JP2007311651A - Vacuum laminating apparatus and vacuum laminating method - Google Patents

Abstract

An unevenness is formed on a protective film covering a light incident side surface of a photovoltaic element while making it possible to secure a ventilation layer that promotes deaeration.
A protective film, an adhesive sheet, a sheet-like photovoltaic element, an adhesive sheet, and a steel plate are sequentially disposed on a bottom plate of a vacuum laminating apparatus having a metal mesh fixed to the surface, Furthermore, after disposing the sealing sheet 4 thereon, the space between the sealing sheet 4 and the bottom plate 1 is evacuated, and the adhesive sheets 12 and 14 are cured, thereby the protective film 15 and the adhesive sheet 14. The photovoltaic element 13, the adhesive sheet 12, and the steel plate 11 are integrated.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a vacuum laminating apparatus and a vacuum laminating method, and is particularly suitable when applied to a vacuum laminating method for a solar cell module.

As a countermeasure against global warming due to air pollution and an increase in carbon dioxide, solar cells are attracting attention as an alternative energy source to fossil fuels such as oil. Here, when a solar cell is used on a roof or the like, an amorphous silicon solar cell is considered promising in terms of mass productivity and cost.
And when installing and using an amorphous silicon solar cell on a roof etc., in order to give water resistance and a weather resistance, covering the surface of an amorphous silicon solar cell with a transparent protective film is performed.

Further, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses that the surface of the amorphous silicon solar cell is finely coated on the surface of the protective film in order to prevent the conversion efficiency from deteriorating due to total reflection when the surface is covered with a transparent protective film. A method for forming a rough surface is disclosed.
Moreover, for example, in Patent Document 2, the protective film is laminated on the amorphous silicon solar cell while transferring the unevenness to the protective film by performing exhaust while pressing the protective film against the base material on which the uneven portion is formed. A method is disclosed.
Japanese Patent No. 328876 JP 2005-166767 A

  However, in the method disclosed in Patent Document 1, an organic polymer resin layer and a surface protective film are arranged on the light incident side surface of the photovoltaic element, and further, a sheet shape in which an uneven shape is provided on the outside thereof. After arranging the member so that the uneven side faces the surface protective film side, the photovoltaic element is coated by the thermocompression bonding method, and at the same time, the unevenness is formed on the surface of the surface protective film on the light incident side surface. For this reason, in the method disclosed in Patent Document 1, the back surface side of the photovoltaic element is disposed so as to be in uniform contact with the bottom plate of the vacuum laminating apparatus, and the back surface side of the photovoltaic element is encouraged to be deaerated. There was a problem that it was difficult to secure a ventilation layer. In particular, in a solar cell module that is suitable for increasing the area, such as an amorphous silicon solar cell, there is a problem that bubbles are likely to remain between laminated members constituting the solar cell module due to poor deaeration.

Further, in the method disclosed in Patent Document 2, since the unevenness is directly formed on the surface of the bottom plate of the vacuum laminating apparatus, it takes time to process the bottom plate of the vacuum laminating apparatus, resulting in an increase in cost of the vacuum laminating apparatus. There was a problem.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a vacuum laminating apparatus capable of forming an unevenness on a protective film covering a light incident side surface of a photovoltaic element while making it possible to secure a ventilation layer that promotes deaeration. And providing a vacuum laminating method.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, according to the vacuum laminating apparatus according to claim 1, a bottom plate on which a sheet-like photovoltaic element is arranged via a protective film, and a bottom plate on which the photovoltaic element is arranged A sealing sheet covering the top, a frame disposed around the bottom plate, and provided with a vent for exhausting between the sealing sheet and the bottom plate, and disposed under the protective film And a metal mesh fixed on the bottom plate.

  According to the vacuum laminating method of claim 2, the step of sequentially arranging the protective film, the adhesive sheet, the photovoltaic element, the adhesive sheet, and the steel plate on the bottom plate of the vacuum laminating apparatus having the metal mesh fixed to the surface. And a step of arranging on the bottom plate a sealing sheet covering the protective film, the adhesive sheet, the photovoltaic element, the adhesive sheet, and the steel plate sequentially disposed on the bottom plate, and the sealing sheet and the bottom plate The step of integrating the protective film, the adhesive sheet, the photovoltaic element, the adhesive sheet, and the steel plate by performing a heat treatment while evacuating the space, and transferring the irregularities of the metal mesh to the surface of the protective film; It is characterized by providing.

  As described above, according to the present invention, when the light incident side surface of the photovoltaic element is directed to the bottom plate side of the vacuum laminating apparatus by fixing and arranging the metal mesh on the bottom plate of the vacuum laminating apparatus. In addition, it is possible to form irregularities on the surface of the protective film that protects the light incident side surface of the photovoltaic element, and to secure a ventilation layer that promotes deaeration on the bottom plate of the vacuum laminator. Is possible.

For this reason, without forming irregularities directly on the surface of the bottom plate of the vacuum laminating apparatus, it is possible to ensure a ventilation layer that promotes deaeration on the bottom plate of the vacuum laminating apparatus. While preventing air bubbles from remaining between them, it is possible to increase the area of the solar cell module and to suppress an increase in cost of the vacuum laminating apparatus.
In addition, it is possible to form irregularities on the surface of the protective film while covering the light incident side surface of the photovoltaic element with a protective film. The conversion efficiency can be improved, and the water resistance and weather resistance of the solar cell module can be ensured.

Hereinafter, a vacuum laminating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a method for vacuum laminating a solar cell module according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of a vacuum laminating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
1 and 2, the vacuum laminator is provided with a bottom plate 1, and around the bottom plate 1, a frame body 1 a having a vent 1 c is provided. The frame body 1a has an exhaust port 1b connected to the vent port 1c. As the material of the bottom plate 1 and the frame 1a, it is preferable to use a metal such as stainless steel, iron or aluminum from the viewpoint of heat resistance and rigidity, and particularly stainless steel from the viewpoint of formability, weldability and corrosion resistance. Should be used. In addition, the thickness of the bottom plate 1 and the frame 1a is set within a range of, for example, 0.8 to 2.0 mm in consideration of a reduction in heat capacity and weight reduction while ensuring a necessary minimum rigidity. It is good.

  Here, the frame body 1a can be formed by bending a metal plate into a rectangular shape, and a gap is formed on the inner circumferential side of the frame body 1a with the bottom plate 1 so that the outer circumferential side of the frame body 1a. Is joined to the bottom plate 1 by a method such as electric resistance welding, so that the frame body 1a in which the vent holes 1c are formed can be fixed to the bottom plate 1. Further, the exhaust chamber can be formed around the frame 1a by sealing the joint with a silicon sealant or the like.

On the bottom plate 1, a metal mesh 2 is arranged so that the end portion is sandwiched between the inner peripheral portion of the frame body 1 a and the bottom plate 1. Here, the metal mesh 2 can be fixed to the bottom plate 1 so that positional displacement does not occur. As a method for fixing the metal mesh 2 to the bottom plate 1, in addition to electric resistance welding, an adhesive tape or screw fastening You may make it use the method of these.
In addition, it is preferable to comprise the metal mesh 2 so that the pitch of the unevenness | corrugation of the surface may be set to the range of 0.3-0.8 mm, and a height difference is 0.2-0.6 mm. As the material of the metal mesh 2, stainless steel is preferably used from the viewpoints of formability, weldability, and corrosion resistance, and the same material as that of the bottom plate 1 is particularly preferable.

  And when manufacturing by the vacuum lamination method of a solar cell module, as shown to Fig.1 (a), on the bottom plate 1 of the vacuum laminating apparatus with which the metal mesh 2 was fixed to the surface, the protective film 15 and the adhesive sheet 14 are provided. The sheet-like photovoltaic element 13, the adhesive sheet 12, and the steel plate 11 are sequentially arranged. Here, in order to completely cover the light incident side surface of the photovoltaic element 13 with the protective film 15, and to prevent the adhesive sheets 12 and 14 from protruding on the metal mesh 2, The outer size of the power element 13 is preferably smaller than the outer size of the adhesive sheets 12 and 14, and the outer size of the protective film 15 is preferably larger than the outer size of the adhesive sheets 12 and 14. The protective film 15 is ETFE (ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene copolymer) film, and the adhesive sheets 12 and 14 are EVA in terms of transparency, weather resistance, adhesiveness, heat resistance and impact resistance. It is preferable to use an (ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer) film. Moreover, it is preferable to set the thickness of the protective film 15 in the range of 20-200 micrometers from points, such as mechanical strength and cost.

  The photovoltaic element 13 is configured by sequentially laminating a back electrode layer 23, an antireflection layer 24, a photoelectric conversion layer 25, and a transparent electrode layer 26 on a film substrate 22 having a back electrode layer 21 formed on the back surface. can do. The back electrode layer 21 and the back electrode layer 23 are, for example, an Ag / Al laminated structure, the film substrate 22 is, for example, a resin film such as polyimide or polyethylene, and the antireflection layer 24 is, for example, ZnO, photoelectric As the conversion layer 25, for example, a pin structure made of amorphous silicon can be used. As the transparent electrode layer 26, for example, ITO can be used. Moreover, the thickness of the photoelectric converting layer 25 can be about 1 micrometer, for example, and the thickness of the film substrate 22 can be about 50 micrometers, for example.

  And the sheet | seat 4 for sealing is arrange | positioned on the baseplate 1 so that the protective film 15, the adhesive sheet 14, the photovoltaic element 13, the adhesive sheet 12, and the steel plate 11 arrange | positioned sequentially on the baseplate 1 may be covered completely. . In addition, as a material of the sheet | seat 4 for sealing, it is preferable to use a silicon resin from points, such as heat resistance, a softness | flexibility, and airtightness. When the sealing sheet 4 is disposed on the bottom plate 1, the embossed sheet 3 may be interposed between the sealing sheet 4 and the steel plate 11. Moreover, when arrange | positioning the sheet | seat 4 for sealing on the baseplate 1, it is preferable to arrange | position so that the sheet | seat 4 for sealing may be settled inside the frame 1a.

  And the vacuum laminating apparatus by which the sheet | seat 4 for sealing is arrange | positioned on the baseplate 1 is installed in a thermostat, and the vent hole 1c is exhausted through the exhaust port 1b. Then, when the vent 1c is exhausted, the space between the sealing sheet 4 and the bottom plate 1 is exhausted through the gap between the bottom plate 1 and the inner peripheral side of the frame 1a, and the sealing sheet 4 As shown in FIG. 1B, the protective film 15, the adhesive sheet 14, the photovoltaic element 13, the adhesive sheet 12, and the steel plate 11 are brought into close contact with each other. Here, by fixing and arranging the metal mesh 2 on the bottom plate 1, even when the sealing sheet 4 is pressed against the bottom plate 1 side, degassing is promoted on the bottom plate 1 of the vacuum laminating apparatus. A ventilation layer can be secured and air bubbles existing between the protective film 15, the adhesive sheet 14, the photovoltaic element 13, the adhesive sheet 12, and the steel plate 11 can be discharged.

  And while exhausting between the sheet | seat 4 for sealing and the baseplate 1, it heats up to the temperature (for example, 150 degreeC) which the adhesive sheets 12 and 14 harden | cure, and the hardening process (for example, 30) of the adhesive sheets 12 and 14 ), The protective film 15, the adhesive sheet 14, the photovoltaic element 13, the adhesive sheet 12, and the steel plate 11 can be integrated to manufacture a solar cell module.

  Here, in a state where the metal mesh 2 is fixed and arranged on the bottom plate 1 of the vacuum laminating apparatus, heat treatment is performed while exhausting between the sealing sheet 4 and the bottom plate 1, thereby the protective film 15 and the adhesive sheet. 14, the sheet-like photovoltaic element 13, the adhesive sheet 12, and the steel plate 11 can be integrated, and the unevenness of the metal mesh 2 can be transferred to the surface of the protective film 15.

For this reason, even when the light incident side surface of the photovoltaic element faces the bottom plate 1 side of the vacuum laminating apparatus, the bottom plate 1 of the vacuum laminating apparatus is not formed directly on the surface of the bottom plate 1 of the vacuum laminating apparatus. It is possible to form irregularities on the surface of the protective film 15 while ensuring a ventilation layer that promotes deaeration.
For this reason, even when the area of the solar cell module is increased, it is possible to prevent bubbles from remaining between the laminated members constituting the solar cell module while suppressing an increase in the cost of the vacuum laminating apparatus. In addition, since it becomes possible to form irregularities on the surface of the protective film 15, it is possible to improve the conversion efficiency of the photovoltaic element while suppressing the complication of the manufacturing process, and the solar cell module. The water resistance and weather resistance of can be ensured.

FIG. 3A is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a solar cell module manufactured by a vacuum laminating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows schematic structure of the solar cell module cut | disconnected by 'line.
In FIG. 3, a photovoltaic element 13 is bonded onto a steel plate 11 via an adhesive sheet 12, and a protective film 15 is bonded onto the photovoltaic element 13 via an adhesive sheet 14. And the uneven | corrugated | grooved part 16 which irregularly reflects the sunlight which injects into the photovoltaic element 13 is formed in the surface of the protective film 15. FIG.

  Thereby, it becomes possible to cover the light incident side surface of the photovoltaic element 13 with the protective film 15 having irregularities formed on the surface, thereby preventing total reflection from occurring on the light incident side of the photovoltaic element 13. Thus, the conversion efficiency of the solar cell can be improved, and the water resistance and weather resistance of the solar cell module can be ensured. Further, by integrating the photovoltaic element 13 on the steel plate 11, the photovoltaic element 13 on the film can be firmly installed on a roof or the like, and the photovoltaic element 13 is damaged by wind and rain. Can be prevented from falling off.

It is sectional drawing which shows the vacuum lamination method of the solar cell module which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view showing a schematic structure of a vacuum laminating device concerning one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3A is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a solar cell module manufactured by a vacuum laminating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows schematic structure of the solar cell module cut | disconnected by 'line.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Bottom plate 1a Frame 1b Exhaust port 1c Vent 2 Metal mesh 3 Embossed sheet 4 Sealing sheet 11 Steel plate 12, 14 Adhesive sheet 13 Photovoltaic element 15 Protective film 16 Uneven portion 21 Back electrode layer 22 Film substrate 23 Back surface Electrode layer 24 Antireflection layer 25 Photoelectric conversion layer 26 Transparent electrode layer

Claims (2)

A bottom plate on which a sheet-like photovoltaic element is disposed via a protective film;
A sealing sheet covering the bottom plate on which the photovoltaic elements are disposed;
A frame provided around the bottom plate and provided with a vent for exhausting between the sealing sheet and the bottom plate;
A vacuum laminating apparatus comprising: a metal mesh fixed on the bottom plate so as to be disposed under the protective film. A step of sequentially arranging a protective film, an adhesive sheet, a photovoltaic element, an adhesive sheet and a steel plate on the bottom plate of a vacuum laminating apparatus having a metal mesh fixed to the surface;
Arranging a protective film, an adhesive sheet, a photovoltaic element, an adhesive sheet and a sealing sheet covering the steel plate, which are sequentially arranged on the bottom plate, on the bottom plate;
By performing heat treatment while exhausting between the sealing sheet and the bottom plate, the protective film, the adhesive sheet, the photovoltaic element, the adhesive sheet and the steel plate are integrated, and the unevenness of the metal mesh is And a step of transferring to the surface of the protective film.

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