Title :
Characterzing aerosol Jet® multi-nozzle process parameters for non-contact front side metallization of silicon solar cells
Author :
King, Bruce H. ; O´Reilly, Michael J. ; Barnes, Stephen M.
Author_Institution :
Optomec, Inc., Albuquerque, NM, USA
Abstract :
High efficiency solar cells can be produced by applying the front side metallization in a two-step process. A seed layer is printed followed by an electroplating step to increase thickness and reduce current loss. While traditional screen-printing can be used to print the seed layer, greater benefit is realized by utilizing a direct-write approach to simultaneously reduce the width and thickness of the seed layer. Aerosol Jet Printing is a non-contact direct-write approach that has been shown to have advantages for printing the seed layer. A multi-nozzle print head was developed to increase throughput to a level comparable to screen-printing. A modified screen-printing paste was used to print a seed layer for collector lines on 156 Ã 156 mm multi-crystalline silicon wafers. By adjusting print process parameters such as gas flow rates, operating temperature, and nozzle orifice openings, line width was controlled over a range of approximately 35-70 microns. In parallel, a single-nozzle print head was developed for printing busbars of around 1 mm width in a single step.
Keywords :
aerosols; elemental semiconductors; ink jet printing; metallisation; nozzles; semiconductor industry; silicon; solar cells; thick films; Si; aerosol jet printing; busbars; electroplating; high efficiency solar cells; modified screen-printing paste; multi-nozzle print head; noncontact front side metallization; nozzle orifice openings; seed layer; two-step process; Aerosols; Fluid flow; Metallization; Orifices; Photovoltaic cells; Printing; Silicon; Temperature control; Temperature distribution; Throughput;
Conference_Titel :
Photovoltaic Specialists Conference (PVSC), 2009 34th IEEE
Conference_Location :
Philadelphia, PA
Print_ISBN :
978-1-4244-2949-3
Electronic_ISBN :
0160-8371
DOI :
10.1109/PVSC.2009.5411213