WO2015078508A1 - Procédé pour fabriquer un dispositif photovoltaïque ayant une surface texturée - Google Patents

Procédé pour fabriquer un dispositif photovoltaïque ayant une surface texturée Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2015078508A1
WO2015078508A1 PCT/EP2013/075065 EP2013075065W WO2015078508A1 WO 2015078508 A1 WO2015078508 A1 WO 2015078508A1 EP 2013075065 W EP2013075065 W EP 2013075065W WO 2015078508 A1 WO2015078508 A1 WO 2015078508A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
texture
photovoltaic device
mould
back cover
durable
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/EP2013/075065
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Ko Hermans
Michelle Elizabeth Seitz
Original Assignee
Dsm Ip Assets B.V.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Dsm Ip Assets B.V. filed Critical Dsm Ip Assets B.V.
Priority to PCT/EP2013/075065 priority Critical patent/WO2015078508A1/fr
Publication of WO2015078508A1 publication Critical patent/WO2015078508A1/fr

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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
    • H01L31/04—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
    • H01L31/048—Encapsulation of modules
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B32—LAYERED PRODUCTS
    • B32B—LAYERED PRODUCTS, i.e. PRODUCTS BUILT-UP OF STRATA OF FLAT OR NON-FLAT, e.g. CELLULAR OR HONEYCOMB, FORM
    • B32B17/00—Layered products essentially comprising sheet glass, or glass, slag, or like fibres
    • B32B17/06—Layered products essentially comprising sheet glass, or glass, slag, or like fibres comprising glass as the main or only constituent of a layer, next to another layer of a specific material
    • B32B17/10—Layered products essentially comprising sheet glass, or glass, slag, or like fibres comprising glass as the main or only constituent of a layer, next to another layer of a specific material of synthetic resin
    • B32B17/10005—Layered products essentially comprising sheet glass, or glass, slag, or like fibres comprising glass as the main or only constituent of a layer, next to another layer of a specific material of synthetic resin laminated safety glass or glazing
    • B32B17/10009—Layered products essentially comprising sheet glass, or glass, slag, or like fibres comprising glass as the main or only constituent of a layer, next to another layer of a specific material of synthetic resin laminated safety glass or glazing characterized by the number, the constitution or treatment of glass sheets
    • B32B17/10018—Layered products essentially comprising sheet glass, or glass, slag, or like fibres comprising glass as the main or only constituent of a layer, next to another layer of a specific material of synthetic resin laminated safety glass or glazing characterized by the number, the constitution or treatment of glass sheets comprising only one glass sheet
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B32—LAYERED PRODUCTS
    • B32B—LAYERED PRODUCTS, i.e. PRODUCTS BUILT-UP OF STRATA OF FLAT OR NON-FLAT, e.g. CELLULAR OR HONEYCOMB, FORM
    • B32B17/00—Layered products essentially comprising sheet glass, or glass, slag, or like fibres
    • B32B17/06—Layered products essentially comprising sheet glass, or glass, slag, or like fibres comprising glass as the main or only constituent of a layer, next to another layer of a specific material
    • B32B17/10—Layered products essentially comprising sheet glass, or glass, slag, or like fibres comprising glass as the main or only constituent of a layer, next to another layer of a specific material of synthetic resin
    • B32B17/10005—Layered products essentially comprising sheet glass, or glass, slag, or like fibres comprising glass as the main or only constituent of a layer, next to another layer of a specific material of synthetic resin laminated safety glass or glazing
    • B32B17/1055—Layered products essentially comprising sheet glass, or glass, slag, or like fibres comprising glass as the main or only constituent of a layer, next to another layer of a specific material of synthetic resin laminated safety glass or glazing characterized by the resin layer, i.e. interlayer
    • B32B17/10788—Layered products essentially comprising sheet glass, or glass, slag, or like fibres comprising glass as the main or only constituent of a layer, next to another layer of a specific material of synthetic resin laminated safety glass or glazing characterized by the resin layer, i.e. interlayer containing ethylene vinylacetate
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B32—LAYERED PRODUCTS
    • B32B—LAYERED PRODUCTS, i.e. PRODUCTS BUILT-UP OF STRATA OF FLAT OR NON-FLAT, e.g. CELLULAR OR HONEYCOMB, FORM
    • B32B17/00—Layered products essentially comprising sheet glass, or glass, slag, or like fibres
    • B32B17/06—Layered products essentially comprising sheet glass, or glass, slag, or like fibres comprising glass as the main or only constituent of a layer, next to another layer of a specific material
    • B32B17/10—Layered products essentially comprising sheet glass, or glass, slag, or like fibres comprising glass as the main or only constituent of a layer, next to another layer of a specific material of synthetic resin
    • B32B17/10005—Layered products essentially comprising sheet glass, or glass, slag, or like fibres comprising glass as the main or only constituent of a layer, next to another layer of a specific material of synthetic resin laminated safety glass or glazing
    • B32B17/10807—Making laminated safety glass or glazing; Apparatus therefor
    • B32B17/10889—Making laminated safety glass or glazing; Apparatus therefor shaping the sheets, e.g. by using a mould
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B32—LAYERED PRODUCTS
    • B32B—LAYERED PRODUCTS, i.e. PRODUCTS BUILT-UP OF STRATA OF FLAT OR NON-FLAT, e.g. CELLULAR OR HONEYCOMB, FORM
    • B32B5/00—Layered products characterised by the non- homogeneity or physical structure, i.e. comprising a fibrous, filamentary, particulate or foam layer; Layered products characterised by having a layer differing constitutionally or physically in different parts
    • B32B5/14—Layered products characterised by the non- homogeneity or physical structure, i.e. comprising a fibrous, filamentary, particulate or foam layer; Layered products characterised by having a layer differing constitutionally or physically in different parts characterised by a layer differing constitutionally or physically in different parts, e.g. denser near its faces
    • B32B5/142—Variation across the area of the layer
    • 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
    • H01L31/02—Details
    • H01L31/0236—Special surface textures
    • H01L31/02366—Special surface textures of the substrate or of a layer on the substrate, e.g. textured ITO/glass substrate or superstrate, textured polymer layer on glass substrate
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
    • H02S—GENERATION OF ELECTRIC POWER BY CONVERSION OF INFRARED RADIATION, VISIBLE LIGHT OR ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT, e.g. USING PHOTOVOLTAIC [PV] MODULES
    • H02S40/00—Components or accessories in combination with PV modules, not provided for in groups H02S10/00 - H02S30/00
    • H02S40/20—Optical components
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B32—LAYERED PRODUCTS
    • B32B—LAYERED PRODUCTS, i.e. PRODUCTS BUILT-UP OF STRATA OF FLAT OR NON-FLAT, e.g. CELLULAR OR HONEYCOMB, FORM
    • B32B2327/00—Polyvinylhalogenides
    • B32B2327/12—Polyvinylhalogenides containing fluorine
    • 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 invention pertains to a method of forming a photovoltaic device having a textured external surface and to an apparatus for performing said method.
  • Texturing of external surfaces of photovoltaic elements is known in the art.
  • a photovoltaic device possessing an external textured surface may possess an increased efficiency over a photovoltaic device without such a textured surface.
  • the efficiency improvement is the result of improved anti- reflection and/or light trapping qualities of the textured surface. Whether the texture provides an anti-reflection and/or light trapping effect, and the
  • the magnitude and longevity of the anti-reflection and/or light trapping effect provided by a texture is dependent on the accuracy with which the texture is formed and the durability of the texture.
  • a texture that is a poor copy of the ideal texture geometry as designed, such as the texture present on a mould used to form the texture, will provide a lesser effect than a texture that is produced more accurately. Furthermore, a lesser effect over time is
  • Textures may be formed from glass or from a polymeric material.
  • hot-rolling of glass is known as a method of texturing a glass front cover of a photovoltaic device
  • the resulting relief textures are a poor representation from their intended shape, especially when sub-millimeter sized relief textures are desired.
  • One way is to make them directly into a thermoplastic polymeric sheet, which can be used as a front cover, by for example hot-rolling the texture into the sheet at a temperature above the softening point of the material.
  • the material still resists mechanical deformation and has the tendency to deform back to its flat state after leaving the hot-roller or mould. Consequently, the textures that can be obtained via this method are often an insufficient copy of the actual texture that was on the hot-roller or mould.
  • the performance increase of the photovoltaic modules by such a non-ideal texture is low.
  • textured sheet Other options for texturing the external surface of a photovoltaic device include curing thermoset materials on a durable film to form a textured sheet.
  • the textured sheet formed from such a process can then be applied to the photovoltaic device with the aid of an appropriate adhesive. See, for example, WO20101 15954. Such a textured sheet requires separate
  • thermoset materials such as UV-cured materials, may exhibit reduced outdoor durability compared to thermoplastic materials.
  • US20120282437 mentions texturing the external surface of a photovoltaic device during a lamination process.
  • a coated fiberglass fabric is used to texture a fluoropolymer that is present on an external surface of a photovoltaic device.
  • the coated fiberglass is removed after the lamination step, leaving a textured fluoropolymer layer.
  • the textures formed are of poor sharpness and quality.
  • An improved process to produce a photovoltaic device having a texture on an external surface is therefore desirable.
  • the known methods of producing a cover of a photovoltaic device require a separate processing step, exhibit reduced outdoor durability, and/or produce textures that are of poor sharpness or quality.
  • a pre-formed textured thermoplastic polymeric sheet which is used as front cover, may not withstand the lamination step of the photovoltaic device assembly.
  • the lamination step the various layers of the photovoltaic device assembly are laminated together in a laminator machine.
  • the lamination step requires elevated temperatures and pressures. The elevated temperatures and pressures that are required for this step will deform the texture, and thereby reduce its performance.
  • Another option is to make the textures into a polymer sheet, and applying said sheet to the front cover after the lamination step. Although this solves the issue that a textured polymeric sheet deforms during lamination, it requires an additional processing step.
  • the first aspect of the instant claimed invention relates to a method for forming a photovoltaic device. After performing the method, a photovoltaic device comprising a textured surface on the front cover or the back cover is obtained.
  • the method of forming a photovoltaic device comprises the steps of fixing components of the photovoltaic device together, said
  • components comprising a front cover and a back cover of the photovoltaic device, and forming a texture on the front cover or back cover of the
  • photovoltaic device by bringing a material, said material being polymeric or polymerizable, on the front cover or the back cover in contact with a durable mould.
  • the steps of fixing together and forming a texture are performed simultaneously.
  • a texture is applied to a photovoltaic device during the production of said device by placing a durable mould, which contains a relief texture, in a laminator, with said relief texture facing the surface that needs to be textured.
  • the relief texture is imprinted into or onto an external surface the photovoltaic device at the same time as the single components of the photovoltaic device (i.e. at least the front cover, cells, encapsulent and back cover) are laminated together.
  • a third aspect of the instant claimed invention relates to a laminator for laminating together the components of a photovoltaic device.
  • the laminator comprises a durable mould facing a surface of the photovoltaic device.
  • Figure 1 is a schematic representation of a cross-sectional view of a textured cover of a photovoltaic device.
  • photovoltaic devices There are several types of photovoltaic devices. In principle, one can distinguish between thin film photovoltaic devices and wafer based photovoltaic devices. The main difference between these two is the thickness of photovoltaic active layer which in the case of thin film devices is obviously thinner (e.g. 0.1 - 3 micron) than for wafer based devices (e.g. 100-200 micron). Although most of the production process for these two different types of devices is completely different, since, for example, different production methods are required to apply either thin films or cut relatively thick wafers, they both have at least one production step in common. This common step involves fixing the front cover of the photovoltaic device to the back cover. The other components of the photovoltaic device, such as the photovoltaic cells and electrodes, are typically fixed in between said covers during this production step.
  • the method of the invention can be used on all types of photovoltaic devices. These devices can be based on thin film photovoltaic technologies such as CdTe, CIGS, a-si, a-si/ c-si or OPV. Also, photovoltaic devices based on multi-crystalline or mono-crystalline cells, or any other wafer based technology, can be used.
  • the step of forming a texture on the front cover or the back cover of the photovoltaic device and the step of fixing components of the photovoltaic device together are performed simultaneously.
  • this is done by incorporating a durable mould into the apparatus used to fix together the front cover and back cover of the photovoltaic device such that components of the photovoltaic device can be fixed together while a texture is formed.
  • the elevated temperatures and/or pressures that are typically necessary for fixing components of the photovoltaic device together are also utilized for forming a texture on one or both of the front and back cover. The steps of fixing together and forming a texture are thus performed
  • such a simultaneous process additionally enables the use of thermoplastic materials that deform at the elevated temperatures and/or pressures typically necessary for fixing components of the photovoltaic device together.
  • the most common method in current commercial application for fixing together components of a photovoltaic device is a lamination process.
  • the front and back cover are fixed together by using an encapsulent and a laminator.
  • a lamination process makes use of an encapsulent.
  • the encapsulent is basically a material that joins the front cover and the back cover together.
  • the material is called an encapsulent because often it not only connects the front and back cover, but also encapsulates the solar cells and the electrodes which are placed in between the front and back cover, thus fixing their relative positions and protecting them from direct exposure to air.
  • the encapsulent is usually a polymer such as for example ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), poly vinyl butyral (PVB), silicone, thermoplastic poly urethane (TPU) or an ionomer.
  • the laminator is the equipment which is used to make sure that the front cover and the back cover are joined together at the required processing conditions for a specific encapsulent, and without any air-bubbles entrapped in the encapsulent.
  • laminators There are several types of laminators available (e.g. flatbed laminator, roll laminator), but they all involve at least some form of pressure, to avoid the air-bubbles, and heating, for softening and/or curing of the encapsulent. Typical temperatures are from about 130 to 170 °C and depend on the type of encapsulent and the components of the photovoltaic device. Typical pressures are from about 0.05 MPa to 0.2 MPa. The exact processing conditions depend on the type of encapsulent, and potentially the other components of the photovoltaic device.
  • the required processing conditions e.g. the temperature, pressure and time
  • the required processing conditions e.g. the temperature, pressure and time
  • the required processing conditions e.g. the temperature, pressure and time
  • the required processing conditions e.g. the temperature, pressure and time
  • the required processing conditions e.g. the temperature, pressure and time
  • the required processing conditions e.g. the temperature, pressure and time
  • the required processing conditions e.g. the temperature, pressure and time
  • the required processing conditions for lamination restrict the materials that can be used for photovoltaic device components.
  • Especially components (other than the encapsulent) made from materials that soften at the laminating temperature cannot withstand lamination without deterioration of their shape since the involved pressure deforms their original or intended shape and consequently destroys their intended function. This severely limits the materials that can be used for certain components.
  • the method further comprises raising the temperature to from 130 °C to 170 °C, preferably from 140 °C to 160 °C. In an embodiment, the method further comprises applying a pressure of from 0.05 MPa to 0.2 MPa. The high temperatures and pressures typical of an injection moulding process are not possible when fixing components of the photovoltaic device together because they will damage the components of the photovoltaic device.
  • laminators there are several types that could be used for carrying out the invention. Examples include a flatbed laminator or roll laminator.
  • a flatbed laminator the components of the photovoltaic device are placed against a surface at an elevated temperature and pressure for some time.
  • a roll laminator pressure is applied to the covers of the photovoltaic device by one or more rolls that pass over the cover of the photovoltaic device at elevated temperature and pressure.
  • EVA ethylene vinyl acetate
  • the EVA encapsulent which is typically in the form of one or more sheets of solid material at room temperature, is placed between the front and back cover. At the same time also the photovoltaic cells, electrodes and some other components are placed between the front and back cover.
  • the EVA is heated above its softening temperature and at this point starts to stick to both the front and the back cover. The pressure and/or vacuum are used to avoid any air entrapments inside the EVA.
  • the photovoltaic module is cooled and then removed from the laminator and the front cover and back cover (and all other
  • a texture is formed on the front cover or the back cover of the photovoltaic device by bringing a material, said material being polymeric or polymerizable, on the front cover or the back cover in contact with a durable mould.
  • the polymeric or polymerizable material may form the cover or be present on the surface of the cover, but does not need to be in contact with the front cover or back cover directly; additional intermediate layers between the front cover or back cover and the material may be present, such as adhesives.
  • the mould could be made from any materials that can withstand, without undesired deformation of the relief texture, the lamination process parameters (i.e. the temperature, pressure and time).
  • the mould is made from a metallic material, such as, for example, nickel.
  • the mould may be rigid or semi-flexible.
  • a mould may be semi-flexible as long as it can sufficiently retain its texture shape during the moulding process.
  • the mould is durable, meaning that it can withstand numerous lamination sequences while producing textures of high quality before
  • the durable mould is capable of functioning for more than one thousand lamination sequences, more preferably more than ten thousand lamination sequences.
  • the durable mould is used to form a texture on the front cover and/or the back cover of the photovoltaic device.
  • Different relief textures can be used, such as, for example, an array of pyramidal textures (WO03/046617), V- shaped grooves (G.A. Landis, 21 st IEEE photovoltaic specialist conference, 1304-1307 (1990)), round pits (P. Sanchez-Friera, IEEE 4 th World Conference on photovoltaic energy conversion, 2156 - 2159 (2006)), or structures consisting of a base and an apex which are connected by n-polygonal surfaces with n being equal to 4 or higher (WO2009059998).
  • Typical texture sizes are from one micron to one millimeter in height.
  • the texture sizes are from 10 microns to 100 microns in height.
  • the durable mould preferably has a continuous texture forming face.
  • continuous it is meant that there are no gaps in the face that would allow material to pass through the texture forming face of the durable mould.
  • Forming the durable mould can be carried out in any number of exemplary ways. For instance, in one method a laser ablation process is used wherein a laser is directed to blast away unwanted areas of material from a master. The master is then used to form a metallic mould. Further exemplary processes involve diamond cutting or photo-emulsion processes. The mould is often subject to an electroplating process to form a metallic surface layer, such as a nickel layer.
  • the mould comprises a metal surface.
  • the metal surface is used to form the texture.
  • the metal surface comprises a negative image of a desired texture.
  • the metal surface may be formed from nickel, or any suitable metal.
  • the durable mould has recesses of from 1 micron to 1 millimeter in depth. In another embodiment, the durable mould has recesses of from 10 microns to 100 microns in depth.
  • the durable mould may be a flat mould or in the form of a cylinder. In either case, the durable mould may be formed from first fabricating a master mould which is then replicated a number of times. The replications are joined together to create a larger mould to complete the full-size mould. The process of joining together the replications will create seams or gaps in the mould which may be visible in the replicated texture. Such seams or gaps will likely constitute a small amount of the overall textured surface and may therefore have little effect on the efficiency of the photovoltaic device.
  • the texture is formed on the front cover or the back cover from a polymeric or polymerizable material.
  • the material can be the front cover or back cover itself, or on a separate coating or sheet on the front cover or back cover.
  • the material is supplied as a separate polymeric or polymerizable sheet on the front cover or back cover.
  • a polymeric or polymerizable sheet on the front cover or back cover adheres to a surface of the front cover or back cover during the step of fixing components of the photovoltaic device together and while the texture is formed in the material via the mould. Additional materials, such as primers or adhesion promoters, may also be used.
  • two sheets are provided on the front cover or back cover of the photovoltaic device before forming the texture.
  • a first sheet is a polymeric or polymerizable sheet and a second is a hot melt adhesive, such as EVA.
  • the second sheet is positioned between the first sheet and the front cover or back cover.
  • the texture may be formed from the first sheet or both the first and second sheets.
  • the material is spray coated, roll coated, slot die coated, screen printed, or otherwise applied to the front cover or back cover.
  • the texture is made from a polymeric material.
  • the material is preferably a thermoplastic polymer.
  • the thermoplastic polymer is a grade of poly ethylene
  • PET terephthalate
  • PMMA poly methyl methacrylate
  • PC polycarbonate
  • PEN poly ethylene naphthalate
  • TEOS tetraethyl orthosilicate
  • TEOS tetraethyl orthosilicate
  • any non-organic or partially non-organic polymer or polymer precursor such as for example silicone.
  • thermoplastic polymer is semi- crystalline.
  • polymeric material is a blend of acrylic and poly vinylidene fluoride (PVDF), such as Kynar® from Arkema.
  • the polymeric material is a thermoplastic polymer that has a melting temperature around the temperature at which fixing components of the photovoltaic device together is carried out.
  • a thermoplastic polymer with such a melting temperature allows lower pressures to obtain an accurate copy of the mould in the thermoplastic polymer than would be required when using a thermoplastic polymer with a higher melting point.
  • the polymeric material has a melting point of from 120 to 160 °C.
  • the polymeric materials used could also contain components that are non-polymeric materials which are used for stabilization (e.g. HALS, UV absorber, anti-oxidant, etc .), protection (e.g. anti-scratch coating, anti-fouling coating, etc .), an additional function (e.g. a barrier coating, etc .) or improving processing of the polymer material (e.g. defoaming agent).
  • non-polymeric materials which are used for stabilization e.g. HALS, UV absorber, anti-oxidant, etc .
  • protection e.g. anti-scratch coating, anti-fouling coating, etc .
  • an additional function e.g. a barrier coating, etc .
  • improving processing of the polymer material e.g. defoaming agent.
  • either or both of the durable mould or the polymeric or polymerizable material contain a mould release agent to facilitate demoulding.
  • either the durable mould or the polymeric or polymerizable material is fluorinated.
  • the durable mould is fluorinated prior to commencing the step of fixing components of the
  • the surface which is textured is most preferably made from a polymeric material, this does not necessarily mean that the front cover or back cover of the photovoltaic device should be made from polymeric materials.
  • an additional polymeric coating is applied to a glass front cover of a photovoltaic module and that this polymeric coating is textured according to the disclosed method. Therefore, it can be said that the texture could be formed into or onto a cover of the photovoltaic device.
  • the texture is formed by bringing a polymerizable material into contact with the mould. After bringing the
  • the material in contact with the mould, the material undergoes polymerization, thereby setting the texture in the material.
  • the polymerizable material comprises reactive groups, such as acrylate and/or methacrylate groups.
  • the polymerizable material comprises an initiator that initiates polymerization.
  • the initiator is a thermal initiator that is activated at a temperature from 120 °C to 160 °C.
  • the viscosity of the material is reduced during the step of forming a texture.
  • the reduced viscosity of the material enables the material to fill the durable mould and form an accurate replication of the mould surface.
  • the viscosity of the material is reduced to at least 7x10 6 Pa s for at least 900 seconds.
  • the viscosity of the material is reduced to at least 2.5x10 6 Pa-s for at least 300 seconds.
  • the mould fill is 95% or more, preferably 98% or more, and more preferably 99% or more for a mould with a mean slope of at least 35 degrees.
  • the mould fill is 95% or more, preferably 98% or more, and more preferably 99% or more for a mould with a mean slope of at least 40 degrees. In an embodiment, the mould fill is 95% or more, preferably 98% or more, and more preferably 99% or more for a mould with a mean slope of at least 45 degrees.
  • the viscosity is then increased so that the texture is retained in the material and able to separate from the mould.
  • the viscosity may be increased by reducing the temperature, by cross-linking, or by some combination of both. In an embodiment, the viscosity is increased by crossing the T g of the material, by forming ionic or hydrogen bond interaction, by crystallization, or by forming covalent bonds.
  • Textures formed using a durable mould may exhibit improved texture definition, mean slope, and depth retention ratios over textures formed from non-durable moulds.
  • the mean slope is defined as the average of the absolute values of all slopes.
  • the texture depth is defined as the depth from a neutral plane of the texture to the apex of a texture.
  • the mean slope retention ratio is defined as the ratio of the mean slope of the formed texture to the mean slope of the mould face.
  • Figure 1 shows a cross- section of a texture on a cover of a photovoltaic device.
  • a texture of v-shaped grooves 1 is formed on a cover of a photovoltaic device 2.
  • the texture has faces with slopes 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10.
  • the mean slope of the texture in figure 1 would be determined by taking the absolute values of all slopes 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. 9 and 10.
  • the texture depth is indicated by dimension 1 1 .
  • the mean slope of the texture on the mould face is 35 degrees or more, preferably from 35 to 60 degrees.
  • the mean slope of the texture on the mould face is at least 45 degrees, preferably from 45 to 60 degrees.
  • Textures formed in accordance with the invention may have a mean slope of 35 degrees or more, preferably from 35 to 60 degrees.
  • the mean slope of the textures formed is at least 45 degrees, preferably from 45 to 60 degrees.
  • the mean slope retention ratio may be 90% or greater, preferably 95% or greater.
  • a durable mould allows for improved texture depth retention ratios at higher mean slopes than with the use of a non-durable mould.
  • the texture depth retention ratio defined as the ratio of the texture depth of the formed texture to the texture depth of the mould, is 90% or greater.
  • the texture depth retention ratio is 90% or greater and the mean slope of the formed texture is 35° or greater.
  • the texture depth retention ratio is 95% or greater and the mean slope of the formed texture is 40° or greater.
  • Another embodiment of the present invention is a laminator suitable for laminating a front and back cover of a photovoltaic device together, which laminator comprises a durable mould; said durable mould contains a relief texture and is placed inside the laminator, with the relief texture facing the surface of the photovoltaic device that needs to be textured.
  • the durable mould is flat on one side, allowing for straight-forward installation in a flatbed laminator.
  • the durable mould is flat and placed in a flatbed laminator.
  • a nickel mould containing a relief texture is placed inside a flatbed laminator.
  • a stack of a crystalline PET front cover, a first sheet of PVB encapsulent, flexible CIGS cells, a second sheet of PVB encapsulent and a PET back cover are placed in their respective order on top of the nickel mould.
  • the flat-bed laminator is closed and the nickel mould and the stack of components are heated for e.g. 15 minutes to a temperature of 170 °C while maintaining a vacuum in the laminator and a pressure of 1 bar (atmospheric) on nickel mould and the components.
  • the relief from the nickel mould is pressed into the PET front cover.
  • a photovoltaic device with a textured front cover is obtained.
  • a nickel mould containing a relief texture is placed inside a flat- bed laminator.
  • a stack of a resin coated glass front cover (with the resin facing the nickel mould), a first sheet of EVA encapsulent, poly-crystalline cells, a second sheet of EVA encapsulent and a Tedlar® back cover are placed in their respective order on top of the nickel mould.
  • the flat-bed laminator is closed and the nickel mould and the stack of components are heated for e.g. 15 minutes to a temperature of 150 °C while maintaining a vacuum in the laminator and a pressure of 1 bar (atmospheric) on nickel mould and the components.
  • a nickel mould containing a corner cube relief texture as described in WO2009/059998 is placed inside a laminator.
  • a 3 mil thick film of PVDF P/N P-00017-7, Welch Fluorocarbon, Inc., Dover, NH, USA
  • a standard lamination process as when EVA is the encapsulent is carried out.
  • a vacuum is applied substantially equally on both sides of the film.
  • the temperature is gradually raised and, after some initial heating the vacuum on top of the film is turned off leaving a pressure of approximately 1 bar on the film.
  • the film is heated until a temperature of 150 °C is reached and then the temperature is held for a few minutes.
  • the film is cooled while still under pressure and then removed from the laminator.
  • the total process time was 15 minutes with a maximum temperature of 150 °C.
  • a textured polymeric film of high definition is obtained.
  • a similar process could be performed while fixing the components of the photovoltaic device together and the formed texture could be secured to a surface of the photovoltaic device with a hot melt adhesive, such as EVA,

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Condensed Matter Physics & Semiconductors (AREA)
  • Electromagnetism (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
  • Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
  • Power Engineering (AREA)
  • Photovoltaic Devices (AREA)

Abstract

L'invention porte sur un procédé pour former un dispositif photovoltaïque. Le procédé comprend les étapes de fixation de composants du dispositif photovoltaïque ensemble, lesdits composants comprenant un revêtement avant et un revêtement arrière, et de formation d'une texture sur le revêtement avant ou le revêtement arrière par amenée d'un matériau polymérique ou polymérisable sur le revêtement avant ou le revêtement arrière en contact avec un moule durable, les étapes de fixation de composants du dispositif photovoltaïque ensemble et de formation d'une texture sur une surface du dispositif photovoltaïque étant réalisées simultanément. En outre, une contre-colleuse est décrite comprenant un moule durable, ledit moule durable présentant une texture en relief et étant placé à l'intérieur d'une contre-colleuse, la texture en relief faisant face à la surface du dispositif photovoltaïque qui a besoin d'être texturée.
PCT/EP2013/075065 2013-11-29 2013-11-29 Procédé pour fabriquer un dispositif photovoltaïque ayant une surface texturée WO2015078508A1 (fr)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
PCT/EP2013/075065 WO2015078508A1 (fr) 2013-11-29 2013-11-29 Procédé pour fabriquer un dispositif photovoltaïque ayant une surface texturée

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
PCT/EP2013/075065 WO2015078508A1 (fr) 2013-11-29 2013-11-29 Procédé pour fabriquer un dispositif photovoltaïque ayant une surface texturée

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WO2015078508A1 true WO2015078508A1 (fr) 2015-06-04

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Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP3214659A1 (fr) * 2016-03-02 2017-09-06 DSM IP Assets B.V. Dispositif photovoltaïque bi-facial comprenant une texture arrière
DE102022115184A1 (de) 2022-05-12 2023-11-16 Karsten Pauly Solaranordnung mit mindestens einer Photovoltaikeinheit
CN117976774A (zh) * 2024-03-22 2024-05-03 徐州太一光电科技有限公司 用于光伏组件生产的工艺智能控制方法及系统

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO1993008605A1 (fr) * 1991-10-15 1993-04-29 United Solar Systems Corporation Dispositif photovoltaique a absorption de lumiere accrue et son procede de fabrication
JPH08274359A (ja) * 1995-03-30 1996-10-18 Washi Kosan Kk 太陽電池
EP2352176A1 (fr) * 2008-11-27 2011-08-03 Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha Procede de fabrication de cellule solaire et cellule solaire
US20130203204A1 (en) * 2010-09-22 2013-08-08 Sekisui Chemical Co., td. Method for manufacturing flexible solar battery module

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO1993008605A1 (fr) * 1991-10-15 1993-04-29 United Solar Systems Corporation Dispositif photovoltaique a absorption de lumiere accrue et son procede de fabrication
JPH08274359A (ja) * 1995-03-30 1996-10-18 Washi Kosan Kk 太陽電池
EP2352176A1 (fr) * 2008-11-27 2011-08-03 Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha Procede de fabrication de cellule solaire et cellule solaire
US20130203204A1 (en) * 2010-09-22 2013-08-08 Sekisui Chemical Co., td. Method for manufacturing flexible solar battery module

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP3214659A1 (fr) * 2016-03-02 2017-09-06 DSM IP Assets B.V. Dispositif photovoltaïque bi-facial comprenant une texture arrière
DE102022115184A1 (de) 2022-05-12 2023-11-16 Karsten Pauly Solaranordnung mit mindestens einer Photovoltaikeinheit
CN117976774A (zh) * 2024-03-22 2024-05-03 徐州太一光电科技有限公司 用于光伏组件生产的工艺智能控制方法及系统
CN117976774B (zh) * 2024-03-22 2024-06-07 徐州太一光电科技有限公司 用于光伏组件生产的工艺智能控制方法及系统

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