Low Profile Surface-Mount Diode with Insulating Heat Spreader
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current solar module thermal management and assembly techniques face challenges in providing a low resistance thermal path and flexible accommodation of cells and diodes, leading to potential shorting and stress issues.
Innovation Solution
A low profile surface-mount diode package with an electrically insulating heat spreader mounted on or within the backsheet of a photovoltaic module, using a thin metal strip coated with a ceramic insulator, which provides thermal conduction while preventing shorting and stress, and can be arranged either above or below the backsheet.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If conventional diode packaging is used in solar modules, then assembly is simplified, but thermal management is poor and shorting risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a heat spreader as an intermediary component between the diode and the module structure. This heat spreader serves dual functions: it conducts heat away from the diode to improve thermal management, and it provides electrical insulation to prevent shorting. The heat spreader is mounted to the backsheet and positioned to thermally couple with the diode while maintaining electrical isolation, thus resolving the contradiction between thermal management and shorting prevention.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite material structures, particularly the heat spreader which combines thermally conductive materials with electrically insulating properties. This composite approach allows simultaneous achievement of heat dissipation and electrical isolation, addressing both the temperature and shorting risk issues that were previously contradictory concerns in conventional diode packaging.
2Temperature
If thermal conduction is improved in diode packaging, then thermal management is enhanced, but electrical insulation may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The heat spreader acts as a mediator that decouples the thermal and electrical functions. It provides a thermal conduction path from the diode to the backsheet while simultaneously serving as an electrical insulator that prevents current flow to the backsheet. This intermediary structure allows improved thermal conduction without compromising electrical insulation.
Solution Approach 2:
The heat spreader utilizes composite material properties where the material structure is designed to conduct heat while blocking electrical current. This composite material approach enables the system to achieve both improved thermal conduction and maintained electrical insulation, resolving the contradiction between these two requirements.
3Ease of manufacture
If diodes are mounted on backsheet, then assembly is simplified, but stress management and flexibility are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the diode mounting structure into separate functional components: the diode itself, the heat spreader, and the backsheet mounting interface. This segmentation allows the heat spreader to act as a flexible intermediate layer that can accommodate stress and movement while maintaining electrical isolation and thermal conduction, thus preserving flexibility while maintaining assembly simplicity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution simplifies diode packaging, reduces the risk of shorting, minimizes diode temperature, and eliminates the need for electrical grounding, while maintaining a low resistance thermal pathway, thus enhancing thermal management and assembly efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
A heat spreader is mounted directly above the low profile, surface-mount diode... providing thermal conduction
Implementation Method 2
A thin metal strip coated with a ceramic insulator, which provides thermal conduction while preventing shorting
Data Source
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AI summary
Arrangements of diodes and heat spreaders for solar modules are described. For example, a solar module may include a backsheet with a low profile, surface- mount diode disposed above the backsheet. A pair of ribbon interconnects is coupled to the low profile, surface-mount diode and may penetrate the backsheet.