DocumentCode :
2504149
Title :
Electromigration in thin-film photovoltaic module metallization systems
Author :
Wen, L. ; Mon, G. ; Jetter, E. ; Ross, R., Jr.
Author_Institution :
Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Technol., Pasadena, CA, USA
fYear :
1988
fDate :
1988
Firstpage :
364
Abstract :
Electromigration as a possible thin-film module failure mechanism was investigated using several specially made, fully aluminized thin-film photovoltaic (TF-PV) modules. The effect of electromigration, as determined experimentally by measuring increases in electrical resistance across scribe lines, can be expressed as the product of a damage function, which correlates degradation rate with operating conditions such as current density and temperature, and a susceptibility function, which is defined by module design parameters, particularly aluminium purity and the configuration of the intercell region. Experimental measurements and derived acceleration factors suggest that open-circuit failure resulting from electromigration should not be a serious problem in present state-of-the-art TF-PV modules. Nevertheless, significant intercell resistance increases can result from long-term electromigration exposure, especially in future high-efficiency modules. The problem can be alleviated, however, by appropriate metallization applications and/or proper design of the intercell region.
Keywords :
electromigration; semiconductor thin films; solar cells; acceleration factors; degradation rate; design; electrical resistance; electromigration; failure mechanism; intercell resistance; metallization; open-circuit; photovoltaic module; scribe lines; semiconductor thin films; solar cells; state-of-the-art; Current measurement; Density measurement; Electric variables measurement; Electrical resistance measurement; Electromigration; Failure analysis; Metallization; Photovoltaic systems; Solar power generation; Transistors;
fLanguage :
English
Publisher :
ieee
Conference_Titel :
Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, 1988., Conference Record of the Twentieth IEEE
Conference_Location :
Las Vegas, NV, USA
Type :
conf
DOI :
10.1109/PVSC.1988.105723
Filename :
105723
Link To Document :
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