WO2010023845A1 - 太陽電池の製造方法 - Google Patents
太陽電池の製造方法 Download PDFInfo
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- WO2010023845A1 WO2010023845A1 PCT/JP2009/003956 JP2009003956W WO2010023845A1 WO 2010023845 A1 WO2010023845 A1 WO 2010023845A1 JP 2009003956 W JP2009003956 W JP 2009003956W WO 2010023845 A1 WO2010023845 A1 WO 2010023845A1
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- structural defect
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- 230000008439 repair process Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 69
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Classifications
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L31/00—Semiconductor devices sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation and specially adapted either for the conversion of the energy of such radiation into electrical energy or for the control of electrical energy by such radiation; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof
- H01L31/18—Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment of these devices or of parts thereof
- H01L31/186—Particular post-treatment for the devices, e.g. annealing, impurity gettering, short-circuit elimination, recrystallisation
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L31/00—Semiconductor devices sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation and specially adapted either for the conversion of the energy of such radiation into electrical energy or for the control of electrical energy by such radiation; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof
- H01L31/04—Semiconductor devices sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation and specially adapted either for the conversion of the energy of such radiation into electrical energy or for the control of electrical energy by such radiation; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof adapted as photovoltaic [PV] conversion devices
- H01L31/042—PV modules or arrays of single PV cells
- H01L31/0445—PV modules or arrays of single PV cells including thin film solar cells, e.g. single thin film a-Si, CIS or CdTe solar cells
- H01L31/046—PV modules composed of a plurality of thin film solar cells deposited on the same substrate
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L31/00—Semiconductor devices sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation and specially adapted either for the conversion of the energy of such radiation into electrical energy or for the control of electrical energy by such radiation; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof
- H01L31/18—Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment of these devices or of parts thereof
- H01L31/20—Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment of these devices or of parts thereof such devices or parts thereof comprising amorphous semiconductor materials
- H01L31/208—Particular post-treatment of the devices, e.g. annealing, short-circuit elimination
-
- 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
-
- 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
- Y02P—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS
- Y02P70/00—Climate change mitigation technologies in the production process for final industrial or consumer products
- Y02P70/50—Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a solar cell. More specifically, the present invention removes the semiconductor layer and the second electrode layer with a laser to form a repair line, and the repair line and the scribe line reliably remove and separate the structural defect region from the normal region.
- the present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a possible solar cell. More specifically, the present invention relates to a solar cell capable of minimizing a decrease in photoelectric conversion efficiency by minimizing an area used for removing and separating a structural defect region from a normal region. It relates to a manufacturing method.
- a solar cell using a silicon single crystal exhibits excellent energy conversion efficiency per unit area.
- a solar cell using a silicon single crystal uses a silicon wafer obtained by slicing a silicon single crystal ingot, a large amount of energy is consumed in the production of the silicon single crystal ingot. Therefore, a solar cell using a silicon single crystal has a high manufacturing cost.
- a large-area solar cell installed outdoors or the like is to be realized with a solar cell using a silicon single crystal, the current cost is considerably high.
- solar cells using amorphous (amorphous) silicon thin films that can be manufactured at lower cost are widely used as low-cost solar cells.
- Amorphous silicon solar cells have a semiconductor film having a layer structure called a pin junction in which an amorphous silicon film (i-type) that generates electrons and holes when light is received is sandwiched between p-type and n-type silicon films. Electrodes are formed on both sides of the semiconductor film. Electrons and holes generated by receiving sunlight actively move due to the potential difference between the p-type and n-type semiconductors. By repeating this movement continuously, a potential difference is generated between the electrodes formed on both sides of the semiconductor film.
- i-type amorphous silicon film
- a transparent electrode such as TCO is formed as a lower electrode on a glass substrate on the light receiving surface side, and amorphous silicon (semiconductor film) is formed on the lower electrode.
- An Ag thin film or the like is formed.
- the potential difference is small by simply depositing each layer uniformly over a wide area on the substrate. There are problems and resistance values. For this reason, a plurality of partition elements are formed in the photoelectric conversion body.
- partition elements are configured such that the photoelectric conversion body is electrically partitioned for each predetermined size, and only the partition elements adjacent to each other are electrically connected. Specifically, a plurality of strip-shaped partition elements are formed by forming grooves called scribe lines on a photoelectric conversion body uniformly formed over a large area on a substrate by laser light or the like. Further, adjacent partition elements are electrically connected in series.
- the amorphous silicon solar cell having the above-described structure has some structural defects in the manufacturing stage.
- particles may be mixed in or pinholes may be generated, so that the upper electrode and the lower electrode are locally short-circuited.
- the metal film constituting the upper electrode is melted along the scribe line. In some cases, the molten metal film contacts the lower electrode, and the upper electrode and the lower electrode are locally short-circuited.
- the defect is repaired by a process of detecting a structural defect such as a short circuit or a process of removing a place where the structural defect has occurred.
- the transparent conductive film (lower electrode) and the back electrode are conventionally straddled across the scribe line 119 (119a, 119b) by laser irradiation.
- Repair wires (R′1 to R′4) from which the three layers of the (upper electrode) and the semiconductor bonding layer (semiconductor film) were removed were formed, and the structural defects A were removed or separated.
- the present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and a solar cell capable of reliably removing or separating a defective portion from a normal region while suppressing adverse effects occurring in a normal region where no defect exists in the solar cell. It aims at providing the manufacturing method of.
- the present invention provides the following method for manufacturing a solar cell.
- a photoelectric conversion body in which at least a first electrode layer, a semiconductor layer, and a second electrode layer are stacked in this order is formed on one surface of the substrate; the first electrode layer and the first electrode layer A connecting portion of two electrode layers; and the photoelectric converter has a plurality of partitioning elements that are electrically partitioned for each predetermined size by a scribe line from which the semiconductor layer and the second electrode layer are removed.
- the Seen, the restoration process of removing or separating the structural defect comprises.
- the photoelectric converter in one of the at least three repair lines, a region ⁇ between the structural defect and the connection portion and a region ⁇ in which the semiconductor layer includes a contact portion with the substrate.
- a repair line is formed.
- the one repair line may be formed in the region ⁇ between the structural defect and the contact site inside the region ⁇ . good.
- substrate was included between the structural defect and the connection part of a 1st electrode layer and a 2nd electrode layer
- One repair line is formed at ⁇ , and it is possible to reliably remove and isolate a region where a structural defect exists by this repair line and at least two other repair lines and a scribe line.
- the area removed or separated from the normal area is smaller than in the prior art, and only two layers of the repair line, that is, the semiconductor layer and the second electrode layer, may be removed with a laser. Adversely affecting the normal area of the solar cell. Therefore, it is possible to manufacture a solar cell free from structural defects and excellent in photoelectric conversion efficiency.
- the region to be removed or separated from the normal amount region can be made smaller than the invention of (1), and the characteristics as a solar cell are not greatly reduced, In addition, the defective portion can be repaired without deteriorating the appearance. For this reason, it becomes possible to manufacture a solar cell free from structural defects and excellent in photoelectric conversion efficiency.
- FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view when three repair wires (R1 to R3) are formed.
- FIG. 6 is a top view when three repair lines (R1 to R3) are formed.
- FIG. 7 is a top view when four repair lines (R1 to R4) are formed.
- FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view when three repair wires (R1 to R3) are formed.
- FIG. 6 is a top view when three repair lines (R1 to R3) are formed.
- FIG. 7 is a top view when four repair lines (R1 to R4) are formed. It is a top view which shows an example of the conventional defect repair process.
- FIG. 1 is an enlarged perspective view of an essential part showing an example of an amorphous silicon type solar cell manufactured by the method for manufacturing a solar cell of the present invention.
- 2A is a partial cross-sectional view showing the layer configuration of the solar cell of FIG.
- the solar cell 10 includes a transparent insulating substrate 11 and a photoelectric conversion body 12 formed on one surface 11 a of the substrate 11.
- substrate 11 may be comprised with the durable insulating material which is excellent in the transmittance
- first electrode layer (lower electrode) 13 a semiconductor layer 14, and a second electrode layer (upper electrode) 15 are stacked in this order from the substrate 11 side.
- the first electrode layer (lower electrode) 13 may be made of a transparent conductive material, for example, a light transmissive metal oxide such as TCO or ITO.
- the second electrode layer (upper electrode) 15 may be composed of a conductive metal film such as Ag or Cu.
- the semiconductor layer 14 has a pin junction structure in which an i-type amorphous silicon film 16 is sandwiched between a p-type amorphous silicon film 17 and an n-type amorphous silicon film 18 as shown in FIG. 2B, for example.
- an i-type amorphous silicon film 16 is sandwiched between a p-type amorphous silicon film 17 and an n-type amorphous silicon film 18 as shown in FIG. 2B, for example.
- sunlight enters the semiconductor layer 14
- electrons and holes are generated, and electrons (and holes) are actively moved by the potential difference between the p-type amorphous silicon film 17 and the n-type amorphous silicon film 18.
- a potential difference is generated between the first electrode layer (lower electrode) 13 and the second electrode layer (upper electrode) 15. This phenomenon is called photoelectric conversion.
- the photoelectric conversion body 12 is partitioned by the scribe line 19 into a large number of partition elements 21, 21,.
- the partition elements 21, 21,... Are electrically partitioned by a scribe line 19.
- the partition elements 21 adjacent to each other are electrically connected in series, for example. Thereby, since the photoelectric conversion body 12 will be in the state which connected all the division elements 21, 21, ... in series, it can take out the electric current of a high electrical potential difference.
- the scribe line 19 may be formed, for example, by forming the photoelectric conversion body 12 uniformly on the one surface 11a of the substrate 11 and then forming grooves in the photoelectric conversion body 12 at a predetermined interval with a laser or the like.
- a protective layer made of an insulating resin or the like is further formed on the second electrode layer (upper electrode) 15 constituting a part of the photoelectric converter 12. .
- FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing step by step the method for manufacturing a solar cell of the present invention. Among these, a process from detection of a structural defect to repair of the structural defect will be described in detail.
- the photoelectric conversion body 12 is formed on the one surface 11a of the transparent substrate 11 (photoelectric conversion body formation process: P1).
- the photoelectric conversion body 12 may be formed by laminating a first electrode layer (lower electrode) 13, a semiconductor layer 14, and a second electrode layer (upper electrode) 15 in this order from the substrate 11 side.
- a structural defect A1 caused by contamination mixed in the semiconductor layer 14 or a structure caused by fine pinholes generated in the semiconductor layer 14.
- a defect such as the defect A2 may occur.
- Such a structural defect A (A1, A2) locally short-circuits (leaks) between the first electrode layer 13 and the second electrode layer 15 and decreases power generation efficiency.
- a scribe line 19 is formed on the photoelectric converter 12 by a laser or the like irradiated toward the photoelectric converter 12. 1 are formed in the photoelectric conversion body 12 (partition element forming step: P2).
- the solar cell 10 formed through the above steps is then completed through a defect region specifying step (P3) and / or a defect repairing step (P4) and then a step (P5) of forming a protective layer and the like.
- a defect region specifying step (P3) a region D in which the structural defect A represented by the above-described A1 to A2 exists in each partition element 21 is specified.
- the defect repairing step (P4) the region D in which the structural defect A exists detected in the defect region specifying step (P3) is removed or separated from the normal region for repairing.
- the defect area specifying step (P3) is not particularly limited as long as it is a step capable of specifying a portion having a defect. For example, measurement of resistance value, measurement of FF (fill factor), CCD camera, etc. You may specify the location which has a defect based on imaging.
- the partition element 21s where the structural defect A exists and the region D where the structural defect A exists are specified by measuring the resistance value, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, first, in the longitudinal direction L of the strip-shaped partition element 21 Set several measurement points along. Then, the resistance value is measured between the partition elements 21 and 21 adjacent to each other. Based on the distribution of the measured values (decrease in resistance value), the partition element 21s where the structural defect A exists and the region D where the structural defect A exists can be specified. At this time, using a measuring device in which a large number of probes are arranged at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction L of the partition element 21, the resistance values of the multiple partition elements 21, 21.
- a method of completing by moving up and down, or a method of scanning the probe along the longitudinal direction L of the partition element 21 and repeatedly measuring the probe at a predetermined measurement point may be employed.
- the resistance value is measured by a two-probe system that uses a set of two probes that both apply a predetermined bias voltage and measure a current value.
- any of a four-probe type consisting of two sets of four probes in which application of a bias current of a predetermined value and measurement of a voltage value are performed with different probes may be employed.
- a resistance value is calculated based on these voltage value and current value.
- the measurement interval of the terminal may be changed based on a plurality of predetermined threshold values.
- threshold values X, Y, and Z (X>Y> Z) of resistance values are determined.
- the resistance value is equal to or greater than the threshold value X
- the resistance value is the threshold value X.
- resistance value is less than or equal to threshold Z
- the resistance value increases, the measurement interval is increased every time the threshold value is exceeded.
- the resistance value gradually changes (decreases), and thus the position of the structural defect A can be detected quickly and accurately by changing the measurement interval for each threshold value. it can.
- the defect region specifying step (P3) based on the measurement of the FF, the FF values of the partition elements 21 and 21 adjacent to each other are compared, and the structure defect A exists particularly in a region where the FF value is lowered. It can be specified as region D.
- the defect area specifying step (P3) based on the imaging of the CCD camera is performed by combining a high-power lens with the CCD camera, for example.
- a high-power lens In order to determine the position of the structural defect A from the captured image, it may be determined by visual observation by a human, and the image data of the partition element that is the inspection object and the partition element without a defect captured in advance by a computer The determination may be made by comparison with the image data.
- the defect area specifying process when an area where the structural defect A exists in the solar cell is found (YES in P3), a defect repairing process (P4) described below is performed.
- the partition element 21s in which the structural defect A exists in the solar cell is not found (NO in P3), the product is obtained through the process P5 for forming a protective layer or the like as a non-defective product.
- the region D where the structural defect A exists can be specified in more detail by performing the defect region specifying step (P3) described above a plurality of times. At this time, it is preferable that the measurement interval of the resistance value be finer than the measurement interval of the resistance value in all steps.
- the region D where the structural defect A exists by appropriately combining resistance value measurement, FF measurement, and imaging with a CCD camera.
- the narrowed region is further picked up by an image pick-up means such as a CCD camera. It becomes possible to specify the exact position where the structural defect A exists in the. Although it takes a lot of time to identify a defect area by imaging an inspection object having a large area, the area to be imaged is preliminarily determined based on the distribution of resistance values that can be measured in a short time. By narrowing down to a small area, it is possible to specify the exact position of the structural defect A in a very short time.
- the defect repairing step (P4) the structural defect A (A1, A2) of the solar cell whose exact position is specified is repaired.
- the region D in which the structural defect A specified through the defect region specifying step (P3) described above is irradiated with a laser, and the semiconductor layer 14 in the region D in which the structural defect A exists and The two-electrode layer 15 is removed.
- this defect repairing step (P4) since the exact location of the structural defect A in the partition element 21 is specified in the defect region specifying step (P3), only the minimum range including the structural defect A is removed. I can do things.
- FIG. 6A, FIG. 6B, and FIG. 6C are diagrams schematically showing an example when the repair line R is formed by laser irradiation.
- 6A is a cross-sectional view when three repair lines (R1 to R3) are formed
- FIG. 6B is a top view when three repair lines (R1 to R3) are formed
- FIG. 6C is a top view when four repair lines (R1 to R4) are formed.
- 6A is also an LL cross-sectional view in FIG. 6B.
- repair line R1 is formed by a laser in the region ⁇ including the portion B where the semiconductor layer 14 is in contact with the substrate 11.
- the repair line R1 is formed by irradiating a laser from the second electrode layer 15 side and removing the second electrode layer 15 and the semiconductor layer 14. 6A, 6B, and 6C, even if one repair line R1 is formed in the region ⁇ between the structural defect A and the portion B included in the region ⁇ . good.
- the repair line R1 in the region ⁇ between the structural defect A and the part B, the region of the photoelectric conversion body to be removed or separated can be further reduced.
- two repair lines R ⁇ b> 2 and R ⁇ b> 3 are formed so that the structural defect A is insulated from the photoelectric conversion body 12.
- the repair lines R2 and R3 can be formed using a laser similarly to the repair line R1. That is, the structural defect A is surrounded by the three repair lines R1, R2, R3 and the scribe line 19b, and the region D having the structural defect A is insulated from the photoelectric conversion body 12.
- one repair line R1 is formed in the region ⁇ , and the structural defect A is surrounded by the three repair lines R1 to R3 including the repair line and the one scribe line 19b.
- the region D having the structural defect A can be reliably insulated from the photoelectric conversion body 12.
- a fourth repair line R4 with a laser, surround the structural defect A with the repair lines R1 to R4, and insulate it from the photoelectric converter 12. Further, after forming the repair lines R1 to R3 or R1 to R4, it is also possible to remove the region D by irradiating the region D where the structural defect A exists with a laser. Further, when a plurality of structural defects A are in proximity, the plurality of structural defects A are surrounded by three repair lines R1 to R3 and a scribe line 19b or four repair lines R1 to R4. It is also possible to remove or separate them.
- the laser is not particularly limited as long as the second electrode layer 15 and the semiconductor layer 14 can be removed, and for example, a laser can be used.
- FIG. 7A, FIG. 7B, and FIG. 7C are diagrams schematically illustrating another example when the repair line R is formed by laser irradiation.
- FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional view when three repair wires (R1 to R3) are formed.
- FIG. 7B is a top view when three repair lines (R1 to R3) are formed.
- FIG. 7C is a top view when four repair lines (R1 to R4) are formed.
- 7A is also a cross-sectional view taken along line MM in FIG. 7B.
- repair line R1 is formed by a laser in the region ⁇ including the part B in contact with. As described above, the repair line R1 is formed by irradiating the laser from the second electrode layer 15 side and removing the second electrode layer 15 and the semiconductor layer 14.
- FIG. 7B two repair lines R2 and R3 are similarly formed by a laser so that the structural defect A is insulated from the photoelectric conversion body 12.
- the structural defect A is surrounded by the three repair lines R1, R2, R3 and the scribe line 19b, and the region D having the structural defect A is insulated from the photoelectric conversion body 12. 7A, 7B and 7C, even if one repair line R1 is formed in the region ⁇ between the region B and the connection portion C included in the region ⁇ . good.
- the repair line R1 in the region ⁇ between the part B and the connection part C, the laser is irradiated across the two scribe lines 119a and 119b, compared with the conventional technique shown in FIG.
- the area of the photoelectric conversion body to be removed or separated can be reduced.
- the part B when the structural defect A is in the vicinity of the part B, the part B may be damaged when the laser is irradiated, but the laser irradiation pattern shown in FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C is performed.
- the region D having the structural defect A can be reliably removed or separated without damaging the photoelectric conversion body. For this reason, occurrence of defects due to local short-circuiting is suppressed, and deterioration of photoelectric conversion characteristics due to the structural defect A can be effectively suppressed.
- FIG. 7C similarly to FIG.
- the fourth repair line R4 is formed in the adjacent partition element 21n, the structural defect A is surrounded by the repair lines R1 to R4, and the photoelectric converter 12 It can also be insulated. Further, it is possible to irradiate the region D where the structural defect A is present with a laser to remove this region, and it is also possible to remove or separate the plurality of structural defects A collectively.
- the solar cell in which the structural defect A existing in the partition element 21 is specified and removed or separated through the defect region specifying step (P3) and the defect repairing step (P4) is a protective layer forming step ( P5) for subsequent processing.
- the method for manufacturing a solar cell of the present invention it is possible to remove only the minimum region including the structural defect A in the defect repairing process, and the characteristics as a solar cell are not greatly deteriorated and the appearance is impaired.
- the defect can be repaired without any problems.
- the number of laser removal steps can be reduced as compared with the conventional case, and adverse effects on normal areas of the solar cell are suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to manufacture a solar cell free from structural defects and excellent in photoelectric conversion efficiency.
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Abstract
Description
本願は、2008年8月29日に、日本に出願された特願2008-222171号に基づき優先権を主張し、その内容をここに援用する。
そこで、より安価に製造可能なアモルファス(非晶質)シリコン薄膜を利用した太陽電池が、低コストな太陽電池として普及している。
太陽光を受けて発生する電子とホールは、p型・n型半導体の電位差によって活発に移動する。この移動が連続的に繰り返されることで、半導体膜の両面に形成された電極に電位差が生じる。
(1)本発明の太陽電池の製造方法は、少なくとも第一電極層、半導体層、第二電極層をこの順に重ねた光電変換体が基板の一面に形成され;前記第一電極層及び前記第二電極層の接続部分を有し;前記光電変換体は前記半導体層と前記第二電極層とが除去されたスクライブ線によって所定のサイズごとに電気的に区画された複数の区画素子を有し;互いに隣接する前記区画素子どうしが電気的に接続される太陽電池の製造方法であって、前記光電変換体における、構造欠陥が存在する領域を特定する欠陥領域特定工程と;前記光電変換体に、レーザーを照射して前記半導体層と前記第二電極層とが除去された少なくとも3つのリペア線を形成し、前記少なくとも3つのリペア線と1つの前記スクライブ線とで前記構造欠陥が存在する領域を囲み、前記構造欠陥を除去もしくは分離する修復工程と;を備える。前記光電変換体において、前記構造欠陥と前記接続部分との間の領域で、かつ、前記半導体層が前記基板との接触部位が含まれる領域αに、前記少なくとも3つのリペア線のうち1本のリペア線が形成される。
(2)上記(1)に記載の太陽電池の製造方法では、前記領域αの内部で、前記構造欠陥と前記接触部位との間の領域βに、前記1本のリペア線を形成しても良い。
(3)上記(1)に記載の太陽電池の製造方法では、前記領域αの内部で、前記接触部位と前記接続部分との間の領域γに、前記1本のリペア線を形成しても良い。
上記(2)及び(3)の発明によれば、上記(1)の発明よりも更に正常量領域から除去あるいは分離させる領域を小さくすることができ、太陽電池としての特性を大きく低下させず、かつ外観も損なうことなく欠陥箇所の修復を行うことができる。このため、構造欠陥が無く、かつ光電変換効率に優れた太陽電池を製造することが可能となる。
まず、図1に示すように、透明な基板11の一面11aの上に光電変換体12を形成する(光電変換体形成工程:P1)。光電変換体12は、例えば、基板11側から順に、第一電極層(下部電極)13、半導体層14、第二電極層(上部電極)15を積層して形成しても良い。
欠陥領域特定工程(P3)は、欠陥がある箇所を特定できる工程であれば特に限定されるものではないが、例えば抵抗値の測定、FF(fill factor:曲線因子)の測定、CCDカメラ等による撮像などに基づき欠陥がある箇所を特定しても良い。
このように構造欠陥Aの特定を行なう場合、抵抗値の測定には、所定値のバイアス電圧の印加と、電流値の測定とを兼ねた1組2本の探針で行う2探針式、または、所定値のバイアス電流の印加と電圧値の測定とを別な探針で行う2組4本の探針からなる4探針式のいずれを採用しても良い。これらの電圧値と電流値とに基づき抵抗値が算出される。また別な検出方法においては、予め決めた複数の閾値に基づき、端子の測定間隔を変更してもよい。例えば、抵抗値の閾値X、Y、Z(X>Y>Z)を決め、抵抗値が閾値X以上の場合は10端子毎に測定し(端子の測定間隔=10)、抵抗値が閾値X以下となったら5端子毎に測定し(端子の測定間隔=5)、抵抗値が閾値Y以下となったら2端子毎に測定し(端子の測定間隔を=2)、抵抗値が閾値Z以下となったら各端子毎に測定する(端子の測定間隔=1)。抵抗値が大きくなる場合は、逆に閾値を越える毎に測定間隔を広げて測定する。構造欠陥Aがある場合、抵抗値は徐々に変化する(低下していく)ので、このように閾値毎に測定間隔を変更することで、迅速かつ正確に構造欠陥Aの位置を検出することができる。
欠陥修復工程(P4)では、正確な位置が特定された太陽電池の構造欠陥A(A1,A2)を修復する。欠陥修復工程(P4)では、上述した欠陥領域特定工程(P3)を経て特定された構造欠陥Aが存在する領域Dにレーザーを照射し、構造欠陥Aの存在する領域Dの半導体層14と第二電極層15とを取り除く。この欠陥修復工程(P4)では、欠陥領域特定工程(P3)で区画素子21内の構造欠陥Aの正確な存在位置が特定されているため、構造欠陥Aを含む最小限の範囲だけを除去する事ができる。
このように、本願では1本のリペア線R1を領域α内に形成し、このリペア線を含む3本のリペア線R1~R3と1本のスクライブ線19bとで構造欠陥Aを囲むことで、確実に構造欠陥Aがある領域Dを光電変換体12から絶縁することが可能となる。そのため、局所的な短絡による不具合の発生が抑制され、構造欠陥Aによる光電変換特性の劣化を効果的に抑制することができる。特に、リペア線R1を領域βに形成することで、光電変換体12から除去あるいは分離させる領域をより小さくすることができ、太陽電池としての特性を大きく低下させず、かつ外観も損なうことなく欠陥箇所の修復を行うことができる。
図6A、図6Bでは、リペア線R1~R3とスクライブ線S1とで構造欠陥Aがある領域Dを分離した際の様子を図示したが、図6Cに示すように、隣接した区画素子21nに同様にレーザーにより第4のリペア線R4を形成し、構造欠陥Aをリペア線R1~R4で囲い、光電変換体12から絶縁させることもできる。
また、リペア線R1~R3あるいはR1~R4を形成した後、構造欠陥Aがある領域D内にレーザーを照射し、該領域Dを除去することも可能である。さらに、複数の構造欠陥Aが近位にある場合は、これら複数の構造欠陥Aが3本のリペア線R1~R3とスクライブ線19bあるいは4本のリペア線R1~R4で囲まれるようにし、まとめて除去あるいは分離することも可能である。
次に、図7Bに示すように、構造欠陥Aが光電変換体12から絶縁されるように、2本のリペア線R2,R3を同様にレーザーにて形成する。すなわち、3本のリペア線R1,R2,R3とスクライブ線19bとで構造欠陥Aを囲み、構造欠陥Aがある領域Dを光電変換体12から絶縁させる。
尚、図7A、図7B、図7Cに示すレーザー照射パターンのように、領域αに含まれる、部位Bと接続部分Cとの間の領域γに、1本のリペア線R1を形成しても良い。このように部位Bと接続部分Cとの間の領域γにリペア線R1を形成することで、2本のスクライブ線119a,119bを跨いでレーザーが照射されていた図8に示す従来の技術よりも、除去あるいは分離される光電変換体の面積を小さくすることができる。特に、構造欠陥Aが部位Bの近傍にある場合には、レーザーを照射した際に、部位Bに損傷が生じる虞があるが、図7A,図7B、図7Cに示すレーザー照射パターンを行うことで、構造欠陥Aが部位Bの近傍にあった際でも、光電変換体に損傷を与えることなく、構造欠陥Aがある領域Dを確実に除去あるいは分離することができる。そのため、局所的な短絡による不具合の発生が抑制され、構造欠陥Aによる光電変換特性の劣化を効果的に抑制することができる。
また、図7Cに示すように、上述した図6Cと同様に、隣接した区画素子21nに第4のリペア線R4を形成し、構造欠陥Aをリペア線R1~R4で囲い、光電変換体12から絶縁させることもできる。さらに、構造欠陥Aがある領域D内にレーザーを照射し、この領域を除去することも可能であるし、複数の構造欠陥Aを纏めて除去あるいは分離することも可能である。
11 基板
12 光電変換体
13 第一電極層
14 半導体層
15 第二電極層
16 i型アモルファスシリコン膜
17 p型アモルファスシリコン膜
18 n型アモルファスシリコン膜
19(19a,19b) スクライブ線
21 区画素子
A(A1,A2) 構造欠陥
B 第一電極層13及び半導体層14が電気的に接続されている部位
C 第一電極層及び第二電極層の接続部分
D 構造欠陥Aがある領域
R(R1~R4) リペア線
Claims (3)
- 少なくとも第一電極層、半導体層、第二電極層をこの順に重ねた光電変換体が基板の一面に形成され;
前記第一電極層及び前記第二電極層の接続部分を有し;
前記光電変換体は前記半導体層と前記第二電極層とが除去されたスクライブ線によって所定のサイズごとに電気的に区画された複数の区画素子を有し;
互いに隣接する前記区画素子どうしが電気的に接続される;
太陽電池の製造方法であって、
前記光電変換体における、構造欠陥が存在する領域を特定する欠陥領域特定工程と;
前記光電変換体に、レーザーを照射して前記半導体層と前記第二電極層とが除去された少なくとも3つのリペア線を形成し、前記少なくとも3つのリペア線と1つの前記スクライブ線とで前記構造欠陥が存在する領域を囲み、前記構造欠陥を除去もしくは分離する修復工程と;
を備え、
前記光電変換体において、前記構造欠陥と前記接続部分との間の領域で、かつ、前記半導体層が前記基板との接触部位が含まれる領域αに、前記少なくとも3つのリペア線のうち1本のリペア線を形成することを特徴とする太陽電池の製造方法。 - 前記領域αの内部で、前記構造欠陥と前記接触部位との間の領域βに、前記1本のリペア線を形成することを特徴とする請求項1に記載の太陽電池の製造方法。
- 前記領域αの内部で、前記接触部位と前記接続部分との間の領域γに、前記1本のリペア線を形成することを特徴とする請求項1に記載の太陽電池の製造方法。
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CN2009801300034A CN102113128A (zh) | 2008-08-29 | 2009-08-19 | 太阳能电池的制造方法 |
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EP2455173A2 (en) | 2010-11-18 | 2012-05-23 | Mitsuboshi Diamond Industrial Co., Ltd. | Defect repairing tool, defect repairing device and defect repairing method for thin-film solar cell |
JP2012142337A (ja) * | 2010-12-28 | 2012-07-26 | Kyocera Corp | 光電変換モジュールの製造方法 |
US10950391B2 (en) | 2017-09-15 | 2021-03-16 | Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba | Photoelectric conversion device and manufacturing method and apparatus thereof |
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EP2849915B1 (en) | 2012-05-18 | 2023-11-01 | View, Inc. | Circumscribing defects in optical devices |
WO2018155938A1 (en) * | 2017-02-24 | 2018-08-30 | Lg Electronics Inc. | Compound semiconductor solar cell and method of manufacturing the same |
CN107123694B (zh) * | 2017-04-20 | 2019-04-30 | 北京四方创能光电科技有限公司 | 一种透光薄膜太阳能电池组件及其制造方法 |
CN107331734B (zh) * | 2017-08-14 | 2018-09-04 | 通威太阳能(安徽)有限公司 | 一种电池片pecvd镀膜后返工片的处理方法 |
KR102179339B1 (ko) * | 2018-04-23 | 2020-11-16 | 엘지전자 주식회사 | 화합물 반도체 태양전지 및 이의 제조 방법 |
CN112993057B (zh) * | 2021-05-20 | 2021-07-16 | 浙江正泰新能源开发有限公司 | 一种无损伤快修晶硅光伏电池、光伏组件及修复方法 |
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US10950391B2 (en) | 2017-09-15 | 2021-03-16 | Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba | Photoelectric conversion device and manufacturing method and apparatus thereof |
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