Increasing the Effective Area of Small‐Sized CIGS Modules by Printed Ag Front Contacts

Abstract

Despite the high‐efficiency potential of the Cu(In1−x Ga x )Se2 (CIGS) technology, its global market share is still relatively small. One reason for that is the comparatively low active module area caused by small cell widths and therefore the resulting amount of scribing lines for monolithic interconnection. This results in significant losses from cell‐to‐module level. One approach to overcome this issue is the application of front contacts. Throughout this study, the electrical performance of small‐sized CIGS modules with cell widths of w c = 4 mm, w c = 7 mm, and w c = 17 mm with and without front side metallization is evaluated. A low‐temperature curing Ag paste is applied onto those different CIGS module designs by flatbed screen printing and parallel dispensing. The application of Ag‐electrodes obtains a significant increase in module power of ΔP mmp,rel. = +18% for 4 mm cell widths compared to grid‐free CIGS modules. Furthermore, the homogeneous electrode shape of dispensed structures enables broad cells of w c = 17 mm in small‐sized CIGS modules. As a result, the module performance increases by ΔP mmp,rel. = +25% compared to screen‐printed Ag‐electrodes, demonstrating the great potential of the dispensing approach for the CIGS technology and potentially other thin‐film technologies.