Method of making tandem solar cell module

Claim 1

A method for manufacturing a tandem solar cell module comprising the steps of: (a) applying an electrically conductive layer on a substrate of electrically insulating material that has bars proceeding parallel to one another at defined spacings from one another, said layer being applied between said bars; (b) inserting between the bars strips of p-doped, polycrystalline silicon fitting over the conductive layer, and the strips being connected to the conductive layer in an electrically conductive fashion thereby defining a plurality of strip-shaped individual solar cells; (c) forming a pn-junction in each of the silicon strips; (d) providing holes that extend to the surface of the conductive layer in the silicon strips, the holes being provided at the end of said strips; (e) applying a strip pattern forming front-side contacts to the strip-shaped, individual solar cells with a silk screening process, said strip pattern being composed of an electrically conductive paste; (f) providing an electrically conductive connection between the front-side contact and the conductive layer of a neighboring individual cell, the conductive layer forming a back-side contact of individual solar cells and being exposed in the holes; (g) providing the strip-shaped solar cells, series-connected to form a first sub-module, with an anti-reflection layer; (h) joining via an optical coupler the first sub-module to a second previously manufactured sub-module of amorphous, hydrogenated silicon solar cells that is of the same size, so that a substrate of the second sub-module forms a covering for the tandem solar cell; and (i) integrating the overall module into a frame, whereby independently provided photocurrent generated by the individual sub-modules is provided via a total of at least four electrical contacts.

Claim 2

A method for manufacturing a tandem solar cell module comprising the steps of: (a) applying an electrically conductive layer on a substrate of electrically insulating material that has bars proceeding parallel to one another at defined spacings from one another, said layer being applied between said bars; (b) inserting between the bars strips of p-doped, polycrystalline silicon fitting over the conductive layer, and the strips being connected to the conductive layer in an electrically conductive fashion thereby defining a plurality of strip-shaped individual solar cells; (c) forming a pn-junction in each of the silicon strips; (d) providing holes that extend to the surface of the conductive layer in the silicon strips, the holes being provided at the end of said strips; (e) applying a strip pattern forming front-side contacts to the strip-shaped, individual solar cells with a silk screening process, said strip pattern being composed of an electrically conductive paste; (f) providing an electrically conductive connection between the front-side contact and the conductive layer of a neighboring individual cell, the conductive layer forming a back-side contact of individual solar cells and being exposed in the holes; (g) providing the strip-shaped solar cells, series-connected to form a first sub-module, with an anti-reflection layer; (h) joining via an optical coupler the first sub-module to a second previously manufactured sub-module of amorphous, hydrogenated silicon solar cells that is of the same size, so that a substrate of the second sub-module forms a covering for the tandem solar cell; and (i) integrating the overall module into a frame, whereby independently provided photocurrent generated by the individual sub-modules is provided via a total of at least four electrical contacts.