Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
  • H01L31/00—Semiconductor devices sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation and specially adapted either for the conversion of the energy of such radiation into electrical energy or for the control of electrical energy by such radiation; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof
  • H01L31/18—Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment of these devices or of parts thereof
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B23—MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B23K—SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM
  • B23K26/00—Working by laser beam, e.g. welding, cutting or boring
  • B23K26/08—Devices involving relative movement between laser beam and workpiece
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B23—MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B23K—SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM
  • B23K26/00—Working by laser beam, e.g. welding, cutting or boring
  • B23K26/08—Devices involving relative movement between laser beam and workpiece
  • B23K26/082—Scanning systems, i.e. devices involving movement of the laser beam relative to the laser head
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B23—MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B23K—SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM
  • B23K26/00—Working by laser beam, e.g. welding, cutting or boring
  • B23K26/36—Removing material
  • B23K26/40—Removing material taking account of the properties of the material involved
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B23—MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B23K—SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM
  • B23K26/00—Working by laser beam, e.g. welding, cutting or boring
  • B23K26/50—Working by transmitting the laser beam through or within the workpiece
  • B23K26/57—Working by transmitting the laser beam through or within the workpiece the laser beam entering a face of the workpiece from which it is transmitted through the workpiece material to work on a different workpiece face, e.g. for effecting removal, fusion splicing, modifying or reforming
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
  • H01L31/00—Semiconductor devices sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation and specially adapted either for the conversion of the energy of such radiation into electrical energy or for the control of electrical energy by such radiation; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof
  • H01L31/04—Semiconductor devices sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation and specially adapted either for the conversion of the energy of such radiation into electrical energy or for the control of electrical energy by such radiation; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof adapted as photovoltaic [PV] conversion devices
  • H01L31/042—PV modules or arrays of single PV cells
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
  • H01L31/00—Semiconductor devices sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation and specially adapted either for the conversion of the energy of such radiation into electrical energy or for the control of electrical energy by such radiation; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof
  • H01L31/04—Semiconductor devices sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation and specially adapted either for the conversion of the energy of such radiation into electrical energy or for the control of electrical energy by such radiation; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof adapted as photovoltaic [PV] conversion devices
  • H01L31/042—PV modules or arrays of single PV cells
  • H01L31/0445—PV modules or arrays of single PV cells including thin film solar cells, e.g. single thin film a-Si, CIS or CdTe solar cells
  • H01L31/046—PV modules composed of a plurality of thin film solar cells deposited on the same substrate
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
  • H01L31/00—Semiconductor devices sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation and specially adapted either for the conversion of the energy of such radiation into electrical energy or for the control of electrical energy by such radiation; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof
  • H01L31/04—Semiconductor devices sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation and specially adapted either for the conversion of the energy of such radiation into electrical energy or for the control of electrical energy by such radiation; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof adapted as photovoltaic [PV] conversion devices
  • H01L31/042—PV modules or arrays of single PV cells
  • H01L31/0445—PV modules or arrays of single PV cells including thin film solar cells, e.g. single thin film a-Si, CIS or CdTe solar cells
  • H01L31/046—PV modules composed of a plurality of thin film solar cells deposited on the same substrate
  • H01L31/0463—PV modules composed of a plurality of thin film solar cells deposited on the same substrate characterised by special patterning methods to connect the PV cells in a module, e.g. laser cutting of the conductive or active layers
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B23—MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B23K—SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM
  • B23K2103/00—Materials to be soldered, welded or cut
  • B23K2103/16—Composite materials, e.g. fibre reinforced
  • B23K2103/166—Multilayered materials
  • B23K2103/172—Multilayered materials wherein at least one of the layers is non-metallic
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
  • Y02E10/00—Energy generation through renewable energy sources
  • Y02E10/50—Photovoltaic [PV] energy

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a method and a device for ablating
• the present invention relates to a method and a device for manufacturing a thin-film solar module with a first electrode layer, a semiconductor layer and a second electrode layer stacked on a substrate, whereby this so-called layer-stack has been partitioned into a plurality of thin-film solar cells which are electrically connected in series. More particularly, the invention relates to a method and a device for locally removing the layer-stack located at a periphery of the thin-film solar module by means of a laser beam.
• a thin-film solar cell comprises an amorphous and/or
• microcrystalline silicone film having a p-i-n, or n-i-p, junction structure arranged in parallel to the thin-film surface.
• the p-i-n/n-i-p structures are sandwiched between electrode layers, for example transparent film electrodes, which are continuously extending in each of a plurality of regions on one main surface of a substrate, such as a light transmissive substrate, often called a superstrate.
• the coating process used for a thin-film solar cell usually affects the whole substrate, appropriate electrical insulation to a frame or housing of a finished thin-film solar cell module is necessary. Furthermore, it is required to protect the photovoltaic active cells from environmental influences like humidity and/or oxygen. It is therefore known from prior art to encapsulate the photovoltaically active layers for example by laminating the substrate to a further cover, such as a back glass by means of gluing or laminating a foil between the substrate and the cover. It is obvious that special attention has to be paid to the edge regions, to the so-called peripheral regions, of the substrate, since these peripheral regions are also the contact surface for before-mentioned environmental influences.
• the layer-stack comprising the electrode layers and the semiconductor layer, which are also called active layers, are often being removed in a narrow strip parallel to the edges, i.e. in the peripheral region.
• prior art teaches the use of sand-blasting, which, however, has the negative effect that either the active layers are not completely removed in this peripheral region and/or the underlying substrate is damaged, which by the end results in even greater danger for humidity and oxygen negatively affecting the use of a thin-film solar module.
• the object is achieved by a method for ablating material from a substrate with a laser, comprising a directing means adapted for guiding a laser spot of the laser relative to a substrate surface in two distinguished directions, the method comprising the steps of:
• the laser spot preferably provided by a machining laser beam
• the laser spot is most preferably constantly moved over the substrate surface, thus not resulting in any damages for the substrate due to unwanted greater densities of laser shots per unit surface area of the substrate other than required for solely removing the material.
• the laser can be provided as any laser known to the man skilled in the art, for example as a laser resonator generating a light pulse machining beam, for example as a Nd:YAG or Y YAG-type for wavelengths of 1064 and 1030 nm, having pulse durations smaller than 100 ns and a pulse energy density in a range of 0,1 J/cm 2 to 20 J/cm 2 .
• the laser and/or the directing means comprises an imaging member for imaging a square-shape, a flexible fibre and/or a round fibre cable output onto the substrate surface to be machined.
• the substrate can be moved by any means known to the man skilled in the art relative to the laser spot, for example by a positioning means provided as a belt or by rolls, and preferably moved in a linear direction.
• the invention is therefore based on the discovery that, contrary to prior art, guiding the laser spot in a closed loop pattern by using a sine-type harmonic oscillation results in a much more efficient ablation of unwanted material from the substrate while not affecting the substrate negatively in any kind.
• the substrate is provided within a thin-film solar cell, such method according to the invention is especially advantageous as it provides for obtaining a good electrical insulation due to a homogenous removal of all material of the solar module's semiconductor and electrode layers.
• ablating material by moving a laser spot as a closed loop pattern over the substrate results in a much less thermal degradation of the substrate, as the laser spot is preferably constantly moved over the substrate and thus does not damage the substrate as known from prior art e.g. when stopping the movement of the laser for performing a reversal of the movement direction.
• the directing means for guiding the laser spot can be provided as any means known from prior art.
• the directing means comprises a scanner optics having two pivotable mirrors adapted for guiding the laser spot in the two distinguished directions.
• the scanner optics comprises a galvo scanner having head mirrors that provide the guiding for the laser spot in the two distinguished directions. More preferably, the scanner optics is adapted for moving the laser spot in a plane of the substrate surface. In another embodiment the scanner optics comprises three or more mirrors. Such embodiments allow for a very simple and a cheap manufacturing of the directing means according to the invention.
• such embodiment also allows for a very precise way for guiding the laser spot in the closed loop pattern on the substrate surface while being impinged by the sine-type harmonic oscillation.
• the pattern may comprise any pattern known from prior art for guiding the laser spot on the substrate surface in a closed loop pattern.
• the method comprises the steps of:
• Such embodiments provide for a closed loop pattern having, for example, a circle, a line and/or a Lissajou figure, preferably by using the galvo scanner head which has preferably two or more mirrors for superimposing the harmonic oscillations onto the substrate surface.
• the pivoting frequency of both mirrors is preferably the same, while the phase shift between the two scanner heads' oscillations is 90°.
• a line can be realized by oscillating both mirrors with the same frequency and a phase shift between the two scanner heads' oscillations of 0° or 180°.
• a Lissajou figure can be realized from other phase shifts, for example 10°, 40° and/or 80°, and different frequencies between the two scanner heads' oscillations.
• Such scanning patterns are advantageous, especially a Lissajou figure pattern, as high oscillation frequencies result in a reliable ablation of the material and very less degradation of the substrate.
• each closed loop pattern can be an open loop pattern when considering turning on and off the laser at the beginning respectively at the end of the ablation process.
• the two distinguished directions are perpendicular to each other and extend rectangular respectively parallel to the edges and/or the borders of the substrate. Therefore, the mirrors of the directing means preferably guide the laser spot rectangular respectively parallel to the edges of the substrate thus allow for ablation of the material from the whole of the substrate surface.
• the method comprises the step of
• step b) is carried out at least twice. It has been found that such double scanning strategy, whereby the respective substrate surface is treated twice by at least two independent, for example subsequent, laser ablation events, is most successful for removing all material from the substrate. In another embodiment, step b) is repeated more than two times, for example three times, four times or five times. It is furthermore preferred, that such double, or more often, scan strategy is carried out by a scanning pattern in form of a circle, as treating the substrate surface with a circle scanning pattern has been found to be most efficient for removing all material.
• the substrate is provided within a
• the material comprises a first electrode layer, a photoelectric conversion layer and a second electrode layer and the material is deposited in the order of mention on the substrate such that the second electrode layer is provided as the surface to be treated by the laser spot.
• the back electrode layer may again comprise a transparent conductive layer plus a reflector layer, a conductive and reflective metal layer or a technical equivalent.
• the photoelectric conversion semiconductor may be formed as a single-, tandem- or multiple junctions, each junction again exhibiting a p-i-n or n-i-p structure.
• the substrate can be any substrate known to the skilled person that is suitable for manufacturing of thin-film devices.
• the substrate is a float glass, a security glass and/or a quartz glass.
• Float glass preferably of larger sizes commonly used for the production of solar cells, is generally produced by delivering molten glass, preferably continuously, to an extended tin bath in a forming chamber. In turn, the molten glass spreads on the tin surface and/or is being drawn by adequate means in at least one direction as a flat continuous glass sheet or layer. By carefully controlling the cooling and pulling process, the shape as well as the thickness of the resulting glass sheet can be adjusted.
• the substrate is provided as an essentially flat substrate.
• the layers according to the present invention can be deposited by various deposition techniques known to the skilled person. In preferred embodiments,
• the thin-film layers are deposited by a chemical vapour deposition (CVD) or physical vapour deposition (PVD) such as a vacuum sputtering process.
• CVD chemical vapour deposition
• PVD physical vapour deposition
• the vapour deposition process is a plasma enhanced CVD (PECVD), an atmospheric pressure CVD (APCVD) and/or a metal-organic CVD (MOCVD) deposition process.
• PECVD plasma enhanced CVD
• APCVD atmospheric pressure CVD
• MOCVD metal-organic CVD
• the vapour deposition process is a low pressure CVD (LPCVD).
• the substrate surface is divided into an inner region and a peripheral region surrounding the inner region, and the method comprises instead of step b) a step b') of: Moving the laser spot only on the surface of the peripheral region of the substrate in a closed loop pattern by impinging the directing means with a sine-type harmonic oscillation in each of the two distinguished directions.
• the substrate preferably comprises an inner region having the electrode layers and photoelectric conversion layer deposited onto the substrate, whereby such inner region is also called an inner active region, and an peripheral region, which, according to step b'), is foreseen to be ablated by the method according to the invention.
• Such ablated peripheral region is also called peripheral passive region.
• the substrate respectively the thin-film solar cell, comprises an inner active region having the electrode layers and the photoelectric conversion layer deposited thereon, and a surrounding peripheral passive region that is, due to the ablation by the laser spot, free of the material, preferably only comprises the substrate.
• the inner region is arranged adjacent to the peripheral region.
• step b' with a closed loop pattern in the form of a circle according to the preferred embodiment as outlined before, it has been found that the density of laser shots per unit surface area is highest at the edges of the peripheral region.
• a scanning pattern in form of a circle is especially advantageous for ensuring a smooth boundary of the inner region and a safe removal of all material deposited near the outer substrate edge.
• the laser spot performs a scanning pattern of a circle, while constantly moving the laser spot in a direction parallel to an edge and/or a border of the substrate respectively by moving the substrate such that the laser spot ablates the material preferably completely along an edge and/or a border of the substrate, e.g. along the peripheral region.
• the maximum width of the closed loop pattern on the substrate surface is ⁇ the width of the peripheral region provided between the inner region and the edge of the substrate.
• the whole width of the peripheral region is impinged by the closed loop pattern of the laser spot in the peripheral region in one "move" of the laser spot over the substrate.
• a laser treatment system comprising a support for a substrate to be treated, a laser resonator providing for a machining laser beam, an optical system arranged in the path of the machining laser beam for imaging the laser machining beam as a laser spot on the substrate surface to be placed on the support, a scanner optics adapted to move the laser spot in a plane of the substrate surface, and a positioner adapted for moving the substrate relative to the machining beam, whereby the scanner optics is adapted for moving the laser spot into two distinguished directions with a sine-type harmonic oscillation in each of the two directions generating a closed loop pattern on the substrate surface.
• Such laser treatment system provides for an advantageous solution for ablating e.g. material from the substrate by the laser spot being
• the laser resonator preferably generates a light pulse machining beam having pulse durations smaller than 100 ms and a pulse energy density in a range of 0,1 J/cm 2 to 20 J/cm 2 .
• the optical system comprises an imaging member for imaging a square shape around fibre cable output onto the substrate surface to the machine.
• the support and/or the positioner can be provided as any means known from prior art for supporting respectively positioning a substrate.
• the laser treatment system is adapted for performing a method as described above.
• the scanner optics comprises two
• pivotable mirrors adapted for guiding the laser spot in the two
• the pivotable mirrors are adapted for pivoting the mirrors with the same frequency and with an oscillation phase shift of 0°, 90° or 180°, or for pivoting the mirrors with different frequencies and with an oscillation phase shift > 0°.
• the laser spot is moved with a relative speed to the substrate of 7 m/s to 10 m/s, preferably of 1 m/s to 4 m/s and most preferably with 100 mm/s to 400 mm/s, and/or the substrate is moved by the positioner relative to the machining laser beam with a speed of 100 mm/s to 400 mm/s.
• the substrate can be provided within a thin-film solar cell, the thin-film
• the solar cell may comprise a material to be treated by the machining laser beam, the material may comprise a first electrode layer, a photoelectric conversion layer and a second electrode layer and the material may be deposited in the order of mention on the substrate such that the second electrode layer is provided as the substrate surface.
• the substrate surface is divided into an inner region and a peripheral region surrounding the inner region, and the scanner optics is adapted for moving the laser spot in two distinguished directions with a sine-type harmonic oscillation in each of the two directions for generating a closed loop pattern only on the peripheral region of the substrate surface.
• the object of the invention is furthermore addressed by a use of laser treatment system according to the invention for micro-machining, thermal surface treatment, laser induced surface modification and/or surface hardening of a substrate. It has been found that the laser treatment system according to the invention is also applicable to other technical fields, where areas covered with layers have to be laser-ablated from a base substrate. Such applications may include micro-machining, thermal surface treatment, laser induced surface modification of material, surface-hardening and alike.
• FIG. 1 shows a cross-section of a thin-film solar cell according to prior art
• Fig. 2 shows a top view of a conventional thin-film solar cell according to prior art
• FIG. 3 shows a preferred embodiment of the invention in a top view. Detailed Description of Drawings
• FIG. 1 shows a schematic cross section of a portion of a conventional thin-film solar cell 1 according to prior art.
• a transparent front electrode layer 3 is being arranged on a transparent insulator substrate 2 .
• a photoelectric conversion semiconductor 4 is formed on the transparent front electrode layer 3 and a further transparent back electrode layer 5 is formed on the photoelectric conversion semiconductor 4.
• the transparent electrode layers 3 and 5, also called transparent conductive oxide (TCO) can comprise SnO2, Indiumtinoxide ITO or ZnO, whereby the latter is preferably manufactured by LPCVD (low pressure CVD).
• the photoelectric conversion semiconductor 4 comprises a thin
• amorphous and/or a microcrystalline silicon film stack which may be, as it is known in the art, manufactures by CVD, preferably PECVD and layer wise doped in order to achieve photovoltaic properties.
• Fig. 1 further shows grooves 6, 7 and 8.
• the purpose of this structuring is to establish a photovoltaic module 1 composed of a number of solar cells electrically connected in series. Therefore, the transparent electrode layer 3 is divided by a first isolation groove 6, which determines the cell width.
• the photoelectric conversion semiconductor layer 4 is filling that groove, when the overall layer stack is being build up in the order: Layer 3 - groove 6 - layer 4 - groove 7 - layer 5 - groove 8 during the manufacturing process.
• the groove 7, filled with material from the transparent back electrode layer 5, permits the electrical contact between the adjacent cells.
• the back electrode of one cell contacts the front electrode of the adjacent cell.
• the back surface electrode layer 5 and the photoelectric conversion semiconductor 4 are finally divided by a third isolation groove 8. This structuring process is achieved preferably by employing a laser light or the like.
• an electrical contact is attached to the thin-film solar cell, and a back reflector layer and encapsulation means are provided for; e. g. by laminating protective layers and substrates.
• Fig. 2 is a top view of the thin-film solar cell 1 as described in Fig. 1.
• the in series connected cells build up an electrical potential against the environment. Appropriate electrical insulation against the cells
• the environment is therefore required and achieved by separating the thin-film layer stack 3, 4, 5 formed on the substrate into a peripheral region 10, for example by removing the thin-film stack 3, 4, 5, and an inner region 9, with the active semiconductor based thin-film photovoltaic region.
• Fig. 3 shows the peripheral region 10 and inner region 9, the inner region 9 being located along the edges of the module 1 and having a typical width 1 1 between 12.8 mm to 15 mm. Depending on individual specifications widths 1 1 between 5 mm and 20mm can be realised.
• lasers are employed for removing the layer stack 3, 4, 5 of the thin-film solar module 1 in the peripheral region 10.
• a laser system comprises a laser resonator for generating a light pulse machining beam having pulse durations smaller than 100 ns and a pulse energy density in a range of 0,1J/cm 2 to 20 J/cm 2 .
• An imaging member images a square shape or round fibre cable output on the surface of the solar module 1 to be machined.
• the laser spot is moved by a scanner optics in the peripheral area 10 on the modules 1 surface.
• the scanner optics can, e.g. be realized with movable mirrors. The mirrors being pivoted as necessary or e. g. by moving the imaging member in x-y direction while providing the laser light via a flexible fibre.
• the scanning pattern 12 plays a crucial role: According to the invention the scanning pattern 12 describing the movement of the laser spot relative to the substrate 2 surface is established by a sine-type harmonic oscillation of the galvo scanner heads mirrors in two distinguished directions, i.e. perpendicular and parallel to the modules 1 respective edges. With two harmonic oscillations of the two mirrors of the galvo scanner head superimposed on the surface to be machined various scanning patterns 12 can be realized:
• Advantage of this scanning strategy is the high oscillation frequency achievable.
• a scanning pattern 12 in form of a circle ensures a smooth boundary to the inner region 9 and a safe removal of all material 3, 4, 5 deposited near the outer substrate 2 edge. This is even valid if near the substrate 2 edge, at the substrate 2 surface opposite to the surface supporting the photovoltaic layer stack 3, 4, 5, some material 3, 4, 5 is deposited accidentally.
• a harmonic oscillation of the scanner mirrors enables high oscillation frequencies of the mirrors and, thus, a scanning strategy based on a continuous movement of the scanning pattern 12 on the surface to be machined.
• the overlapping of the circular movement of the laser spot with the movement of the circular scanning pattern itself along the edges results in an increased impact of laser treatment to areas near the edges.
• a Nd:YAG or Y YAG-type laser resonator can be used providing light with wavelengths of 1064 and 1030 nm, respectively.
• the laser exhibits pulse durations smaller than 100 ns and a pulse energy density in a range of 0,1 J/cm 2 to 20 J/cm 2 .
• An optical system arranged in a path of the machining beam includes a square shape or round fibre cable and an optical imaging member for imaging an output of the optical fibre cable on the surface of the solar module 1 to be machined.
• a scanner optics allows for moving the laser spot in a plane of the surface to be machined.
• the relative scanning speed of the scanner optics is preferably chosen between 7 m/s and 20 m/s on the surface to be machined, and a positioner moves the module with an relative advancing speed between 100 mm/s to 400 mm/s.
• Such laser treatment system may further comprise a support for the substrate 2 to be treated.
• the preferred scanning strategy of the laser spot on the surface to be machined is a circle with a diameter equal or substantially equal to the width 1 1 of the module's peripheral area 10.
• Other paths for the laser spot like Lissajou-figures spanning the width 1 1 of the peripheral area 10 and formed by superimposing two harmonic oscillations of the mirrors of a galvo scanner optics being part of the laser treatment system, with the laser spot moving on the circle or other Lissajou-figures with a relative tangential speed between 7 m/s and 20 m/s and with the circle or other Lissajou-figures moving along the edges of the module 1 to be machined with a relative speed of 100 mm/s to 400 mm/s, with the latter achieved by moving the substrate 2 by the positioner with a speed of 100 mm/s to 400 mm/s relative to the machines optical system.

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• 2010
  • 2010-11-15 KR KR1020127015905A patent/KR20120101460A/ko not_active Application Discontinuation
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