Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
  • H01L23/00—Details of semiconductor or other solid state devices
  • H01L23/28—Encapsulations, e.g. encapsulating layers, coatings, e.g. for protection
  • H01L23/29—Encapsulations, e.g. encapsulating layers, coatings, e.g. for protection characterised by the material, e.g. carbon
  • H01L23/293—Organic, e.g. plastic
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C08—ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON
  • C08K—Use of inorganic or non-macromolecular organic substances as compounding ingredients
  • C08K3/00—Use of inorganic substances as compounding ingredients
  • C08K3/01—Use of inorganic substances as compounding ingredients characterized by their specific function
  • C08K3/013—Fillers, pigments or reinforcing additives
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C08—ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON
  • C08K—Use of inorganic or non-macromolecular organic substances as compounding ingredients
  • C08K5/00—Use of organic ingredients
  • C08K5/0008—Organic ingredients according to more than one of the "one dot" groups of C08K5/01 - C08K5/59
  • C08K5/005—Stabilisers against oxidation, heat, light, ozone
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C08—ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON
  • C08K—Use of inorganic or non-macromolecular organic substances as compounding ingredients
  • C08K5/00—Use of organic ingredients
  • C08K5/54—Silicon-containing compounds
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C08—ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON
  • C08L—COMPOSITIONS OF MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS
  • C08L23/00—Compositions of homopolymers or copolymers of unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbons having only one carbon-to-carbon double bond; Compositions of derivatives of such polymers
  • C08L23/02—Compositions of homopolymers or copolymers of unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbons having only one carbon-to-carbon double bond; Compositions of derivatives of such polymers not modified by chemical after-treatment
  • C08L23/18—Homopolymers or copolymers of hydrocarbons having four or more carbon atoms
  • C08L23/20—Homopolymers or copolymers of hydrocarbons having four or more carbon atoms having four to nine carbon atoms
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H10—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • H10F—INORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES SENSITIVE TO INFRARED RADIATION, LIGHT, ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION OF SHORTER WAVELENGTH OR CORPUSCULAR RADIATION
  • H10F19/00—Integrated devices, or assemblies of multiple devices, comprising at least one photovoltaic cell covered by group H10F10/00, e.g. photovoltaic modules
  • H10F19/80—Encapsulations or containers for integrated devices, or assemblies of multiple devices, having photovoltaic cells
  • H10F19/804—Materials of encapsulations
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
  • H01L2924/00—Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
  • H01L2924/0001—Technical content checked by a classifier
  • H01L2924/0002—Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
  • H01L2924/00—Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
  • H01L2924/10—Details of semiconductor or other solid state devices to be connected
  • H01L2924/11—Device type
  • H01L2924/12—Passive devices, e.g. 2 terminal devices
  • H01L2924/1204—Optical Diode
  • H01L2924/12044—OLED
• • 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 moisture barrier potting compound, and more particularly a moisture barrier potting compound for use in solar applications, solid state meters, and other applications with water sensitive components.
• One solution is to use a potting compound to cover or seal the solid state device. Potting compounds protect the solid state devices against moisture, chemical, and particulate penetration. However, there is a constant desire to improve the characteristics of the potting compound, in terms of moisture barrier protection, while still providing a compound having a viscosity that allows the compound to adequately flow to cover or seal the solid state device without undue heating of the compound.
• the present invention provides a moisture barrier potting composition.
• the composition includes an olefinic polymer, a wax, a silane, an antioxidant, and a filler. These components are balanced to produce a potting compound having desirable properties including Moisture Vapor Transmission Rate (MVTR), flow, temperature of application, and hardness.
• MVTR Moisture Vapor Transmission Rate
• the moisture barrier potting composition may be employed with any solid state device including wire and junction box sealants in solar modules.
• the olefinic polymer includes one of polyisobutylene, polybutene, amorphous butene or propene enriched polyethylene, or combinations thereof.
• the wax is a polyethylene wax.
• the wax can have a softening or melting point between about 50°C and 200°C.
• the antioxidant includes Tetrakis [methylene(3,5-di-tert- butylhydroxyhydrocinnanamte)] methane.
• the silane includes 3-(2-aminoethyl)-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane.
• the filler includes at least one of titanium dioxide, calcium carbonate, fumed silica, and carbon black.
• the composition has an MVTR of less than about 0.3 g/m 2 per 24 hours.
• FIG. 1 is a side cross sectional view of a portion of an exemplary solar module having a potting compound composition according to the principles of the present invention
• FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view of a another exemplary solar module having a potting compound composition according to the principles of the present invention
• FIG. 3 is a side view of an exemplary solid state device
• FIG. 4 is a top view of the exemplary solid state device
• FIG. 5 is a side cross sectional view of the exemplary solid state device having a potting compound composition according to the principles of the present invention.
• FIG. 6 is a side view of a solid state circuit board coated in the potting compound composition according to the principles of the present invention.
• an exemplary solar module having a moisture barrier potting compound according to the principles of the present invention is generally indicated by reference number 10.
• the solar module 10 Attorney Docket No. ADO-303 may take various forms without departing from the scope of the present invention and generally includes a plurality of photovoltaic cells 12 located within a chamber 13 defined by a first substrate 14 and a second substrate 16. It should be appreciated that any number of photovoltaic cells 12 may be employed in the solar module 10.
• the photovoltaic cells 12 are operable to generate an electrical current from sunlight striking the photovoltaic cells 12. Accordingly, the photovoltaic cells 12 may take various forms without departing from the scope of the present invention.
• the photovoltaic cells 12 may be a thin film cell with a layer of cadmium telluride (Cd-Te), amorphous silicon, or copper- indium-diselenide (CulnSe 2 ).
• the photovoltaic cells 12 may be a crystalline silicon wafer embedded in a laminating film or gallium arsenide deposited on germanium or another substrate.
• photovoltaic cells 12 include organic semiconductor cells having conjugate polymers as well as dye-sensitized metal oxides including wet metal oxides and solid metal oxides.
• the photovoltaic cells 12 may be either rigid or flexible.
• the photovoltaic cells 12 are linked either in series or in parallel or combinations thereof.
• the current generated by the photovoltaic cells 12 are communicated via bus bars or other conductive materials or layers 18 to wires or lead lines 20 that exit the solar module 10 via an opening 22 in the second substrate 16.
• the lead lines 20 communicate with a junction box 24 in order to distribute the electrical current generated by the solar module 10 to a power circuit.
• the first substrate 14, or front panel is formed from a material operable to allow wavelengths of sunlight to pass therethrough.
• the first substrate 14 is glass or a plastic film such as polyvinylfluoride.
• the second substrate 16, or back panel is selected to provide additional strength to the solar module 10.
• the second substrate 16 is a plastic such as fluorinated ethylene-propylene copolymer (FEP), poly(ethylene-co- tetrafluoroethylene) (ETFE), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), polyvinyl fluoride (PVF), poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) and combinations of these with other polymeric materials.
• FEP fluorinated ethylene-propylene copolymer
• ETFE poly(ethylene-co- tetrafluoroethylene)
• PVDF polyvinylidene fluoride
• PVDF polyvinyl fluoride
• PTFE poly(tetrafluoroethylene)
• the photovoltaic cells 12 are encapsulated by a laminate layer 26 that is, for example cross-linkable ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA).
• EVA cross-linkable ethylene vinyl acetate
• the laminate layer 26 is used to partially encapsulate the photovoltaic device 12 to protect the photovoltaic device 12 from contamination and from the environment as well as adhere the substrates 14, 16 together.
• An edge frame 28 is located near an edge or periphery of the solar module 10 between the first substrate 14 and the second substrate 16.
• the edge frame 28 may have various widths.
• the edge frame 28 is sealed to the laminate layer 26 using an adhesive sealant, such as a hot-melt butyl.
• a potting compound 30 is disposed within the opening 22 of the substrate 16 in order to seal the lead lines 20 and the opening 22.
• the potting compound 30 has low moisture and vapor transmission (MVT), low conductivity, Attorney Docket No. ADO-303 as well as good leveling and flow properties at application temperatures.
• the potting compound 30 has a viscosity that allows the potting compound 30 to be easily applied within the opening 22.
• the potting compound 30 malleability also allows the potting compound 30 to be compliant such that movement of the lead lines 20 does not break the seal of the potting compound 30.
• the potting compound 30 is disposed within the junction box 24 to seal any openings and protect the internal connections from moisture penetration.
• an alternate solar module using the potting compound 30 is indicated by reference number 10'.
• the solar module 10' includes a plurality of photovoltaic cells 12' located within a chamber 13' defined by a first substrate 14' and a second substrate 16'. It should be appreciated that any number of photovoltaic cells 12' may be employed in the solar module 10'.
• An edge seal 17' is disposed around a periphery or edge of the solar module 10' between the first substrate 14' and the second substrate 16'. The edge seal 17' is operable to adhere the substrates 14' and 16' together as well as seal the chamber 13'.
• the chamber 13' may be filled with an inert gas.
• the photovoltaic cells 12' are operable to generate an electrical current from sunlight striking the photovoltaic cells 12'. Accordingly, the photovoltaic cells 12' may take various forms without departing from the scope of the present invention.
• the photovoltaic cells 12' may be a thin film cell with a layer of cadmium telluride (Cd-Te), amorphous silicon, or copper- indium-diselenide (CulnSe 2 ).
• the photovoltaic cells 12' may be a crystalline silicon wafer embedded in a laminating film or gallium arsenide Attorney Docket No. ADO-303 deposited on germanium or another substrate.
• photovoltaic cells 12' that may be employed include organic semiconductor cells having conjugate polymers as well as dye-sensitized metal oxides including wet metal oxides and solid metal oxides.
• the photovoltaic cells 12' may be either rigid or flexible.
• the photovoltaic cells 12' are linked either in series or in parallel or combinations thereof.
• the current generated by the photovoltaic cells 12' are communicated via bus bars or other conductive materials or layers 18' to wires or lead lines 20' that exit the solar module 10' via an opening 22' in the edge seal 17'.
• the lead lines 20' communicate with an external connector 23'.
• the external connector 23' communicates with a junction box 24' in order to distribute the electrical current generated by the solar module 10' to a power circuit.
• the junction box 24' may be located on a side or top of the solar module 10'.
• the first substrate 14' is formed from a material operable to allow wavelengths of sunlight to pass therethrough.
• the first substrate 14' is glass or a plastic film such as polyvinylfluoride.
• the second substrate 16', or back panel is selected to provide additional strength to the solar module 10'.
• the second substrate 16 is a plastic such as glass or fluorinated ethylene-propylene copolymer (FEP), poly(ethylene-co- tetrafluoroethylene) (ETFE), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), polyvinyl fluoride (PVF), poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) and combinations of these with other polymeric materials.
• FEP fluorinated ethylene-propylene copolymer
• ETFE poly(ethylene-co- tetrafluoroethylene)
• PVDF polyvinylidene fluoride
• PVDF polyvinyl fluoride
• PTFE poly(tetrafluoroethylene)
• the photovoltaic cells 12' are adhered to the back substrate 16' with an adhesive strip or layer 26'.
• the adhesive strip 26' may take various forms without departing from the scope of the present invention.
• the potting compound 30 is disposed within the opening 22' of the edge seal 17' in order to seal the lead lines 20' and the opening 22'.
• the potting compound 30 has low moisture and vapor transmission (MVT), low conductivity, as well as a particular viscosity.
• the potting compound 30 can be disposed within the junction box 24 to seal any openings and to protect the internal connections of the junction box 24 from moisture penetration.
• the solid state device 100 is, in the example provided, a water meter that is capable of being disposed underground below the frost line and is operable to electronically communicate with a receiver in order to measure water usage at a home or business.
• the device 100 generally includes a housing 102 that defines an inner cavity 104.
• the housing 100 may take various shapes and sizes and have any number of connectors, flanges, protrusions, support members, and reinforcement ribs that are specific to the particular operating conditions and design requirements of the device 100.
• the housing 102 includes a cap or other component 106 that covers the cavity 104.
• a solid state circuit board 108 is located within the cavity 104 of the housing 102.
• the solid state circuit board 108 is built from solid materials and in which the electrons, or other charge carriers, are confined entirely within Attorney Docket No. ADO-303 the solid material.
• the solid state circuit board 108 includes a power source 1 10, such as a battery pack, and a connector 1 12 interconnected with a plurality of circuits (not shown).
• the connector 1 12 extends out of the housing 102 through an opening 1 14 in the cap 106.
• the potting compound 30 is applied to the solid state device 100 in any manner such that the solid state circuit board 108 is encapsulated.
• the solid state circuit board 108 is disposed within the cavity 104 of the housing 102 and the cavity 104 is then filled with the potting compound 30.
• the potting compound 30 completely covers and encapsulates the solid state circuit board 108.
• the solid state circuit board 108 is covered with the potting compound 30 prior to placement within the housing 102.
• the potting compound 30 completely covers and encapsulates the solid state circuit board 108.
• the potting compound 30 may be dipped, sprayed, or otherwise applied to the solid state circuit board 108 without departing from the scope of the present invention.
• the potting compound 30 may be applied at a temperature range from about 100°C to about 200°C.
• the potting compound 30 may be used with any moisture sensitive device, such as tire pressure sensors, window seals, wires seals, etc.
• the composition of the potting compound 30 includes olefinic polymers, polyethylene wax, a silane, an antioxidant, and fillers. These Attorney Docket No. ADO-303 components are balanced to produce a potting compound having desirable properties including Moisture Vapor Transmission Rate (MVTR), good flow at temperature of application, and no sag at use temperatures (e.g., 125 °C).
• MVTR Moisture Vapor Transmission Rate
• Moisture Vapor Transmission Rate is measured by a MOCON tester using ASTM F-1249.
• the MVTR of the composition of the potting compound 30 is preferably less than 0.3 g/m 2 per 24 hours.
• the Boeing sag was measured using ASTM D2202-73 with a Boeing sag test fixture.
• the Boeing sag of the potting compound 30 is preferably less than about 0.15 inch at 125°C.
• the viscosity was measured using ASTM D2452, using a Brookfield viscometer.
• the composition of the potting compound 30 has a viscosity at 300 °F of approximately 50,000 cps.
• viscosity was measured at 175 °C, as per ASTM and Boeing Sag (inch) was measured at 125 °C, as per ASTM D2202-73:
• B APAO or Amorphous polyalphaolefin (Vestoplast 308, 508 from Evonik)
• F Polyethylene wax (Polywax 2000, 3000 from Baker Hughes)
• G Calcium carbonate (Hubercarb G8, G35 from J.M. Huber)
• the olefinic polymers may be selected from a group including, but not limited to, the following: polyisobutylene and polybutene, polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutene, polyisobutene, butyl rubber (polyisobutene-isoprene), styrene block copolymers (in modified form as well), and combinations thereof.
• Other polyolefins or fluorinated polymers may be employed without departing from the scope of the present invention.
• the olefinic polymers include polyisobutylene and polybutene.
• the polyethylene wax may be replaced with any wax with a softening/melting point from about 50°C to about 200°C.
• the antioxidant may be selected from a group including, but not limited to, the following: Tetrakis [methylene(3,5-di-tert- butylhydroxyhydrocinnanamte)] methane, hindered phenols, hindered amines, thioethers, mercapto compounds, phosphorous esters, benzotriazoles, benzophenones, antiozonants, and combinations thereof.
• the antioxidant includes Tetrakis [methylene(3,5-di-tert- butylhydroxyhydrocinnanamte)] methane.
• the silane may be selected from a group including, but not limited to, the following: 3-(2-aminoethyl)-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, DFDA- 5451 NT (silane grafted PE from Dow Chemical), DFDA-5481 NT (moisture curing catalyst from Dow Chemical), amorphous poly alpha olefins (such as, for example, Vestoplast 206, Vestoplast 2412), alkoxy silanes, amino silanes, and combinations thereof.
• the silane includes 3-(2- aminoethyl)-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane.
• the carbon black is used for pigmentation and can be changed or excluded.
• titanium dioxide may be used as a pigment without departing from the scope of the present invention.
• a water scavenger such as Mississippi Lime or desiccant such as molecular sieves, or anhydrous inorganic salts, may be included without departing from the present invention.

Landscapes

• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Organic Chemistry (AREA)
• Polymers & Plastics (AREA)
• Medicinal Chemistry (AREA)
• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
• Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Power Engineering (AREA)
• Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Condensed Matter Physics & Semiconductors (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Sealing Material Composition (AREA)
• Compositions Of Macromolecular Compounds (AREA)
• Photovoltaic Devices (AREA)

Priority Applications (4)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=44355710

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (6)

Cited By (1)

Families Citing this family (5)

Citations (10)

Family Cites Families (5)

• 2010
  • 2010-12-14 CN CN2010800659748A patent/CN102939651A/zh active Pending
  • 2010-12-14 KR KR1020127022948A patent/KR20120114395A/ko not_active Ceased
  • 2010-12-14 US US13/575,876 patent/US20120302685A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2010-12-14 WO PCT/US2010/060297 patent/WO2011096986A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 2010-12-14 EP EP10845410.9A patent/EP2532025A4/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 2010-12-14 JP JP2012551969A patent/JP2013518971A/ja active Pending

Patent Citations (10)

Non-Patent Citations (1)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events