four or more, one terminal portion is always fixed to the terminal insertion hole at one end as described above, and the remaining three By selectively fixing the other terminal portion to the terminal insertion hole, the distance between the pair of terminal portions is adjusted in three stages according to the width of the photoelectric conversion cell, and the pair of terminal portions are adjacent in the first direction. It can be made to contact | abut in the suitable location of two photoelectric conversion cells. Alternatively, by selecting two terminal insertion holes from four or more terminal insertion holes according to the width of the photoelectric conversion cell, the pair of terminal portions can be appropriately connected to the two photoelectric conversion cells adjacent in the first direction. It can be brought into contact with various places.
Furthermore, even when there are a plurality of strings as in the third embodiment described later, the terminal fixing portion is provided with a plurality of rows of three or more terminal insertion holes arranged in the first direction in the second direction. Therefore, a plurality of types of thin film photoelectric conversion modules with different numbers of strings can be obtained by appropriately fixing the terminal portions in the second row and thereafter to two of the three or more terminal insertion holes. Can also be supported.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 7A is a plan view showing a terminal fixing portion as a first modification of the reverse bias processing apparatus of the second embodiment, and FIG. 7B is a plan view showing the terminal fixing portion as a second modification. .
In the first embodiment, there are four terminal insertion holes of the terminal fixing portion. By replacing the pair of terminal portions with the two terminal insertion holes at both ends and the two inner terminal insertion holes, the two different types of reverse bias processing can be performed. The case of switching the correspondence was illustrated.
The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in switching the correspondence to two different types of reverse bias processing. Note that description of matters common to the first embodiment may be omitted.

In the case of FIG. 7A, the terminal fixing portion 110 includes a convex insulating plate portion 111 having three terminal insertion holes 111a arranged in a row, and a cylindrical portion provided on the convex portion of the insulating plate portion 111. 112. The mutual interval L2 of each terminal insertion hole 111a is equal, and is set to twice the interval L1 described in FIG. 5 (L2 = L1 × 2).
In this case, one terminal part is always fixed to the terminal insertion hole 111a at one end of the three, and the other terminal part is replaced with the remaining two terminal insertion holes 111a, whereby 6 series shown in FIG. This can correspond to the reverse bias processing of the thin film photoelectric conversion module M1 and the reverse bias processing of the 12 series thin film photoelectric conversion modules M1 shown in FIG. 6B.

In the case of FIG. 7B, the terminal fixing portion 210 includes a convex insulating plate portion 211 having four terminal insertion holes 211 a arranged in a row, and a cylindrical portion provided on the convex portion of the insulating plate portion 211. 212. The mutual interval L2 of each terminal insertion hole 211a is equal, and is set to twice the interval L1 described in FIG. 5 (L2 = L1 × 2).
In this case, one terminal part is always fixed to the terminal insertion hole 111a at one end of the four, and the other terminal part is replaced with the remaining three terminal insertion holes 111a, whereby 12 series shown in FIG. The reverse bias process (L2 × 1) of the thin film photoelectric conversion module M11 of FIG. 6 and the reverse bias process (L2 × 2) of the 6 series thin film photoelectric conversion module M1 shown in FIG. It is also possible to correspond to a 4-series thin film photoelectric conversion module (L2 × 3) (not shown).
That is, in the case of FIGS. 7A and 7B, when a plurality of types of thin film photoelectric conversion modules are manufactured on one production line, the mutual interval L2 of the terminal insertion holes is the model with the largest number of series connections. It can be set to the same as the cell interval.

(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view showing a thin film photoelectric conversion module that is reverse-biased by the reverse bias processing apparatus of Embodiment 3 of the present invention, and FIG. 9 is a schematic view of the thin-film photoelectric conversion module of FIG. 8 cut in the arrow Y direction. It is sectional drawing.
First, the thin film photoelectric conversion module M3 will be described, and then the reverse bias processing apparatus will be described. Note that in the third embodiment, description of matters common to the first or second embodiment may be omitted.

<Thin film photoelectric conversion module>
The thin film photoelectric conversion module M3 shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 divides the string 100 of the thin film photoelectric conversion module M1 shown in FIG. 1 into a plurality of pieces with the same width W2 in the Y direction by dividing grooves 105 extending in the X direction. Can be formed. That is, the thin film photoelectric conversion module M3 includes a plurality of divided strings 106a to 106f in which a plurality of cells S3 are electrically connected in series in the X direction in parallel and insulated from each other.
In FIG. 8, a plurality of elongated rectangular regions surrounded by dotted lines represent each divided string. In this case, six rows of divided strings that are long in the X direction are arranged in the Y direction. Each divided string includes six cells S3 connected in series.

The dividing groove 105 includes a first dividing groove 105a having a wide width in the Y direction and a second dividing groove 105b having a small width. When forming the dividing groove 105, first, one of the photoelectric conversion layer 103 and the second electrode layer 104 of the cell S1 shown in FIG. 1 is formed by a laser scribing method of moving in the X direction while irradiating laser light from the transparent insulating substrate 101 side. The portions are removed at a predetermined interval (about 75 to 250 mm) to form the first divided grooves 105a. The YAG laser second harmonic (wavelength 532 nm) that is hardly absorbed by the first electrode layer (transparent electrode layer) 102 can be used as the laser light to be irradiated.
Next, in the vicinity of the central portion of the first dividing groove 105a, moving the laser light from the transparent insulating substrate 101 side in the X direction, the first electrode layer 102 in the first dividing groove 105a region is removed, A second dividing groove 105b is formed. As a laser beam to be irradiated, a YAG laser fundamental wave (wavelength: 1.06 μm) absorbed by the first electrode layer 102 can be used.

8 shows the thin film photoelectric conversion module M3 in which the plurality of divided strings 106a to 106f are electrically insulated by the divided grooves 105 and arranged in parallel, the plurality of divided strings 106a to 106f are electrically connected. May be connected in parallel (not shown). In this case, before irradiating laser light from the transparent insulating substrate 1 side, a metal mask is disposed on the outer surface of the transparent insulating substrate 101 corresponding to the two cells S1 on both ends in the X direction of the string 100 shown in FIG. . Then, with the metal mask disposed, the laser beam is irradiated from the transparent insulating substrate 1 side as described above to form the first divided groove 105a and the second divided groove 105b, thereby forming the divided groove 105. Since the metal mask does not transmit laser light, the portion of the first electrode 102, the photoelectric conversion layer 103, and the second electrode 104 that are covered with the metal mask remain. As this metal mask, a metal sheet made of aluminum, stainless steel or the like having a thickness of about 1 to 3 mm can be used.
Thereby, each cell of the both ends side of the serial connection direction (X direction) of the some split string 106a-106f is respectively connected in parallel by the common electrode.

<Reverse bias processing device>
FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the reverse bias processing apparatus of the third embodiment, and FIG. 11 shows that four rod-shaped terminals fixed to the terminal fixing portion in the reverse bias processing apparatus of the third embodiment correspond to four cells. FIG. 12 is a partial cross-sectional view illustrating the structure of the terminal fixing portion and the terminal portion in the reverse bias processing apparatus according to the third embodiment, and FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating the reverse bias processing apparatus according to the third embodiment. FIG. 14 is a plan view showing a terminal fixing portion, FIG. 14 is a layout diagram of voltage application units in the reverse bias processing apparatus of the third embodiment, and FIG. 15 is a conceptual diagram showing a power supply in the reverse bias processing apparatus of the third embodiment. .

The reverse bias processing apparatus P3 shown in FIG. 10 includes three voltage application units U3 and a moving mechanism unit 340 that moves each voltage application unit U3 in the X direction. Each voltage application unit U <b> 3 includes an elevating mechanism unit (for example, an air cylinder) 330, one terminal fixing unit 310 that moves up and down by the elevating mechanism unit 330, and four terminal units 320 fixed to the terminal fixing unit 310. , Corresponding to two adjacent divided strings.
The terminal fixing portion 310 includes a rectangular plate-like insulating plate portion 311 having eight terminal insertion holes 311 a and a cylindrical portion 312 provided at the center position of the upper surface of the insulating plate portion 311.
In addition, eight terminal insertion holes 311a are arranged on each of two parallel lines A1 and A2 indicated by alternate long and short dash lines arranged on the insulating plate portion 311. That is, the insulating plate portion 310 is provided with two rows of four terminal insertion holes 311a arranged in the X direction. The four terminal insertion holes 311a in each row are symmetrical with respect to the center line C1 in the Y direction that bisects the cylindrical portion 312 at the same interval L1 as the terminal fixing portion (see FIG. 5) of the first embodiment. Is arranged.

The interval between the parallel lines A1 and A2, that is, the interval L3 between one row of the four terminal insertion holes 311a arranged in the X direction and the other row of the four terminal insertion holes 311a adjacent to this row is the string It is the same as the width W3 in the second direction. By doing in this way, the terminal part 320 inserted and fixed to the terminal insertion hole 311a of each row | line | column can be contact | abutted to the intermediate position of the width | variety of the cell S3 of the division | segmentation string corresponding to each row | line | column.
As shown in FIG. 12, each terminal insertion hole 311a has a female screw portion 311a1 at the top of the hole and a small diameter portion 311a2 having a smaller diameter than the female screw portion 311a1 at the bottom of the hole.

The terminal portion 320 is inserted into the terminal insertion hole 311a from above and protrudes from the lower surface side of the insulating plate portion 311; and a male screw threadably engaged with the female screw portion 311a1 connected to the upper portion of the contact portion 321a. It comprises a rod-like terminal 321 having a part 321b and a connection part 321c that is connected to the upper part of the male screw part 321b and is electrically connected to a wiring from a power source (not shown).
The male screw portion 321b of the rod-shaped terminal 321 has an outer diameter larger than the small diameter portion 311a2 of the terminal insertion hole 311a of the insulating plate portion 311. Thereby, in each rod-shaped terminal 321, the protrusion dimension which the contact part 321a protrudes to the lower surface side of the insulating board part 311 is arrange | equalized.

As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, in the case of the reverse bias processing apparatus of the third embodiment, one voltage application unit U3 is provided with four rod-shaped terminals 321 and one voltage application unit U3 is adjacent. Corresponding to two divided strings, one power source corresponds to one voltage application unit U3.
For example, the voltage application unit U3 corresponding to the divided strings 106a and 106b in FIG. 14 includes two rod-shaped terminals 321a1 and 321a2 that are in contact with the two cells S3 of the divided string 106a and two cells S3 of the divided string 106b. Two rod-shaped terminals 321b1 and 321b2 that contact each other are provided, and the rod-shaped terminals 321a1 and 321b1 adjacent to each other in the Y direction are electrically connected in parallel by the wiring 503 and connected to the output terminal 501a of the power source 502 and adjacent to each other in the Y direction. The rod-shaped terminals 321a2 and 321b2 to be connected are electrically connected in parallel by the wiring 503 and are connected to the output terminal 501b of the power source 502. The same applies to other voltage application units U3.

The moving mechanism unit 340 is connected to the boxes 342 of the three voltage application units U3, and is configured to be able to move each box 342 in the X direction in conjunction with or independently from each other. The specific configuration is particularly limited. For example, a ball screw mechanism, a belt wheel mechanism (pulley mechanism), a chain / sprocket mechanism, or the like can be employed.
16 and 17 are exemplified as the ball screw mechanism, and FIGS. 18 and 19 are exemplified as the belt wheel mechanism.

[First example of moving mechanism]
FIG. 16 shows a moving mechanism T1 that employs a ball screw mechanism to link a plurality of voltage application units U3.
This moving mechanism T1 is pivotally pivotable to a cover 341 (see FIG. 10), a pair of parallel fixed pieces 702 fixed to both sides in the X direction on the lower surface of the cover (base) 341, and a pair of fixed pieces 702. Fixed to the three screw shafts 703 attached, the nut portion 704 screwed to each screw shaft 703, the first bevel gear 705 attached to the rear end of each screw shaft 703, and a pair of fixing pieces 702 Three guide shafts 706, a main screw shaft 707 disposed on the rear end side of each screw shaft 703 and rotatably attached to the lower surface of the cover 701, a motor M for rotating the main screw shaft 707, A plurality of second bevel gears 70 that are attached to the main screw shaft 707 and mesh with the first bevel gears 705. It is equipped with a door.

Three screw shafts 703 and three guide shafts 706 are arranged alternately and in parallel, and one set of one screw shaft 703 and one guide shaft 706 corresponds to one voltage application unit U3. doing.
In the voltage application unit U3, the upper wall of the box 342 as a holding portion is fixed to the nut portion 704 of the moving mechanism T1 via an attachment member (not shown) and slidably attached to the guide shaft 706.

Since each voltage application unit U3 is attached to the moving mechanism T1 configured as described above, when each second bevel gear 708 is rotated together with the main screw shaft 707 by the motor M of the moving mechanism T1, Each screw shaft 703 rotates together with the first bevel gear 705, whereby each voltage application unit U3 moves together with each nut portion in the X direction simultaneously.
According to the reverse bias processing means provided with the moving mechanism T1, when the four bar-shaped terminals 321 of the voltage application unit U3 are moved onto the cell S3 of the divided string, the four bar-shaped terminals are moved by the elevating drive unit 330. The pair of rod-shaped terminals 321 arranged in the X direction are brought into contact with the second electrode layers of the two cells S3, and the reverse bias processing described in the first embodiment is performed. After the processing, the four rod-shaped terminals 321 are raised, and the reverse bias processing of all the cells S3 is performed by repeating the movement, the lowering, the reverse bias processing, and the rising similarly.

  According to this reverse bias processing apparatus, such reverse bias processing can be performed in parallel on the plurality of divided strings 106a to 106f. The plurality of power sources 502a to 502f corresponding to each voltage application unit U3 can be independently turned on / off, and each voltage application unit U3 can be moved up and down independently. When there is a difference in the reverse bias processing time between the cells S3 of ~ 106f, the power supply corresponding to the processed cell S3 may be sequentially turned off and the voltage application unit U3 may be raised. In this way, it is possible to save power and to wait for the next cell S3 to be reverse-biased.

[Second example of moving mechanism]
FIG. 17 shows a moving mechanism T2 that employs a ball screw mechanism and can move a plurality of voltage applying units U3 independently. In FIG. 17, the same members as those in FIG. 16 are denoted by the same reference numerals.
The moving mechanism T2 includes a plurality of screw shafts 703 that are individually rotated instead of the main screw shaft 707 having the plurality of second bevel gears 708 and the motor M that rotates the main screw shaft 708 in the moving mechanism T1 described above. A motor M is provided. Other configurations of the moving mechanism T2 and the attachment structure with each voltage application unit U3 are the same as those of the moving mechanism T1.
According to the reverse bias processing means provided with the moving mechanism T2, the motor M corresponding to each voltage applying unit U3 can be independently driven and controlled, so that each voltage applying unit U3 is moved independently. Can do.

[Third example of moving mechanism]
FIG. 18 shows a moving mechanism T3 that employs a belt wheel mechanism to link a plurality of voltage application units U3.
The moving mechanism T3 includes a cover 341 (see FIG. 10) and a plurality of first to third pulleys 801a, 801b attached to a predetermined position on the lower surface of the cover 341 so as to be rotatable about a vertical axis P. 801c, an endless wire belt 802 wound around a plurality of first to third pulleys 801a, 801b, 801c, a motor M that rotates one third pulley 801c, and a predetermined portion and a plurality of portions of the wire belt 802 A plurality of connecting members 803 that connect the box 342 (see FIG. 10) of the voltage application unit U3 and a guide shaft (not shown) that suspends and holds the three voltage application units U3 in the X direction.

  The first pulley 801a is the end of the cover 341 on the reverse bias processing start side in the X direction, and is arranged in parallel at a position corresponding to each voltage application unit U3. Two second pulleys 801b are on the reverse bias processing end side in the X direction of the cover 341, and two second pulleys 801b are arranged in parallel between positions corresponding to the respective voltage application units U3. Two third pulleys 801c are disposed at the end of the reverse bias process end side of the cover 341 in the X direction with respect to the second pulley 801b in the X direction and at positions facing the first pulleys 801a on both sides. And one 3rd pulley 801c rotates with the motor M via the rotating shaft.

The wire belt 802 is wound around the plurality of first to third pulleys 801a, 801b, and 801c arranged in this way as shown in FIG. 18, so that the straight line of the wire belt 802 is placed at a position corresponding to each voltage application unit U3. The parts 802a and 802b are formed in parallel as a pair. The pair of linear portions 802a and 802b move in opposite directions as the third pulley 801c rotates in one direction.
Of the pair of straight portions 802a and 802b, the connecting member 803 is fixed to the same position in the X direction on each straight portion (the straight portion 802a in FIG. 18) that moves in the same direction.

  A plurality of guide shafts (not shown) are attached at both ends to a pair of parallel fixing pieces 702 fixed to the lower surface of the cover 341 described in FIG. 16, and two guide shafts are parallel to one voltage application unit U3 and in the X direction. It extends and is arranged. And the upper wall of the box 342 of each voltage application unit U3 is slidably suspended on each pair of guide shafts via a mounting member (not shown). The attachment member and the connecting member 803 may be an integrated member.

According to the moving mechanism T3, the third pulley 801c is rotated in one direction or the reverse direction by the motor M, so that the respective linear portions 802a of the wire belt 802 are simultaneously moved in the same direction. U3 can be moved simultaneously in the X direction. Therefore, according to the reverse bias processing means including the moving mechanism T3, the reverse bias processing can be performed in parallel on the plurality of divided strings 106a to 106f, similarly to the reverse bias processing means including the moving mechanism T1. . In addition, the power supply corresponding to the processed cell S3 is sequentially turned off, the voltage application unit U3 is raised, the power is saved, and the next cell S3 is kept on standby for reverse bias processing. Can do.
In addition, each pulley in this moving mechanism T3 may be replaced with a sprocket, and the endless wire belt 802 may be replaced with an endless chain.

[Fourth example of moving mechanism]
FIG. 19 shows a moving mechanism T4 that employs a belt wheel mechanism and can move a plurality of voltage application units U3 independently. In FIG. 19, the same members as those in FIG. 18 are denoted by the same reference numerals.
The moving mechanism T4 is arranged at the position where the three first pulleys 801a similar to the above-described moving mechanism T3 and the reverse bias processing end side in the X direction of the cover 341 are opposed to the first pulleys 801a. Three second pulleys 801d, an endless wire belt 804 wound around each pair of first pulley 801a and second pulley 801b, and a plurality of motors M that individually rotate each second pulley 801b, Is provided.
A connection member 803 similar to the moving mechanism T1 is fixed to one of the pair of straight portions 804a and 804b (the straight portion 804a in FIG. 19) in each wire belt 804. In addition, the other structure in moving mechanism T4 and the attachment structure with each voltage application unit U3 are the same as that of moving mechanism T3.
According to the reverse bias processing apparatus including the moving mechanism T4, similarly to the moving mechanism T2, the motors M corresponding to the voltage applying units U3 can be independently driven and controlled. Unit U3 can be moved.

<Reverse bias processing method>
Next, reverse bias processing using the reverse bias processing apparatus P3 of Embodiment 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following, reverse bias processing by one voltage application unit U3 will be described, but the same applies to other voltage application units U3.
First, for example, each rod-shaped terminal 321 in the voltage application unit U3 is inserted into and fixed to the two terminal insertion holes 311a at both ends of each row, so that a predetermined voltage can be applied to each rod-shaped terminal 321.
Next, when each rod-shaped terminal 321 of the voltage application unit U3 is moved onto the cell S3 to be reverse-biased in the adjacent two rows of divided strings, the lifting mechanism section 330 and the terminal fixing section 310 together with four terminals The rod-shaped terminal 321 is lowered and brought into contact with the second electrode layers of the four cells S3, and reverse bias processing is performed in the same manner as in the first embodiment. By this procedure, all the cells S3 (except for the last cell S3) of the divided string are performed. ) Are sequentially subjected to reverse bias processing.
Also in this case, as in the first embodiment, the short-circuit portion can be efficiently removed, so that the occurrence rate of the “hot spot phenomenon” can be reduced. Further, the degree of short circuit can be classified as described above based on the data acquired during the reverse bias processing of each cell S3, and it can be easily analyzed in which part the short circuit part is likely to occur. By feeding back the analysis result, it can be used for process improvement such as a film forming process of the photoelectric conversion layer.

Up to this point, the reverse bias processing of the 6 series thin film photoelectric conversion module M3 having 6 rows of divided strings 106a to 106f has been described, but this reverse bias processing apparatus P3 has 12 series having 6 rows of divided strings 1106a to 1106f. It is possible to cope with the reverse bias processing of the thin film photoelectric conversion module M3.
20A is a plan view of a 6-series thin film photoelectric conversion module M3 having 6 rows of divided strings 106a to 106f, and FIG. 20B is a 12-series thin film having 6 rows of divided strings 1106a to 1106f. It is a top view of photoelectric conversion module M33. The thin film photoelectric conversion modules M3 and M33 have the same size.
The width W22 in the X direction of the cell S33 of the 12 series thin film photoelectric conversion module M33 is about ½ of the width W2 in the X direction of the cell S3 of the 6 series thin film photoelectric conversion module M3.

  For example, when switching from the reverse bias processing of the 6 series thin film photoelectric conversion module M3 to the reverse bias processing of the 12 series thin film photoelectric conversion module M33, the inner two terminal insertion holes from the two terminal insertion holes 311a at both ends of each row The pair of rod-shaped terminals 321 is replaced with 311a. That is, the interval between the pair of rod-shaped terminals 321 is changed from L1 × 4 to L1 × 2.

  In addition, the arrangement and interval of the eight terminal insertion holes 311a in the terminal fixing portion 310 are set so as to correspond to the manufactured thin film photoelectric conversion module, and the interval L1 × 4 between the pair of rod-shaped terminals 321 is 6 series. It is equivalent to the width W2 in the X direction of the cell S3 of the thin film photoelectric conversion module M3, and the distance L1 × 2 between the pair of rod-shaped terminals 321 is equivalent to the width W11 in the X direction of the cell S33 of the 12 series thin film photoelectric conversion module M33. is there. Therefore, the pair of rod-shaped terminals 321 in each row is in contact with the middle position of the cell S3 in the X direction width or the middle position of the cell S33 in the X direction width. Further, the four rod-shaped terminals 321 come into contact with the intermediate positions of the four cells 3 or the cells 33 in the width direction in the Y direction.

(Embodiment 4)
FIG. 21 is a plan view showing a terminal fixing portion in the reverse bias processing apparatus of Embodiment 4, and FIG. 22 is a plan view showing the terminal fixing portion as Modification 1 in the reverse bias processing apparatus of Embodiment 4. 23 is a plan view showing a terminal fixing portion as a second modification of the reverse bias processing apparatus of Embodiment 4. FIG.
In the third embodiment, the terminal fixing part has two terminal insertion holes in two rows, and the two different terminal replacement portions are obtained by replacing a pair of rod-like terminals with two terminal insertion holes at both ends and two inner terminal insertion holes in each row. The case where the correspondence to the reverse bias processing of the model is switched is illustrated.
The fourth embodiment is different from the third embodiment in switching the correspondence to two different types of reverse bias processing.

In the case of FIG. 21, the terminal fixing portion 410 includes an insulating plate portion 411 having three terminal insertion holes 411a arranged in two rows, and a cylindrical portion 412 provided at the center of the upper surface of the insulating plate portion 411. Do it. In each row, the distance L2 between two adjacent terminal insertion holes 411a is equal, and is set to twice the distance L1 described in FIG. 13 (L2 = L1 × 2).
In this case, in each row, one rod-shaped terminal is always fixed to the terminal insertion hole 411a at one end of the three, and the other rod-shaped terminal is replaced with the remaining two terminal insertion holes 411a, thereby FIG. 6 and the reverse bias process of the 12 series thin film photoelectric conversion module M33 shown in FIG. 20B.

In the case of FIG. 22, the terminal fixing portion 510 has an insulating plate portion 511 having four terminal insertion holes 511a arranged in two rows, and a cylindrical portion 512 provided at the center of the upper surface of the insulating plate portion 511. Do it. In each row, the interval L2 between two adjacent terminal insertion holes 511a is equal, and is set to twice the interval L1 described in FIG. 13 (L2 = L1 × 2).
In this case, in each row, one rod-like terminal is always fixed to the terminal insertion hole 511a at one end of the four rows, and the other rod-like terminal is replaced with the remaining three terminal insertion holes 511a. Corresponding to the reverse bias process (L2 × 1) of the 12 series thin film photoelectric conversion module M33 shown in FIG. 20 and the reverse bias process (L2 × 2) of the 6 series thin film photoelectric conversion module M3 shown in FIG. Furthermore, it is possible to correspond to a 4-series thin film photoelectric conversion module (L2 × 3) (not shown).
The other aspects of the fourth embodiment are the same as those of the third embodiment.

In the case of FIG. 23, the terminal fixing portion 610 includes an insulating plate portion 611 having four terminal insertion holes 611a arranged in four rows, and a cylindrical portion 612 provided at the center position of the upper surface of the insulating plate portion 611. Have.
Further, four terminal insertion holes 611a are arranged on each of four parallel lines B1, B2, B3, and B4 indicated by alternate long and short dash lines arranged on the insulating plate portion 611. That is, the insulating plate 611 is provided with four rows of four terminal insertion holes 611a arranged in the X direction, arranged in four rows in the Y direction. A total of 16 terminal insertion holes 611 a are arranged symmetrically with respect to the center line C <b> 1 in the Y direction that bisects the cylindrical portion 312.
In each row of terminal insertion holes 611a, the interval between two terminal insertion holes 611a adjacent in the X direction is set to the same interval L2 as in FIGS.
According to the second modification in the fourth embodiment, since the interval between the four rod-shaped terminals can be adjusted in the Y direction in addition to the X direction, even for a thin film photoelectric conversion module of a model having a different number of strings. Can be handled with a simple task.

  In the case of FIGS. 21 to 23 as well, when multiple types of thin film photoelectric conversion modules are manufactured on one production line, the mutual interval L2 of the terminal insertion holes is the cell interval of the model with the largest number of series connections. Can be set to the same. Further, in the case of FIG. 23, the interval L3 between the columns can be set to be the same as the string interval of the model having the largest number of strings, and the number of terminal insertion holes in the X direction and the Y direction can be set to 5 or more. Good.

(Embodiment 5)
FIG. 24 is a block diagram for explaining a thin-film photoelectric conversion module manufacturing apparatus according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention including any one of the reverse bias processing apparatuses according to Embodiments 1 to 4.
The thin-film photoelectric conversion module manufacturing apparatus includes any one of the reverse bias processing apparatus P of Embodiments 1 to 4, the production control apparatus A electrically connected to the reverse bias processing apparatus P, and the reverse bias processing apparatus P. And a warning device 5 electrically connected.
The production control device A is configured to transmit model information including the width in the X direction (series connection direction) of the cells in each column string to the reverse bias processing device P for the thin film photoelectric conversion module immediately before the reverse bias processing. Yes.

The reverse bias processing apparatus P has a fixed position of the pair of terminal portions corresponding to the strings in each column in the reverse bias processing apparatus P that has received the model information.
(A) If it is a position corresponding to the width of the cell in the X direction in the string of each column included in the model information, the operating state is maintained,
(B) If the position does not correspond to the X-direction width of the cell in each column string included in the model information, stop and stop the cell in the X-direction width in each column string based on the model information The instruction information for instructing the operator to replace one or two terminal portions corresponding to is transmitted to the warning device 5.

In the case of the fifth embodiment, the reverse bias processing device P, the production control device A, and the warning device 5 are incorporated in the same manufacturing line together with other processing devices, and the whole constitutes a manufacturing device for the thin film photoelectric conversion module. ing. In FIG. 24, reference numeral 1 denotes a carry-in device, 2 denotes a cleaning device, 3 denotes a laser trimming device, 6 denotes an insulation inspection device, and a conveyance device between these devices is indicated by an arrow.
Note that each processing apparatus is not limited to the arrangement shown in FIG. 24, and a plurality of film forming apparatuses, carry-out apparatuses, and the like may be arranged at positions indicated by dotted lines.
The production control apparatus A monitors the status of the entire manufacturing apparatus such as the status of each transport apparatus that transports the substrate and the processing status of the substrate by each processing apparatus, receives information from each apparatus, and based on the information, Control the device. Thereby, a thin film photoelectric conversion module can be manufactured smoothly and automatically.

More specifically, in the case of the present embodiment, the processing process immediately before the reverse bias processing apparatus P is a trimming process in which the laser trimming apparatus 3 forms an insulating region at the peripheral edge of the substrate.
The production control device A includes a communication unit that transmits / receives to / from each device and a storage unit that transmits / receives to / from the communication unit.
The storage unit stores various production data such as a process flow of each model of the thin film photoelectric conversion module, manufacturing conditions of each device, a processing history transmitted from each device, and characteristic data measured in the inspection process.

For example, it is assumed that the 6-series thin film photoelectric conversion module M1 shown in FIG.
The production control device A manages that reverse bias processing by the reverse bias processing device P and trimming processing by the laser trimming device 3 are performed through the communication unit.
At this time, in the reverse bias processing apparatus P, the pair of terminal portions 20 (see FIG. 3) corresponds to the width W1 in the series connection direction (X direction) of the cells S1 of the thin film photoelectric conversion module M1 shown in FIG. The terminal insertion holes 11a on both sides are fixed. In addition, the fixed positions of the pair of terminal portions 20 or information that can identify them is stored in the storage unit of the reverse bias processing apparatus P.

Next, the reverse bias processing of the thin film photoelectric conversion module M1 is completed, and a carry-out signal for the processing completion substrate is transmitted from the communication unit of the reverse bias processing device P to the communication unit of the production control device A. Receiving the carry-out signal, the production control device A controls the transfer device between them so that the thin film photoelectric conversion module M1 processed from the reverse bias processing device P is sent to the insulation inspection device 6 in the next process.
After unloading the thin film photoelectric conversion module M1 from the reverse bias processing apparatus P, a transfer completion signal is transmitted from the reverse bias processing apparatus P to the production control apparatus A, and the production control apparatus A is processing or has completed processing in the laser trimming apparatus 3. The model information of the thin film photoelectric conversion module is transmitted to the reverse bias processing device P.

When the model information is information of the module M1 in FIG. 6A, it is not necessary to replace the terminal unit 20 in comparison with the terminal unit fixed position information stored in the storage unit of the reverse bias processing apparatus P. The model information is determined and communicated to the production control apparatus A, and the reverse bias processing apparatus P continues to operate.
When the model information is information on the module M11 in FIG. 6B, the reverse bias processing device is compared with the terminal portion fixed position information stored in the storage unit of the reverse bias processing device P. It is determined that the P terminal portion 20 needs to be replaced. In that case, a signal that the terminal portion needs to be replaced is transmitted from the communication unit of the reverse bias processing device P to the warning device 5 independent of the production control device A. Upon receiving the signal, the production control device A stops the transport device that transports the substrate from the laser trimming device 3 to the reverse bias processing device P, and controls the reverse bias processing device P to the stop state.

In parallel with this, the instruction information is transmitted from the reverse bias processing device P to the warning device 5. That is, the reverse bias processing device P transmits the replacement position of the terminal unit 20 that is the instruction information based on the model information to the warning device 5. Then, based on the warning device 5 that has received the instruction information, the operator replaces the terminal portion 20 of the reverse bias processing device P.
As the warning device 5, a management terminal for displaying a siren, a lamp, an alarm message, a replacement position of the terminal portion, and the like, a combination thereof, or the like can be adopted. In addition, the mark which shows each terminal penetration hole may be described on the terminal fixing member, and the replacement position may be displayed with a mark.

According to the fifth embodiment, it is possible to prevent a trouble that the reverse bias process is erroneously started at the terminal portion interval that does not correspond to the thin film solar cell module. Further, when the terminal portion needs to be replaced, the operator can instruct to notice in a short time, so that the non-operating time of the reverse bias processing apparatus associated with the replacement waiting can be reduced. Furthermore, by clearly indicating the replacement position by the warning device 5, it is possible to prevent the terminal portion from being replaced at an incorrect position.
In this embodiment, the warning device 5 is communicably connected to the reverse bias processing device P independently of the production control device A, but may be included in the reverse bias processing device P itself, or The warning device 5 may be controlled by the production control device A connected to the production control device A.

(Other embodiments)
1. In the third embodiment, the case where the cells of two adjacent strings of divided strings are reverse-biased by one voltage application unit U3 is illustrated. The cells of the divided strings in all columns may be configured to be reverse-biased. In this case, for example, a plurality of rows of three or more terminal insertion holes are formed in one terminal fixing portion, which is the same as the total number of strings.
Or you may comprise so that the cell of the divided string of 1 row may be reverse-biased by one voltage application unit. In this case, one row of three or more terminal insertion holes is formed in one terminal fixing portion. In this way, the plurality of power sources f corresponding to each voltage application unit can be independently turned ON / OFF, and each voltage application unit can be raised and lowered independently. If there is a difference in reverse bias processing time depending on the cell, the power supply corresponding to the processed cell may be sequentially turned off, or the voltage application unit may be raised. In this way, it is possible to save power and to wait for the next cell to be reverse-biased.

2. In the first and third embodiments, the case where the reverse bias processing apparatus includes the moving mechanism unit is illustrated, but the moving mechanism unit may be omitted. In this case, the thin film photoelectric conversion module may be moved in the X direction with respect to the reverse bias processing apparatus.
In the first and third embodiments, the case where the reverse bias processing apparatus includes the lifting mechanism is illustrated, but the lifting mechanism may be omitted. In this case, the thin film photoelectric conversion module may be moved up and down with respect to the reverse bias processing apparatus.
Alternatively, both the moving mechanism unit and the lifting mechanism unit may be omitted, and the operator may move in the X direction while holding the terminal fixing unit while considering safety.
3. In the first embodiment, the case where two rows of four terminal insertion holes are formed in the insulating plate portion of the terminal fixing portion is illustrated. However, as a modification, both ends 2 of the four terminal insertion holes of each row are arranged. Two terminal insertion holes may be further provided on both sides of the one terminal insertion hole at an interval L1. If it does in this way, when a fixed position of a pair of terminal parts is distance L1x2 of two terminal penetration holes, it corresponds to a 12 series thin film photoelectric conversion module, and it is a 6 series module when distance L1x4 It is possible to correspond to 4 series modules when the interval is L1 × 6.

5 Warning device 10, 110, 210, 310, 410, 510, 610 Terminal fixing part 11a, 111a, 211a, 311a, 411a, 511a, 611a Terminal insertion hole (terminal attaching / detaching part)
20, 320 Terminal portion 101 Insulating substrate (transparent insulating substrate)
102 1st electrode layer (transparent electrode layer)
103 Photoelectric conversion layer 104 Second electrode layer (back electrode layer)
100 String 105, 107, 108 Split groove 106a, 106b, 106c, 106d, 106e, 106f Split string 501a, 501b Output terminal 502 Power source 503 Wiring 30, 330 Lifting mechanism part A Production control device P1, P3 Reverse bias processing device S1, S11, S3, S33 cells (photoelectric conversion cells)
T1, T2, T3, T4 Movement mechanism U1, U3 Voltage application unit

According to still another aspect of the present invention, the reverse bias processing method, the production control device communicably connected to the reverse bias processing device, and the reverse bias processing device according to the reverse bias processing method, A method of manufacturing a thin film photoelectric conversion module that performs reverse bias processing using a manufacturing apparatus of a thin film photoelectric conversion module including a warning device that is communicably connected,
The production control device transmits model information including the width in the first direction of the photoelectric conversion cell in the string of the thin film photoelectric conversion module to the reverse bias processing device,
The fixed position of the pair of terminal portions corresponding to the string in the reverse bias processing apparatus that has received the model information,
When the position corresponding to the width in the first direction of the photoelectric conversion cell included in the transmitted model information is the same as the position, the reverse bias processing is performed while maintaining the operating state of the reverse bias processing device,
When the position corresponding to the width in the first direction of the photoelectric conversion cell included in the transmitted model information is different from the position corresponding to the model information, the reverse bias processing device is temporarily stopped and the terminal unit is replaced with the position corresponding to the model information. A signal requesting to the warning device,
The warning device transmits instruction information for instructing replacement of the terminal portion to the operator, thereby providing a method of manufacturing a thin film photoelectric conversion module in which the operator replaces the terminal portion .

Claims (14)

For the thin film photoelectric conversion module having a string in which a plurality of photoelectric conversion cells in which a first electrode layer, a photoelectric conversion layer, and a second electrode layer are sequentially stacked on an insulating substrate are electrically connected in series, the serial connection A reverse bias processing apparatus that applies a reverse bias voltage between the photoelectric conversion cells adjacent to each other in the first direction, and performs reverse bias processing,
A terminal fixing part having three or more terminal attaching / detaching parts arranged in the first direction, a pair of terminal parts detachably fixed at two locations selected from the terminal attaching / detaching part, and the pair of terminal parts A reverse bias processing apparatus comprising: a power supply unit that applies a reverse bias voltage to the power supply unit; and an electrical connection unit that electrically connects the power supply unit and the terminal unit.   2. The reverse bias processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the terminal portion includes an attachment portion that is detachably fixed to the terminal attachment / detachment portion, and a plurality of contact portions that can contact the photoelectric conversion cell at a plurality of locations. The string is formed side by side in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction by a dividing groove extending in the first direction formed by partially removing at least the photoelectric conversion layer and the second electrode layer. Consisting of multiple split strings
The reverse bias processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the terminal fixing portion has a plurality of rows of the terminal attaching / detaching portions arranged in parallel in the second direction.   The reverse bias processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the terminal fixing portion has three or more rows of the terminal attaching / detaching portions in parallel in the second direction.   The distance in the second direction between one row of the terminal attaching / detaching portions and another row of the terminal attaching / detaching portions adjacent to the one row is the same as the width of the string in the second direction. 5. The reverse bias processing apparatus according to 3 or 4.   The reverse bias processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the terminal fixing portion includes an insulating portion that electrically insulates the terminal portions. The terminal attaching / detaching portion has a terminal insertion hole through which the terminal portion can be inserted, and a female screw portion formed in the terminal insertion hole,
The reverse bias processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the terminal portion has a male screw portion that is screwed into a female screw portion of the terminal insertion hole.   The reverse bias processing apparatus of any one of Claims 1-7 further provided with the raising / lowering part which contact | abuts or spaces apart the said terminal part and the said photoelectric conversion cell. The reverse bias processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, a production control apparatus communicably connected to the reverse bias processing apparatus, and a warning apparatus communicably connected to the reverse bias processing apparatus. And
The production control device is configured to transmit model information including a width in the first direction of the photoelectric conversion cell in the string to the reverse bias processing device for the thin film photoelectric conversion module before being subjected to the reverse bias processing,
The reverse bias processing device has a fixed position of a pair of terminal portions in the reverse bias processing device that has received the model information.
When the position corresponding to the width in the first direction of the photoelectric conversion cell included in the transmitted model information is the same as the position, the operation state is maintained and reverse bias processing is performed.
When the position is different from the position corresponding to the width in the first direction of the photoelectric conversion cell included in the transmitted model information, a signal for requesting replacement of the terminal portion to the position corresponding to the model information is issued. Send to the warning device,
The warning device is an apparatus for manufacturing a thin film photoelectric conversion module configured to transmit instruction information for instructing replacement of the terminal portion to an operator. A reverse bias processing method for the thin film photoelectric conversion module using the reverse bias processing apparatus according to claim 1,
According to the width of the photoelectric conversion cell in the first direction, one terminal portion of the pair of terminal portions is brought into contact with one of the adjacent photoelectric conversion cells from three or more terminal attaching / detaching portions of each row. After selecting the two terminal attaching / detaching portions and fixing the pair of terminal portions so that the other terminal portions in the pair of terminal portions can contact the other of the adjacent photoelectric conversion cells,
A reverse bias processing method of applying a reverse bias voltage between the pair of terminal portions by bringing the pair of terminal portions into contact with the photoelectric conversion cell.   Three or more terminals of each row are attached and detached so that the pair of terminal portions come into contact with an intermediate position of the width in the first direction of each of the two photoelectric conversion cells arranged in the first direction of the photoelectric conversion cells. The reverse bias processing method according to claim 10, wherein two locations are selected from the part.   The manufacturing method of the thin film photoelectric conversion module which performs the reverse bias processing method of Claim 10 or 11. A method for manufacturing a thin film photoelectric conversion module using the apparatus for manufacturing a thin film photoelectric conversion module according to claim 9,
The production control device transmits model information including the width in the first direction of the photoelectric conversion cell in the string of the thin film photoelectric conversion module to the reverse bias processing device,
The fixed position of the pair of terminal portions corresponding to the string in the reverse bias processing apparatus that has received the model information,
When the position corresponding to the width in the first direction of the photoelectric conversion cell included in the transmitted model information is the same as the position, the reverse bias processing is performed while maintaining the operating state of the reverse bias processing device,
When the position corresponding to the width in the first direction of the photoelectric conversion cell included in the transmitted model information is different from the position corresponding to the model information, the reverse bias processing device is temporarily stopped and the terminal unit is replaced with the position corresponding to the model information. A signal requesting to the warning device,
A method of manufacturing a thin film photoelectric conversion module in which an operator replaces a terminal portion by transmitting instruction information for instructing the replacement of the terminal portion to the operator by the warning device.   The thin film photoelectric conversion module manufactured by the manufacturing method of the thin film photoelectric conversion module of Claim 12 or Claim 13.

Images