Edge deletion, molybdenum exposure and bus bar bonding
German machine suppliers Maschinenbau GEROLD GmbH & Co. KG (Nettetal) and 4JET Sales+Service GmbH (Alsdorf) offer an integrated solution for edge deletion and contacting of thinfilm solar panels.
4JET is responsible for laser based edge deletion and the mechanical exposure of molybdenum coatings on CIGS panels, while GEROLD provides fully automated solutions for bus bar contacting. These are either based on glueing, soldering or welding technologies.
The sequentially operating production cells are designed for panel sizes of up to 2200x2600mm [7.2×8.5 ft.]. The individual solutions are already being used by suppliers of a-Si, CdTe and CIGS thin film panels.
The individual steps:
MOLYBDENUM EXPOSURE
This step is needed during the production of CIGS panels and exposes the molybdenum layer on the glass by removing the semiconductor and TCO layers with a precise and low-wear tool. The bus bar zones typically are a few millimetres wide and positioned alongside the short or long edges of a panel. They are exposed with 4JET´s proprietary MEX tool heads, that allow a more material friendly and precise processing than conventional technologies such as blasting or brushing. Using several MEX heads in parallel allows to reach typical cycle times in modern CIGS manufacturing lines.LASER EDGE DELETION
This process is performed either by 4JET´s robot based or INLINE systems. A short pulsed laser removes the entire coating in order to create a high G-Ohm isolation on the glass panel´s edges.BONDING
For the bonding process, GEROLD offers the three most common processes: Glueing with silver paste or adhesive tape, ultrasonic welding, or soldering. The bus bars can be applied with a precision of +/- 0.1 mm. Process speeds typically reach 50mm[2″]/s.
4JET and GEROLD have engineered the value-add-production cells to offer customers a total solution that eliminates frictions between mission critical production steps.
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