Apparatus and process for the production of flexible thin film solar cells

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a preparation device and a processing method for a flexible thin-film solar cell. The preparation device comprises a releasing roller, a winding roller, a supporting roller and a scribing mechanism. The releasing roller is used to release the cell sheet. The winding roller is used to wind the cell sheet. The supporting roller is arranged between the releasing roller and the winding roller. The supporting roller has a supporting surface extending in a first direction. When the cell sheet is transported from the releasing roller to the winding roller, the supporting surface is in surface contact with the cell sheet to support the cell sheet. The scribing mechanism comprises a scribing part used to scribe a to-be-processed area of the cell sheet on the supporting surface. The preparation device provided by the present disclosure can reduce the processing difficulty of scribing the cell sheet and help improve the yield of scribing.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of solar cell fabrication technology, and more specifically, to an apparatus and method for fabricating flexible thin-film solar cells. Background Technology

[0002] In related technologies, flexible thin-film solar cells are typically etched using a roll-to-roll transport process. However, since existing support rollers are usually cylindrical, when etching the cells with lasers or mechanical needles, it is necessary to ensure that the laser or mechanical needle is precisely aligned with the normal position of the cylindrical support roller. This etching method requires high precision from the equipment and is prone to deviation or failure due to slight vibrations or fluctuations, making the process quite difficult. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this disclosure is to provide an apparatus and processing method for fabricating flexible thin-film solar cells, which can reduce the processing difficulty of scribing the cells and help improve the scribing yield.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, a first aspect of this disclosure provides an apparatus for fabricating flexible thin-film solar cells, the apparatus comprising: an unwinding roller for releasing a solar cell; a winding roller for winding the solar cell; a support roller disposed between the unwinding roller and the winding roller, the support roller having a support surface extending along a first direction, wherein when the solar cell is transported by the unwinding roller to the winding roller, the support surface and the solar cell are in surface contact to support the solar cell; and a scribing mechanism including a scribing portion for scribing a processing area of ​​the solar cell located on the support surface.

[0005] Optionally, the support roller shaft has a polygonal cross-section such that the support roller shaft has a plurality of side planes arranged circumferentially around the support roller shaft, one of the plurality of side planes forming the support surface.

[0006] Optionally, at least one of the plurality of side planes is used to surface-fit the battery cell.

[0007] Optionally, a rounded corner structure is provided at the connection between any two adjacent side planes.

[0008] Optionally, the unwinding roller shaft can be rotatably arranged about its own first pivot axis, and the take-up roller shaft can be rotatably arranged about its own second pivot axis, so that the battery cell can be transported by the unwinding roller shaft to the take-up roller shaft, and the reference plane passing through the first pivot axis and the second pivot axis is located on one side of the support roller shaft.

[0009] Optionally, the scribing trajectory of the scribing portion has a starting point and an ending point, and the area to be processed of the battery cell has a first end and a second end along the first direction. The starting point is close to the first end and has a first gap with the first end, and the ending point is close to the second end and has a second gap with the second end.

[0010] Optionally, the first gap is 0.3mm-1mm; and / or, the second gap is 0.3mm-1mm.

[0011] The second aspect of this disclosure provides a method for processing a flexible thin-film solar cell, applied to the apparatus for fabricating flexible thin-film solar cells provided in the first aspect above, comprising: transporting a cell to be processed along an unwinding roller axis to a winding roller axis; surface-fitting the cell to be processed with a support surface of a support roller axis; and performing a scribing operation on the processing area of ​​the cell to be processed located on the support surface using a scribing part of a scribing mechanism.

[0012] Optionally, the battery cell to be processed is transported axially from the unwinding roller to the winding roller, including providing the battery cell to be processed with a first electrode layer deposited on a flexible substrate, wherein the processing area of ​​the first electrode layer of the battery cell to be processed on the support surface is scribed using the scribing part of the scribing mechanism; and / or, the battery cell to be processed is transported axially from the unwinding roller to the winding roller, including providing the battery cell to be processed with an intermediate layer deposited on the first electrode layer of a flexible substrate, wherein the processing area of ​​the intermediate layer of the battery cell to be processed on the support surface is scribed using the scribing part of the scribing mechanism; and / or, the battery cell to be processed is transported axially from the unwinding roller to the winding roller, including providing the battery cell to be processed with a second electrode layer deposited on the intermediate layer of a flexible substrate, wherein the processing area of ​​the second electrode layer of the battery cell to be processed on the support surface is scribed using the scribing part of the scribing mechanism.

[0013] Optionally, after scribing the area to be processed of the solar cell on the support surface using the scribing part of the scribing mechanism, the method further includes: cutting the processed solar cell into multiple sub-cells of a predetermined size; forming positive and negative terminals arranged opposite to each other on the upper surface of each sub-cell; arranging the multiple sub-cells in an array and interconnecting them through the positive and negative terminals; and laminating and encapsulating the interconnected sub-cells to form a thin-film solar cell module.

[0014] The above-described technical solution, namely the fabrication apparatus for flexible thin-film solar cells provided in this disclosure, increases the contact area between the support roller and the solar cell by surface-to-surface contact between the support roller and the solar cell. This avoids the need for precise alignment of the laser or mechanical needle with the normal position of the cylindrical support roller used in related technologies, thus preventing focal length misalignment and reducing the difficulty of scribing the solar cell, thereby improving the scribing yield. Furthermore, the surface-to-surface contact between the support roller and the solar cell also reduces the risk of collapse during scribing, further improving the scribing yield.

[0015] Other features and advantages of this disclosure will be described in detail in the following detailed description section. Attached Figure Description

[0016] The accompanying drawings are provided to further illustrate the present disclosure and form part of the specification. They are used together with the following detailed description to explain the present disclosure, but do not constitute a limitation thereof. In the drawings: Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an apparatus for fabricating flexible thin-film solar cells provided in the first embodiment of this disclosure; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of an apparatus for fabricating flexible thin-film solar cells provided in the second embodiment of this disclosure; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of an apparatus for fabricating flexible thin-film solar cells provided in the third embodiment of this disclosure; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the battery cell provided in an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the interconnected sub-cells provided in the first embodiment of this disclosure; Figure 6 yes Figure 5 Cross-sectional view at position AA; Figure 7 yes Figure 6 A schematic diagram showing the negative electrode exposed after removing part of the second electrode layer and intermediate layer; Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the interconnected battery cells provided in the second embodiment of this disclosure; Figure 9 This is a flowchart of a method for processing flexible thin-film solar cells provided in an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure.

[0017] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures 1-Unwinding roller shaft; 2-Rewinding roller shaft; 3-Support roller shaft; 310-Support surface; 320-Side plane; 330-Rounded corner structure; 4-Scribing mechanism; 410-Scribing section; 411-Scribing trajectory; 412-Start point; 413-End point; 5-Battery cell; 510-Area to be processed; 511-First end; 512-Second end; 520-Flexible substrate; 530-First electrode layer; 531-First groove; 540-Intermediate layer; 541-Second groove; 550-Second electrode layer; 551-Third groove; 560-Sub-cell; 561-Positive terminal; 562-Negative terminal; 6-Reference surface; 7-Virtual line; 8-Busbar. Detailed Implementation

[0018] The specific embodiments of this disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are for illustration and explanation only and are not intended to limit this disclosure.

[0019] It should be noted that all actions involving the acquisition of signals, information, or data in this disclosure are carried out in compliance with the relevant data protection laws and policies of the country where the location is situated, and with authorization from the owner of the relevant device.

[0020] In this disclosure, unless otherwise stated, directional terms such as "upper" and "lower" generally refer to the upper and lower dimensions within the space of the solar cell when it is in use (or in processing). "Inner" and "outer" refer to the inner and outer dimensions relative to the outline of the component or structure itself. Furthermore, it should be noted that terms such as "first" and "second" are used to distinguish one element from another and do not indicate sequence or importance. Additionally, in the description with reference to the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals in different drawings denote the same elements.

[0021] According to a first aspect of this disclosure, an apparatus for fabricating flexible thin-film solar cells is provided, with reference to... Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the preparation apparatus includes an unwinding roller 1, a winding roller 2, a support roller 3, and a marking mechanism 4. The unwinding roller 1 releases the battery cell 5; the winding roller 2 winds up the battery cell 5; the support roller 3 is disposed between the unwinding roller 1 and the winding roller 2, and has a support surface 310 extending in a first direction. When the battery cell 5 is transported from the unwinding roller 1 to the winding roller 2, the support surface 310 and the battery cell 5 are in surface contact to support the battery cell 5; the marking mechanism 4 includes a marking section 410 for marking the processing area 510 of the battery cell 5 located on the support surface 310.

[0022] Through the above-described technical solution, namely the fabrication apparatus for flexible thin-film solar cells provided in this disclosure, by surface-to-surface contact between the support surface 310 of the support roller 3 and the solar cell 5, that is, by constructing the contact surface between the support roller 3 and the solar cell 5 as a plane, the contact area between the support roller 3 and the solar cell 5 can be increased. This avoids the need to ensure that the laser or mechanical needle or other marking part is precisely aligned with the normal position of the cylindrical support roller 3 for marking processing, as is required in related technologies, thus avoiding the problem of focal length deviation. This reduces the processing difficulty of marking the solar cell 5 and helps to improve the marking yield. In addition, since the support roller 3 and the solar cell 5 are in surface-to-surface contact, the problem of collapse of the solar cell 5 during the marking process can also be reduced, which is beneficial to improving the marking yield.

[0023] In some implementations, reference Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the support roller 3 can have a polygonal cross-section, so that the support roller 3 has multiple side planes 320 arranged circumferentially around the support roller 3. One of the side planes 320 forms a support surface 310, so that the support roller 3 and the battery cell 5 can be arranged in a face-to-face fit, so as to perform a scribing operation on the processing area 510 of the battery cell 5 located on the support surface 310 of the support roller 3, avoiding the problem of focal length deviation, thereby reducing the processing difficulty of scribing the battery cell 5 and helping to improve the scribing yield.

[0024] It should be noted that the cross-section of the aforementioned support roller 3 can be, for example, a polygonal structure such as a square or a triangle. This disclosure does not specifically limit such deformation methods, and those skilled in the art can design them adaptively according to actual application needs.

[0025] Additionally, in some implementations, references Figures 1 to 3 As shown, at least one of the plurality of side planes 320 is used for surface bonding to the battery sheet 5, exemplarily, as... Figure 1 As shown, when the cross-section of the support roller 3 is, for example, square, the support roller 3 may have four side planes 320 arranged circumferentially around the support roller 3, and one of the side planes 320 (for example, the side plane 320 formed as the support surface 310) may be attached to the battery cell 5. With this arrangement, it is possible to ensure that the battery cell 5 is stably transported from the unwinding roller 1 to the winding roller 2, and it is also convenient to perform a scribing operation on the processing area 510 of the battery cell 5 located on the support surface 310 of the support roller 3 by the scribing part 410 of the scribing mechanism 4.

[0026] Alternatively, such as Figure 2As shown, when the cross-section of the support roller shaft 3 is, for example, square, three of the four side planes 320 arranged circumferentially around the support roller shaft 3 can be attached to the battery cell 5, and one of the side planes 320 is formed as a support surface 310.

[0027] Alternatively, such as Figure 3 As shown, when the cross-section of the support roller shaft 3 is, for example, square, two of the four side planes 320 arranged circumferentially around the support roller shaft 3 can be attached to the battery cell 5, and one of the side planes 320 forms a support surface 310. This disclosure does not specifically limit such deformation mode. Those skilled in the art can design it adaptively according to actual application needs. The purpose is to ensure that the battery cell 5 is stably transported from the unwinding roller shaft 1 to the winding roller shaft 2, while also facilitating the scribing operation of the scribing part 410 of the scribing mechanism 4 on the support surface 310 of the support roller shaft 3 for the processing area 510 of the battery cell 5.

[0028] In addition, considering that in order to facilitate the stable transport of the battery cell 5 from the unwinding roller 1 to the take-up roller 2, in some embodiments, reference is made to... Figures 1 to 3 As shown, a rounded corner structure 330 can be provided at the connection between any two adjacent side planes 320, which is beneficial to improving the smoothness of the transport of the battery cell 5 from the unwinding roller 1 to the take-up roller 2 and improving its stability. This disclosure does not specifically limit the specific structural dimensions of the rounded corner structure 330; those skilled in the art can design it adaptively according to actual application requirements.

[0029] Furthermore, in some embodiments, the unwinding roller 1 is rotatably arranged about its first pivot axis, and the take-up roller 2 is rotatably arranged about its second pivot axis, so that the battery cell 5 can be transported from the unwinding roller 1 to the take-up roller 2. The reference surface 6 passing through the first and second pivot axes is located on one side of the support roller 3, for example, it can be referenced to... Figures 1 to 3 As shown, this arrangement allows the battery cell 5 to be tightly attached to the support roller 3 via the unwinding roller 1 and the winding roller 2, ensuring that the processing area 510 of the battery cell 5 on the support surface 310 is relatively flat. This helps ensure that the laser or mechanical needle and other marking parts can be accurately aligned with the processing area 510 of the battery cell 5, thereby improving the yield of marking.

[0030] The scribing part 410 can be arranged in any suitable manner. For example, the scribing part 410 can be a laser or mechanical needle that can scribble on the processing area 510 of the battery cell 5 located on the support surface 310. This disclosure does not specifically limit such variations, and those skilled in the art can design them adaptively according to actual application needs.

[0031] In addition, in some embodiments, the scribing trajectory 411 of the scribing portion 410 may have a starting point 412 and an ending point 413. For example, the scribing trajectory 411 of the scribing portion 410 may be a straight line, so that the internal interconnection of the battery cell 5 can be completed by scribing lines on the processing area 510 of the battery cell 5 located on the support surface 310 through the scribing portion 410 (which will be described in detail below).

[0032] Furthermore, in some embodiments, there can be multiple processing areas 510 of the battery cell 5, and each processing area 510 can have a first end 511 and a second end 512 along a first direction. The starting point 412 is close to the first end 511 and has a first gap a between it and the first end 511, and the ending point 413 is close to the second end 512 and has a second gap b between it and the second end 512. This facilitates the scribing part 410 to scribing the processing area 510 of the battery cell 5 located on the support surface 310, avoiding the risk of the scribing part 410 cutting the battery cell 5 and affecting the subsequent cutting operation of the battery cell (which will be described in detail below).

[0033] For example, the first gap a can be, for example, 0.3mm-1mm, such as 0.4mm, 0.5mm or 0.6mm, etc., and the second gap b can be, for example, 0.3mm-1mm, such as 0.4mm, 0.5mm or 0.6mm, etc. This disclosure is not limited thereto, and those skilled in the art can adaptively design the specific size of the first gap a and the second gap b according to the actual application requirements.

[0034] In addition, in some embodiments, the material of the support roller 3 can be made of materials such as polyurethane or thermoplastic engineering plastic (UPE) to ensure that the support roller 3 stably supports the battery cell 5 while reducing damage to the surface of the battery cell 5 during the transport from the unwinding roller 1 to the winding roller 2.

[0035] According to a second aspect of this disclosure, a method for processing a flexible thin-film solar cell is provided, applied to the fabrication apparatus for flexible thin-film solar cells provided in the first aspect, with reference to... Figure 9 As shown, the processing method includes: In step S100, the battery cell 5 to be processed is transported from the unwinding roller 1 to the winding roller 2; In step S200, the support surface 310 of the support roller 3 is used to bond the battery cell 5 to be processed. In step S300, the scribing part 410 of the scribing mechanism 4 scribing operation is used to scribing the processing area 510 of the battery cell 5 to be processed located on the support surface 310.

[0036] By employing the above method, the support surface 310 of the support roller 3 and the battery cell 5 to be processed can be brought into surface contact. In other words, the surfaces where the support roller 3 and the battery cell 5 are in contact are constructed as planes, thereby increasing the contact area between them. This allows the scribing part 410 of the scribing mechanism 4 to scribing the processing area 510 of the battery cell 5 on the support surface 310, avoiding the need for precise alignment of the scribing part (such as a laser or mechanical needle) with the normal position of the cylindrical support roller, as is required in related technologies. This avoids focal length misalignment and reduces the processing difficulty of scribing the battery cell 5, thus improving the scribing yield. Furthermore, the surface-to-surface contact between the support roller 3 and the battery cell 5 also reduces the risk of collapse during scribing, further improving the scribing yield.

[0037] For example, in some embodiments, the battery cell 5 to be processed is transported from the unwinding roller 1 to the winding roller 2, including providing the battery cell 5 to be processed with a first electrode layer 530 deposited on the flexible substrate 520. In this case, the scribing part 410 of the scribing mechanism 4 scribing operation is performed on the processing area 510 of the first electrode layer 530 of the battery cell 5 to be processed located on the support surface 310 to avoid the problem of focal length shift, so as to reduce the processing difficulty of scribing the battery cell 5 and help improve the scribing yield.

[0038] Alternatively, in some embodiments, the battery cell 5 to be processed is transported from the unwinding roller 1 to the winding roller 2, including providing the battery cell 5 to be processed with an intermediate layer 540 deposited on the first electrode layer 530 of the flexible substrate 520. In this case, the scribing part 410 of the scribing mechanism 4 scribing operation is performed on the processing area 510 of the intermediate layer 540 of the battery cell 5 to be processed located on the support surface 310 to avoid the problem of focal length shift, so as to reduce the processing difficulty of scribing the battery cell 5 and help improve the scribing yield.

[0039] Alternatively, in some embodiments, the battery cell 5 to be processed is transported from the unwinding roller 1 to the winding roller 2, including providing the battery cell 5 to be processed with a second electrode layer 550 deposited on the intermediate layer 540 of the flexible substrate 520. In this case, the scribing part 410 of the scribing mechanism 4 scribing operation is performed on the processing area 510 of the second electrode layer 550 of the battery cell 5 to be processed located on the support surface 310 to avoid the problem of focal length shift, so as to reduce the processing difficulty of scribing the battery cell 5 and help improve the scribing yield.

[0040] It should be noted that in order to achieve the internal interconnection of the battery cell 5, grooves need to be engraved on the processing area 510 of the battery cell 5 located on the support surface 310 using a laser or mechanical needle 410 to realize the internal interconnection of the battery cell 5. This disclosure exemplarily describes the specific processing procedure: First, a flexible substrate 520 is provided, which may be, for example, a flexible metal (e.g., stainless steel) substrate or a polymer (e.g., polyimide, PI, or polyethylene terephthalate, PET) substrate. A first electrode layer 530 (e.g., a back electrode Mo layer or an electron transport layer) is deposited on the flexible substrate 520. The battery cell 5 to be processed with the first electrode layer 530 deposited on the flexible substrate 520 is transported from the unwinding roller 1 to the take-up roller 2, and the support surface 310 of the support roller 3 is in contact with the surface of the flexible substrate 520. The processing area 510 of the first electrode layer 530 of the battery cell 5 to be processed is etched on the support surface 310 by the etching part 410 of the etching mechanism 4, so as to etch a first groove 531 on the first electrode layer 530.

[0041] It should be noted that the laser beam used by the marking section 410 of the marking mechanism 4 to mark the processing area 510 of the first electrode layer 530 of the battery cell 5 on the support surface 310 can be, for example, a pulsed laser with a wavelength range of 245nm-1064nm (preferably a laser with a wavelength of 532nm or 1064nm). Furthermore, the scanning speed of the laser beam can be, for example, 20mm / sec-2000mm / sec (preferably a scanning speed of 800mm / sec-1000mm / sec), and the adjustment frequency can be, for example, 30KHz-80KHz (preferably a frequency of 50KHz-60KHz). The marking width can be, for example, 60 micrometers-100 micrometers (for insulation requirements, the marking width can be, for example, 90 micrometers or more), and the laser pulse width used can be a picosecond laser. This disclosure is not limited to these limitations; those skilled in the art can adapt the design according to actual application requirements, with the aim of marking the first groove 531 on the first electrode layer 530.

[0042] After the first groove 531 is etched on the first electrode layer 530 of the battery cell 5, an intermediate layer 540 (e.g., a CIGS absorber layer and a CdS buffer layer, or a perovskite layer and a hole transport layer) is deposited on the first electrode layer 530. The battery cell 5 to be processed with the intermediate layer 540 deposited on the first electrode layer 530 of the flexible substrate 520 is transported from the unwinding roller 1 to the winding roller 2, and the support surface 310 of the support roller 3 is in contact with the surface of the flexible substrate 520. The processing area 510 of the intermediate layer 540 of the battery cell 5 to be processed is etched on the support surface 310 by the etching part 410 of the etching mechanism 4, so as to etch the second groove 541 on the intermediate layer 540.

[0043] It should be noted that the laser beam used by the scribing part 410 of the scribing mechanism 4 to scribing the processing area 510 of the intermediate layer 540 of the battery cell 5 to be processed on the support surface 310 can be, for example, a pulsed laser with a wavelength range of 245nm-1064nm (preferably a laser with a wavelength of, for example, 1030nm). In addition, the scanning speed of the laser beam can be, for example, 30mm / sec-2000mm / sec (preferably a scanning speed of, for example, 800mm / sec-1000mm / sec). Furthermore, the frequency can be adjusted to 30kHz-80kHz (preferably 50kHz-60kHz); the marking width can be, for example, 40μm-300μm (preferably 50μm-60μm, balancing dead zone and conductivity requirements); the laser pulse width used can be a picosecond laser (preferably a marking width of 60μm-100μm); and the distance between the second groove 541 and the first groove 531 can be, for example, 5μm-400μm (the smaller the distance, the better, while ensuring no overlap). This disclosure is not limited to these, and those skilled in the art can adapt the design according to actual application requirements, with the aim of enabling the marking of the second groove 541 on the intermediate layer 540.

[0044] After the second groove 541 is etched on the intermediate layer 540 of the battery cell 5, a second electrode layer 550 (e.g., a pre-electrode layer or a surface electrode layer) is deposited on the intermediate layer 540. The battery cell 5 to be processed, on which the second electrode layer 550 is deposited on the intermediate layer 540 of the flexible substrate 520, is transported from the unwinding roller 1 to the winding roller 2. The support surface 310 of the support roller 3 is in contact with the surface of the flexible substrate 520. The scribing part 410 of the scribing mechanism 4 scribing operation is performed on the processing area 510 of the second electrode layer 550 of the battery cell 5 to be processed on the support surface 310 to etch a third groove 551 on the second electrode layer 550.

[0045] It should be noted that the laser beam wavelength range of the scribing part 410 of the scribing mechanism 4 for scribing the processing area 510 of the second electrode layer 550 of the battery cell 5 to be processed on the support surface 310 can be, for example, a pulsed laser of 245nm-1064nm (preferably, a wavelength of 532nm); in addition, the scanning speed of the laser beam can be, for example, 20mm / sec-2000mm / sec (preferably, a scanning speed of 800mm / sec-1000mm / sec), and the adjustment frequency can be, for example, 30KHz-80KHz (preferably, a frequency of 50KHz-60KHz); the scribing width can be, for example, 30 micrometers-100 micrometers (preferably, 60 micrometers); the laser pulse width used can be a picosecond laser; and the distance between the third groove 551 and the second groove 541 can be, for example, 5 micrometers-100 micrometers (the smaller the distance, the better, while ensuring non-overlap). This disclosure is not limited thereto. Those skilled in the art can design it adaptively according to actual application needs, with the aim of being able to etch the third groove 551 on the second electrode layer 550.

[0046] Of course, it is understood that at least one of the above-mentioned scribing operations on the processing area 510 of the first electrode layer 530 of the battery cell 5 to be processed, the scribing operation on the processing area 510 of the intermediate layer 540 of the battery cell 5 to be processed, and the scribing operation on the processing area 510 of the second electrode layer 550 of the battery cell 5 to be processed can be performed on the preparation apparatus provided in the first aspect, so as to avoid the problem of focal length shift, thereby reducing the processing difficulty of scribing the battery cell 5 and helping to improve the scribing yield.

[0047] In some implementations, reference Figure 9 As shown, after the scribing part 410 of the scribing mechanism 4 scribing the processing area 510 of the battery cell 5 to be processed located on the support surface 310, the above processing method further includes: In step S400, the processed battery cell 5 is cut into multiple sub-battery cells 560 of a predetermined size; In step S500, positive terminals 561 and negative terminals 562 are respectively formed on the upper surface of each sub-cell 560. In step S600, multiple sub-cells 560 are arranged in an array and interconnected by positive terminal 561 and negative terminal 562; In step S700, multiple sub-cells 560 are laminated and interconnected to form a thin-film solar cell module.

[0048] It should be noted that the predetermined size of each sub-cell 560 is not specifically limited in this disclosure. Those skilled in the art can adapt it according to actual application needs. Considering the need for convenient on-site cutting operations, refer to... Figure 4 As shown, the processed battery cell 5 can be manufactured according to... Figure 4 The battery cell 5 is cut at the location of the virtual line 7, and as shown... Figure 4 As shown, each sub-cell 560 is along the first direction (see reference). Figure 4 The width dimension of the middle plane (in the left and right directions) can be the same as the width dimension of the side plane 320 of the support roller 3 in the first direction, so as to facilitate the on-site operators to cut the battery cell 5. After the battery cell 5 is cut, it can be accurately graded according to, for example, electrical performance data. Placing the battery cells 560 of the same grade in the same module for processing is more conducive to improving the module efficiency.

[0049] In addition, such as Figure 6 and Figure 7 As shown, after etching the third groove 551 on the second electrode layer 550 of the battery cell 5, positive terminals 561 and negative terminals 562 arranged opposite to each other can be formed on the upper surface of each sub-battery cell 560. That is, it can be understood that, as... Figure 7 As shown, the second electrode layer 550 located on the left side of the sub-cell 560 can be formed as, for example, a positive terminal 561. At the same time, the second electrode layer 550 and the intermediate layer 540 located on the right side can be removed to expose the first electrode layer 530 located on the right side to form a negative terminal 562. This processing method allows the positive terminal 561 and the negative terminal 562 of each sub-cell 560 to be located on the same side end face (for example, the upper surface of the sub-cell 560). In this way, when, for example, multiple sub-cells 560 are subsequently arranged in an array and interconnected by, for example, a busbar 8, since the interconnection operation can be performed on the same side end face, the complex flipping process can be omitted to complete the interconnection operation between multiple sub-cells 560, simplifying the process flow and increasing efficiency.

[0050] This disclosure does not specifically limit the interconnection method of the multiple sub-cells 560. Those skilled in the art can, for example, arrange the multiple sub-cells 560 according to actual application requirements. Figure 5 or Figure 8 The interconnection method shown connects multiple sub-cells 560 in series, in parallel, or in a hybrid series-parallel connection. The purpose is to enable the interconnection of multiple sub-cells 560 so that the multiple sub-cells 560 can be laminated and encapsulated to form a thin-film solar cell module.

[0051] The preferred embodiments of this disclosure have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this disclosure is not limited to the specific details of the above embodiments. Within the scope of the technical concept of this disclosure, various simple modifications can be made to the technical solutions of this disclosure, and these simple modifications all fall within the protection scope of this disclosure.

[0052] It should also be noted that the various specific technical features described in the above embodiments can be combined in any suitable manner without contradiction. To avoid unnecessary repetition, this disclosure will not describe the various possible combinations separately.

[0053] Furthermore, various different embodiments of this disclosure can be combined in any way, as long as they do not violate the spirit of this disclosure, they should also be regarded as the content disclosed in this disclosure.

Claims

1. An apparatus for fabricating flexible thin-film solar cells, characterized in that, The preparation apparatus includes: Unwinding rollers are used to release the solar cells; A take-up roller is used to wind up the battery cells; A support roller shaft is disposed between the unwinding roller shaft and the take-up roller shaft. The support roller shaft has a support surface extending along a first direction. When the solar cell is transported by the unwinding roller shaft to the take-up roller shaft, the support surface is in surface contact with the solar cell to support it. The scribing mechanism includes a scribing section for scribing the area to be processed of the battery cell located on the support surface.

2. The apparatus for fabricating flexible thin-film solar cells according to claim 1, characterized in that, The support roller shaft has a polygonal cross-section such that the support roller shaft has a plurality of side planes arranged circumferentially around the support roller shaft, one of the plurality of side planes forming the support surface.

3. The apparatus for fabricating flexible thin-film solar cells according to claim 2, characterized in that, At least one of the plurality of side planes is used for surface-fitting the battery cell.

4. The apparatus for fabricating flexible thin-film solar cells according to claim 2, characterized in that, A rounded corner structure is provided at the connection between any two adjacent side planes.

5. The apparatus for fabricating flexible thin-film solar cells according to claim 1, characterized in that, The unwinding roller shaft is rotatably arranged about its own first pivot axis, and the winding roller shaft is rotatably arranged about its own second pivot axis, so that the battery cell can be transported by the unwinding roller shaft to the winding roller shaft, and the reference plane of the first pivot axis and the second pivot axis is located on one side of the support roller shaft.

6. The apparatus for fabricating flexible thin-film solar cells according to claim 1, characterized in that, The engraving trajectory of the engraving part has a starting point and an ending point. The area to be processed of the battery cell has a first end and a second end along the first direction. The starting point is close to the first end and has a first gap with the first end. The ending point is close to the second end and has a second gap with the second end.

7. The apparatus for fabricating flexible thin-film solar cells according to claim 6, characterized in that, The first gap is 0.3mm-1mm; and / or, The second gap is 0.3mm-1mm.

8. A method for processing a flexible thin-film solar cell, characterized in that, An apparatus for fabricating flexible thin-film solar cells according to any one of claims 1-7, comprising: The battery cells to be processed are transported from the unwinding roller to the winding roller. The support surface of the support roller shaft is used to bond the battery cell to be processed with the support surface of the support roller shaft. The scribing part of the scribing mechanism is used to scribing the area to be processed of the battery cell located on the support surface.

9. The processing method of the flexible thin-film solar cell according to claim 8, characterized in that, The process involves conveying the battery cell to be processed along the unwinding roller axis to the take-up roller axis, including providing the battery cell to be processed with a first electrode layer deposited on a flexible substrate, wherein the processing area of ​​the first electrode layer of the battery cell to be processed, located on the support surface, is scribed using a scribing part of a scribing mechanism; and / or, The process involves conveying the battery cell to be processed along the unwinding roller axis to the take-up roller axis, including providing the battery cell to be processed with an intermediate layer deposited on a first electrode layer of a flexible substrate, wherein the processing area of ​​the intermediate layer of the battery cell to be processed, located on the support surface, is scribed using a scribing part of a scribing mechanism; and / or, The battery cell to be processed is transported from the unwinding roller to the winding roller, including providing the battery cell to be processed with a second electrode layer deposited on the intermediate layer of the flexible substrate, wherein the processing area of ​​the second electrode layer of the battery cell to be processed on the support surface is scribed by the scribing part of the scribing mechanism.

10. The method for processing a flexible thin-film solar cell according to claim 8, characterized in that, After the scribing part of the scribing mechanism scribing the area to be processed of the battery cell located on the support surface, the process further includes: The processed solar cells are cut into multiple sub-cells of a predetermined size; On the upper surface of each sub-cell, positive and negative terminals are respectively formed in opposite directions; Multiple sub-cells are arranged in an array and interconnected by the positive and negative terminals; Multiple sub-cells are laminated, encapsulated, and interconnected to form a thin-film solar cell module.

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