NL2005811C2 - Method and apparatus for soldering contacts in a solar panel. - Google Patents
Method and apparatus for soldering contacts in a solar panel. Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- NL2005811C2 NL2005811C2 NL2005811A NL2005811A NL2005811C2 NL 2005811 C2 NL2005811 C2 NL 2005811C2 NL 2005811 A NL2005811 A NL 2005811A NL 2005811 A NL2005811 A NL 2005811A NL 2005811 C2 NL2005811 C2 NL 2005811C2
- Authority
- NL
- Netherlands
- Prior art keywords
- solar panel
- contacts
- soldering
- solder
- solder paste
- Prior art date
Links
Classifications
-
- 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
- B23K1/00—Soldering, e.g. brazing, or unsoldering
- B23K1/005—Soldering by means of radiant energy
- B23K1/0056—Soldering by means of radiant energy soldering by means of beams, e.g. lasers, E.B.
-
- 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
- B23K1/00—Soldering, e.g. brazing, or unsoldering
- B23K1/0008—Soldering, e.g. brazing, or unsoldering specially adapted for particular articles or work
- B23K1/0016—Brazing of electronic components
-
- 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
-
- 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
- H10F19/90—Structures for connecting between photovoltaic cells, e.g. interconnections or insulating spacers
- H10F19/902—Structures for connecting between photovoltaic cells, e.g. interconnections or insulating spacers for series or parallel connection of photovoltaic cells
- H10F19/908—Structures for connecting between photovoltaic cells, e.g. interconnections or insulating spacers for series or parallel connection of photovoltaic cells for back-contact photovoltaic cells
-
- 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
- H10F71/00—Manufacture or treatment of devices covered by this subclass
- H10F71/137—Batch treatment of the devices
- H10F71/1375—Apparatus for automatic interconnection of photovoltaic cells in a module
-
- 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
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Optics & Photonics (AREA)
- Photovoltaic Devices (AREA)
Abstract
The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for soldering electrical contacts in a solar panel, comprising a back sheet foil with a number of first contacts, a number of solar cells each having a number of second contacts, to be connected to the first contacts, a front layer and solder paste pads applied to the first contacts or second contacts, wherein heat is locally applied to the solder to make it melt and form connections after solidifying, wherein at least during the soldering the solar panel is compressed in the direction perpendicular to its main plane. The forces thus developed will compress the solar panel to such an extend that the forming of bulges is prevented and the quality of the solder joints is improved.
Description
Method and apparatus for soldering contacts in a solar panel
The present invention relates to the assembly of solar panels. Solar panels comprise a number of solar cells and a structure to unite these solar cells, to protect them against 5 the rain and other weather influences and to connect them electrically.
The present invention relates more specifically to the assembly of solar cells comprising a back sheet foil with a number of first contacts, a number of solar cells each with a number of second contacts, to be connected to the first contacts, a front layer and solder 10 paste pads applied to the first contacts or second contacts. Further an encapsulant material is added. During assembly these components are stacked and heated under pressure to form a solar panel. The encapsulant material melts and after solidifying thereof a rigid unit is obtained as is described in US-A-5 972 732.
15 Further electrical connections have to be made between the first and second contacts. Although it is not excluded that the heat applied during the melting of the encapsulant material will cause the solder present between the first and second contacts to melt, commonly extra heat will have to be applied locally to form reliable contacts which is of utmost importance for a solar panel. Hence laser is used to apply heat locally to form 20 reliable electrical connections.
The local application of heat to the solder to make it melt and form connections after solidifying causes thermal expansion of the contacts, the solder and the material surrounding these parts. Also these parts may emit gasses. These effects may lead to 25 bulging of the most flexible outer layer of the solar panel being processed. Hence thermal contact between the back sheet foil and the solar cells is lost and complete melting of the solder and heating of the parts to be connected is hindered leading to imperfect solder joints and hence to a substantial lowering of the yield. This process is only limited by the weight of the solar panel or module, which is insufficient to avoid 30 the disadvantages mentioned above.
To overcome these disadvantages, the present invention proposes a method of the kind referred to above, wherein at least during the soldering the solar panel is compressed in the direction perpendicular to its main plane.
2
The forces thus developed will compress the solar panel to such an extend that the forming of bulges is prevented and the quality of the solder joints is improved.
The invention also relates to an apparatus for soldering electrical contacts in a solar 5 panel, the solar panel comprising a back sheet foil with a number of first contacts, a number of solar cells each having a number of second contacts, to be connected to the first contacts, a front layer and solder paste pads applied to the first contacts or to the second contacts, the apparatus comprising means for locally applying heat to the solder paste pads to make the solder melt, a support for locating the solar panel to be soldered 10 and a laser apparatus for heating the solder paste pads to melt these solder paste pads to form a solder joint between the first and the second contacts after solidification, further comprising means for compressing the solar panel in the direction perpendicular to its main plane.
15 The forces may be generated by depositing a body with a substantial weight on the solar panel during the soldering process. The weight of the body should be sufficient to generate the pressure which is sufficient to compress the solar panel to such an extend that the bulging does not appear.
20 This embodiment also provides an apparatus comprising a body with a substantial weight adapted to be located on the solar panel and means for arranging the body on the solar panel and for removing the body from the solar panel. Herein it should be noted that the heat for the soldering process is supplied through laser. The body should hence have such a configuration that the paths of the laser beams is not hampered. This may 25 be reached by providing an aperture in the body adapted to let the laser beams pass, or by using a body which is transparent for the laser beams.
However according to a preferred embodiment the body is substantially flat and it comprises apertures arranged in a pattern coinciding with the pattern of the solder pads. 30 Herein the laser beams can pass the body through the apertures.
According to another preferred embodiment preceding the soldering process, clamps are brought into engagement with the solar panel, in such a way that during the soldering process the clamps compress the components of the solar panel in a direction 3 perpendicular to the main plane of the solar panel and that after the soldering process the clamps are removed.
This embodiment also provides an apparatus comprising clamps adapted to be brought 5 into engagement with the solar panel and means for activating the clamps to compress the components of the solar panel in a direction perpendicular to the main plane of the solar panel. This embodiment avoids the problems with the body having a substantial weight. Again these clamping means must be adapted to avoid hampering the laser beams.
10
However the most promising embodiment provides a method wherein during the soldering a pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure is applied on apertures in a support onto which the solar panel rests during the soldering process. Herein the surrounding pressure urges the upper parts of the solar panel to the lower layers so that 15 the layers are pressed together, just as in the preceding embodiments. The pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure can be adapted to obtain the required effect, to a minimum of an approximation of a vacuum.
This last embodiment also provides an apparatus comprising apertures located in the 20 support and by a vacuum pump connected to the apertures. The solar panel rests on the support and the lower pressure is applied through the apertures provided in the support.
Further the support comprises preferably a material having some resiliency, like a rubber layer having preferably a thickness of around 2mm and a hardness of 90 shore. 25 However other materials as support can also be envisaged, like glass, plastic, metal, etc.
Subsequently the present invention will be elucidated with the help of the accompanying drawings, showing:
Figure 1: a detailed cross sectional view of a solar panel of the type to which the 30 present invention pertains;
Figure 2: a cross sectional view of a solar panel, wherein a first embodiment is applied;
Figure 3: a cross sectional view of a solar panel, wherein a second embodiment is applied; and 4
Figure 4: a cross sectional view of a solar panel, wherein a third embodiment is applied.
Figure 1 depicts a section of a solar panel 1 which has been assembled but which is not 5 yet soldered. It comprises a glass plate 2 on top, under which a solar cell 3 has been arranged. At its underside the solar cell 1 is provided of a number of second solder contacts 4, of which only one has been depicted. The solar cell 3 is of the so called back contact type, in particular of the metal wrap through type, so that the contacts of both polarities are present on the back side of the cell 3. The lowest layer of the solar panel 1 10 is a foil 5 of an electrically insulating material, on top of which metal tracks 6 and first solder contacts 7 have been provided. A solder pad 8 has been provided on each of the first solder contacts 7, although it is also possible to have the solder pad 8 applied to the second solder contacts 4. Further between the glass plate 2, the foil 5 and in between the solar cells a filling and adhesive material 9 has been provided which unites, after being 15 heated, all parts of the solar panel.
The solder pads 8 which are still solid, need to be melted to form a connection between the first and second solder contacts 7, 4 after solidifying. Therefore use is made of laser beams, not depicted in this figure and which act locally to melt the solder pads. It will 20 be clear that the heating of the solder pads will also heat the parts in the area surrounding the solder parts, mainly through thermal conduction. This will lead to local expansion of those parts, leading to bulging of those parts, in particular of the lower foil. Further the heating may cause expulsion of gasses, also contributing to bulging.
The effect of the bulging, or rather the non flatness of the panel, will increase the 25 distance between the first and second solder contacts. It is then not always assured that a thorough reliable electrical contact is obtained. The reliability of the electrical contacts is of utmost importance in solar panels as a defect contact will lead to significant lower efficiency and to further defects.
30 In figure 2 the solar panel 1 as a whole is shown. The solar panel rests on a support 11, while on top of the panel 1 a body 12 with a substantial weight has been located. Said body comprises apertures 13, which are each aligned with the locations of the solder connections 8 to be made. Herein the apertures are adapted in location and shape to allow the beams 14 of a laser source 15 located above the support 11 to reach the solder 5 pads 8. In this embodiment the weight of the body 12 compresses the solar panel 1 to avoid bulging thereof, so that the reliability of the solder connections is assured. In this embodiment it is assumed that the solar panels, which are produced in large numbers, are supplied on a conveyor, which forms the support. Soldering takes place on a non 5 moving support. As soon as a solar panel has been soldered, it is conveyed further.
Figure 3 shows an embodiment wherein the solar panel 1 is compressed. The solar panel 1 is located onto a support 21, of which the width is smaller than the width of the solar panel 1, so that the solar panel protrudes over the support 21. It is possible that instead 10 of or in addition to protruding in de direction of the width, the solar panel 1 protrudes in the direction of the length over the support.
At each of the protruding sides of the solar panel a clamp 22 has been provided. The clamps 22 serve to compress the solar panel 1. The clamps 22 comprise each a fixed 15 part 23 adapted to contact the lower face of the solar panel 1 and a moveable part 24 connected hinged to the fixed part 23. A linear actuator 25 is hinged connected between the fixed part 23 and the moveable part 24 so that actuation of the linear actuator 25 causes the clamp 22 to compress the parts present between the fixed part 23 and the moveable part 24 of the clamp. In the shown embodiment clamps 22 with a hydraulic 20 actuation are foreseen, but the use of clamps having other kinds of actuation, such as pneumatic or electromagnetic are not excluded. The drawings show two clamps 22 only, but a skilled man will understand that other numbers of clamps, such as four, six or eight may be used, in dependence of the size of the solar panel 1 and of the clamps.
25 Further it will be clear that the clamps 22 are mounted moveably in substantial horizontal direction in a structure not depicted in the drawings, so that the clamps 22 may be moved from the position depicted in the drawings to a position more sideways of the solar panel 1 to allow the solar panel 1 to be moved into and out of the position depicted in figure 3. Further it will be clear that preceding the soldering action of the 30 solar panel, the clamps will be actuated to compress the solar panel and after the soldering action the clamps will be released.
Figure 4 shows an solar panel 1 resting on a support 31, which is preferably made of rubber or of another material with a hardness or another material having a some 6 resiliency and which is provided with a number of apertures 32. The apertures 32 are all connected to a vacuum pump 33 via tubing 34. The action of this embodiment is such that preceding the soldering of the solar panel 1 located on the support 31, the vacuum pump 33 is actuated to reduce the pressure under the solar panel and to make the 5 ambient pressure compressing the solar panel. After the soldering the vacuum pump is switched off and the tubing connected with the ambient to allow the vacuum to release, making the solar panel ready for the next processing step.
It will be clear that other embodiments will fall within the invention as defined by the 10 accompanying claims.
15
Claims (11)
Priority Applications (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
NL2005811A NL2005811C2 (en) | 2010-09-24 | 2010-12-03 | Method and apparatus for soldering contacts in a solar panel. |
PCT/NL2011/050635 WO2012039610A1 (en) | 2010-09-24 | 2011-09-20 | Method and apparatus for soldering contacts in a solar panel |
Applications Claiming Priority (4)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
NL2005397 | 2010-09-24 | ||
NL2005397 | 2010-09-24 | ||
NL2005811A NL2005811C2 (en) | 2010-09-24 | 2010-12-03 | Method and apparatus for soldering contacts in a solar panel. |
NL2005811 | 2010-12-03 |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
NL2005811C2 true NL2005811C2 (en) | 2012-03-27 |
Family
ID=45874015
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
NL2005811A NL2005811C2 (en) | 2010-09-24 | 2010-12-03 | Method and apparatus for soldering contacts in a solar panel. |
Country Status (2)
Country | Link |
---|---|
NL (1) | NL2005811C2 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2012039610A1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US9461192B2 (en) | 2014-12-16 | 2016-10-04 | Sunpower Corporation | Thick damage buffer for foil-based metallization of solar cells |
CN108687442B (en) * | 2017-03-30 | 2021-10-01 | 法拉第未来公司 | System and method for welding |
US11362234B2 (en) | 2018-04-06 | 2022-06-14 | Sunpower Corporation | Local patterning and metallization of semiconductor structures using a laser beam |
Citations (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US5972732A (en) * | 1997-12-19 | 1999-10-26 | Sandia Corporation | Method of monolithic module assembly |
WO2009113640A1 (en) * | 2008-03-12 | 2009-09-17 | 京セラ株式会社 | Solar cell module and method of manufacturing the same |
WO2010027265A2 (en) * | 2008-09-05 | 2010-03-11 | Solland Solar Energy Holding B.V. | Method of monolithic photo-voltaic module assembly |
DE102008047517A1 (en) * | 2008-09-16 | 2010-03-25 | Paul, Cornelius, Dipl.-Ing. | Method for assembly and soldering of solar cells, involves using contact units for connecting solar cells, where solar cells, contact units and soldering agent are assembled on base plate to cell matrix |
-
2010
- 2010-12-03 NL NL2005811A patent/NL2005811C2/en not_active IP Right Cessation
-
2011
- 2011-09-20 WO PCT/NL2011/050635 patent/WO2012039610A1/en active Application Filing
Patent Citations (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US5972732A (en) * | 1997-12-19 | 1999-10-26 | Sandia Corporation | Method of monolithic module assembly |
WO2009113640A1 (en) * | 2008-03-12 | 2009-09-17 | 京セラ株式会社 | Solar cell module and method of manufacturing the same |
WO2010027265A2 (en) * | 2008-09-05 | 2010-03-11 | Solland Solar Energy Holding B.V. | Method of monolithic photo-voltaic module assembly |
DE102008047517A1 (en) * | 2008-09-16 | 2010-03-25 | Paul, Cornelius, Dipl.-Ing. | Method for assembly and soldering of solar cells, involves using contact units for connecting solar cells, where solar cells, contact units and soldering agent are assembled on base plate to cell matrix |
Non-Patent Citations (2)
Title |
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H. KNAUSS, M. MC CANN, W. NEU, P. FATH, W. JOOSS, M. KLENK, S. KELLER, D. W. K. EIKELBOOM, A. SCHÖNECKER, T. BRUTON, S. ROBERTS: "The advantage project: development of new interconnection and encapsulation techniques for back-contact solar cells", NINETEENTH EUROPEAN PHOTOVOLTAIC SOLAR ENERGY CONFERENCE : PROCEEDINGS OF THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE HELD IN PARIS, FRANCE, 7 - 11 JUNE 2004, MÜNCHEN : WIP-MUNICH ; FLORENCE : ETA-FLORENCE, 7 June 2004 (2004-06-07), XP040510965, ISBN: 978-3-936338-15-7 * |
M. GAST, M. KÖNTGES, R. BRENDEL: "In-laminate laser soldering - A gentle method to assemble and interconnect silicon solar cells to modules", 21ST EUROPEAN PHOTOVOLTAIC SOLAR ENERGY CONFERENCE : PROCEEDINGS OF THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE HELD IN DRESDEN, GERMANY, 4 - 8 SEPTEMBER 2006, WIP RENEWABLE ENERGIES, MÜNCHEN, 4 September 2006 (2006-09-04), XP040512740, ISBN: 978-3-936338-20-1 * |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
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WO2012039610A1 (en) | 2012-03-29 |
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