Reducing the cell to module efficiency gap in thin film PV using in-line post-process scribing isolation

The persistent gap between cell and module efficiencies, the so called solar gap, is an important problem for all PV technologies. In thin film PV (TFPV), a significant portion of this efficiency loss can be traced to parasitic shunts distributed throughout the module. In this work, we describe an in-line, post deposition scribing technique for electrically isolating these distributed shunts in a monolithic thin film PV module. The localized scribes minimize the losses due to defective shunts by restricting lateral current drain from its (otherwise defect-free) neighbors, and promise to reduce the solar gap by 30-50%. This technique can be easily integrated with state of the art inline manufacturing and metrology methods, and is applicable for all thin film PV technologies.