Flexible, FEP-teflon covered solar cell module development. Final report

Technical Report · Wed Oct 13 04:00:00 EDT 1976

OSTI ID:7320351

Rauschenbach, H S; Cannady, M D

Techniques and equipment were developed for the large scale, low-cost fabrication of lightweight, roll-up and fold-up, FEP-Teflon encapsulated solar cell modules. Modules were fabricated by interconnecting solderless single-crystal silicon solar cells and heat laminating them at approximately 300 C between layers of optically clear FEP and to a loadbearing Kapton substrate sheet. Modules were fabricated from both conventional and wraparound contact solar cells. A heat seal technique was developed for mechanically interconnecting modules into an array. The electrical interconnections for both roll-up and fold-up arrays were also developed. The use of parallel-gap resistance welding, ultrasonic bonding, and thermocompression bonding processes for attaching interconnects to solar cells were investigated. Parallel-gap welding was found to be best suited for interconnecting the solderless solar cells into modules. Details of the fabrication equipment, fabrication processes, module and interconnect designs, environmental test equipment, and test results are presented.

• Research Organization: TRW Defense and Space Systems Group, Redondo Beach, CA (USA)
• OSTI ID: 7320351
• Report Number(s): N-77-11531; NASA-CR-135109
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
140501* -- Solar Energy Conversion-- Photovoltaic Conversion
BONDING
COVERINGS
DIRECT ENERGY CONVERTERS
FABRICATION
JOINING
PHOTOELECTRIC CELLS
PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS
PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER PLANTS
POWER PLANTS
SEALS
SILICON SOLAR CELLS
SOLAR CELL ARRAYS
SOLAR CELLS
SOLAR POWER PLANTS
TEST FACILITIES
TESTING
WELDING