Printing Light-Absorbing Patterns for Thin Film Solar Cells

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Solution Overview

Problem

The high cost of conventional thin film solar cells due to the expensive photolithography process used for forming light-absorbing layers in the manufacturing process.

Innovation Solution

A method involving a printing process to form light-absorbing patterns on a substrate with electrodes, reducing the manufacturing cost by using a substrate, first electrodes, light-absorbing patterns, a buffer layer, and second electrodes, where the printing process replaces the costly photolithography method.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If photolithography process is used to form light-absorbing layers, then manufacturing precision is improved, but manufacturing cost increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelight-absorbing layer formation precisionVSAvoidmanufacturing cost

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces expensive photolithography processes with a disposable stamp structure that can be reused multiple times. The stamp is a simple mechanical structure that physically transfers light-absorbing material patterns onto the substrate, eliminating the need for costly photolithography equipment and chemicals while maintaining pattern formation precision.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent substitutes the complex photochemical photolithography system with a purely mechanical stamping system. The stamp structure physically contacts the substrate and transfers material through mechanical pressure, replacing optical exposure and chemical development processes with a straightforward mechanical transfer mechanism.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Manufacturing precision

If photolithography process is used for patterning, then light-absorbing pattern quality is improved, but process complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelight-absorbing pattern qualityVSAvoidprocess complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the pattern transfer function from the complex photolithography process and isolates it into a dedicated stamp structure. This stamp contains pre-formed patterns that are directly transferred to the substrate, separating the pattern definition step from the material deposition step and eliminating the need for photoresist coating, exposure, and development processes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent performs pattern preparation in advance by creating the stamp structure with the desired light-absorbing patterns pre-formed on it. This preliminary action allows the actual deposition process to simply replicate the pre-defined patterns through mechanical contact, eliminating the need for real-time pattern formation during manufacturing.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS8476100B2Method of forming thin film solar cell and structure thereof

Publication Date: 2013.07.02 AU OPTRONICS CORP

AI summary

A method of forming thin film solar cell includes the following steps. A substrate is provided, and a plurality of first electrodes are formed on the substrate. A printing process is performed to print a light-absorbing material on the substrate and the first electrodes to form a plurality of light-absorbing patterns. Each of the light-absorbing patterns corresponds to two adjacent first electrodes, partially covers the two adjacent first electrodes, and partially exposes the two adjacent first electrodes. A plurality of second electrodes are formed on the light-absorbing patterns.