Miasole

Beijing Apollo Ding Rong Solar Technology Co., Ltd.

Western Digital Corporation

Hanergy Holding Group Ltd.

Mulugeta Zerfu Wudu

Jason Stephen Corneille

Steven Thomas Croft

William James McColl

Dallas W Meyer

Steven Douglas Flanders

Jason Stephan Corneille

William James Mccoll

An interconnect assembly. The interconnect assembly includes a trace that includes a plurality of electrically conductive portions. The plurality of electrically conductive portions is configured both to collect current from a first solar cell and to interconnect electrically to a second solar cell. In addition, the plurality of electrically conductive portions is configured such that solar-cell efficiency is substantially undiminished in an event that any one of the plurality of electrically conductive portions is conductively impaired.

Interconnect assembly

Provided herein are methods of incorporating additives into thin-film solar cell substrates and back contacts. In certain embodiments, sodium is incorporated into a substrate or a back contact of a thin-film photovoltaic stack where it can diffuse into a CIGS or other absorber layer to improve efficiency and/or growth of the layer. The methods involve laser treating the substrate or back contact in the presence of a sodium (or sodium-containing) solid or vapor to thereby incorporate sodium into the surface of the substrate or back contact. In certain embodiments, the surface is simultaneously smoothed.

Sodium-incorporation in solar cell substrates and contacts

Provided herein are methods of polishing, cleaning and texturing back contacts of thin-film solar cells. According to various embodiments, the methods involve irradiating sites on the back contact with laser beams to remove contaminants and/or smooth the surface of the back contact. The back contact, e.g., a molybdenum, copper, or niobium thin-film, is smoothed prior to deposition of the absorber and other thin-films of the photovoltaic stack. In certain embodiments, laser polishing of the back contact is used to enhance the diffusion barrier characteristics of the back contact layer, with all or a surface layer of the back contact becoming essentially amorphous. In certain embodiments, the adhesion of the absorber layer is enhanced by the textured back contact and by the presence of the amorphous metal at the deposition surface.

Laser polishing of a back contact of a solar cell

Provided herein are methods of polishing and texturing surfaces thin-film photovoltaic cell substrates. The methods involve laser irradiation of a surface having a high frequency roughness in an area of 5-200 microns to form a shallow and rapidly expanding melt pool, followed by rapid cooling of the material surface. The minimization of surface tension causes the surface to re-solidify in a locally smooth surface. the high frequency roughness drops over the surface with a lower frequency bump or texture pattern remaining from the re-solidification.

Laser polishing of a solar cell substrate

A method and apparatus for texturing a landing zone on a substrate of a magnetic disk to reduce stiction between a magnetic transducer head and the disk is provided. The method includes projecting discrete pressurized fluid droplets to impact a substrate surface of the substrate with sufficient momentum to form cavities in a selected annular area of the substrate surface, the selected annular area with cavities therein being of sufficient width to provide a textured landing zone for the magnetic transducer head. A magnetic disk for storing data readable by a transducer head is also provided. The disk includes a rigid substrate. A textured landing zone is provided on the disk for engaging the transducer head. The textured landing zone is formed by the steps of directing a stream of discrete pressurized fluid droplets against the substrate to create roughness therein and moving the substrate and stream of droplets relative to one another in order to create an annular area of roughness. An underlayer is deposited over the substrate with the underlayer substantially replicating a surface topography of the substrate. A magnetic layer is deposited over the underlayer with the magnetic layer substantially replicating a surface topography of the underlayer and a cover layer is deposited over the magnetic layer with the cover layer substantially replicating a surface topography of the magnetic layer.

Growing community of inventors

San Jose, CA, United States of America

Mulugeta Zerfu Wudu