Integrated interconnection for flexible CIGS solar cells

The photovoltaic industry substantially contributes to the reduction of fissile energy utilization and improves therefore the living conditions for the next generations. Nowadays thin film CIGS PV is nearly ready to compete with traditional photovoltaic in relation the material utilization and energy consumption for production and enables a really green production. With the successful development of the laser scribing of CIGS solar cell for integrated interconnection the module efficiency increases and the production coast decreases. In comparison to the current state of the art in fabrication of large flexible CIGS modules by external interconnection an increase in the efficiency of 3 to 5 % can be expected whereas a reduction in production cost of over 10% due to the reduction of handing, decreasing the number of production steps, savings at the production equipment and conservation of materials for electrical interconnection. Together with the further increase of the solar cell material efficiency these improvements enable highly competitive products for new and innovative products (PV in architecture) but also for standard applications of simply solar harvesting. Some application requiring specific scribing shapes due to module layout can’t simply be achieved by mechanical scribing. The developed laser scribing process capable of high quality patterning very sensitive multi-component systems is probably applicable to other thermo-sensitive multi-layered products like organic PV- or LED- products. For the HUB this enables the opportunity for further developments in this direction of flexible organic electronic. In order to ensure industrial application for CIGS solar cell laser scribing the following preliminary specifications must be considered by APPOLO consortium: • Final module size of at least 1x1 m2; • Scribing reliability on module level of more than 97%; • Size of the interconnection area less than 150 µm must be achieved, the needed size depends on the module design; • Up-time of the scribing module of > 95% The expected outcomes of APPOLO will ensure: • Acceptance and adaption of the laser scribing technology for flexible CIGS modules as well as for the sensitive scribes of rigid CIGS modules; • Enabling of a final cost reduction for CIGS modules of more than >13% and making possible the cost reduction of below 0.5 $/Wp.