Thermal Repair Of Incomplete Back Contact Insulation (P1) In Cu(In,Ga)Se-2 Photovoltaic Thin-Film Modules

We investigate the repair of interruptions in the back contact (P1) scribing line between two Mo back electrodes by thermally induced fractures. The fractures occur during Cu(In,Ga)Se-2 (CIGS) absorber co-evaporation, as it is applied in CIGS thin-film module manufacturing and can effectively repair line interruptions of up to about 70 mu m. Additionally, we present that a thermal treatment after P1 laser scribing and before CIGS co-evaporation can repair even interruptions of up to 1 mm. The fractures which are required for insulation are only of approximately 4 mu m width which indicates the potential for further reduction of the interconnection width in CIGS modules and therefore improvement of the electrical module efficiency.