Title :
The stability of laser weld interconnects in a-Si:H modules
Author :
Dowd, James G O ; Johnson, B.J. ; Oswald, R.S. ; Willing, F.
Author_Institution :
Thin Film Div., Solarex Corp., Newtown, PA, USA
Abstract :
The widespread acceptance of amorphous silicon solar cells will require an accurate determination of their power output over time. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the environmental stability of the laser weld used to electrically connect the front contact to the rear contact. The evaluation compares the increase in interconnect resistance of modules placed outdoors to the increase measured on plates placed in an accelerated testing chamber. The measurements are made at regular intervals to compare the rate of change which is used to predict long term reliability
Keywords :
amorphous semiconductors; elemental semiconductors; hydrogen; laser beam welding; life testing; reliability; semiconductor device testing; silicon; solar cells; stability; Si:H; a-Si:H modules; accelerated testing chamber; amorphous silicon solar cells; environmental stability; front contact; interconnect resistance; laser weld interconnects stability; long term reliability; power output; rear contact; Amorphous silicon; Contacts; Electrical resistance measurement; Electrodes; Laser stability; Life estimation; Power measurement; Testing; Thermal stresses; Welding;
Conference_Titel :
Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, 1993., Conference Record of the Twenty Third IEEE
Conference_Location :
Louisville, KY
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-1220-1
DOI :
10.1109/PVSC.1993.347097
