Local metallization of semiconductor substrates using a laser beam, and the resulting structures, e.g., micro-electronic devices, semiconductor substrates and/or solar cells, are described. For example, a solar cell includes a substrate and a plurality of semiconductor regions disposed in or above the substrate. A plurality of conductive contact structures is electrically connected to the plurality of semiconductor regions. Each conductive contact structure includes a locally deposited metal portion disposed in contact with a corresponding a semiconductor region.

A method for manufacturing a photovoltaic (PV) module includes: using a stringer to simultaneously solder at least two cell strings, and soldering an interconnecting bar at a predetermined position; performing electroluminescence (EL) inspection and appearance inspection/photoluminescence (PL) inspection on cells in the at least two cell strings to obtain cell images and cell inspection results; automatically soldering bus bars at heads and tails of the cell strings; placing the cell modules on front plate glass in sequence, and marking a suspicious cell; when a cell that needs to be repaired exists in the cell modules, sending a repair instruction, and delivering the front plate glass of carrying the cell modules to a repair workstation; at a stacking workstation, soldering together bus bars at tails of two adjacent cell modules; and performing EL inspection and appearance inspection/PL inspection.

A suction unit, including a first module, a second module, and a third module. The first module is provided with an air-permeable zone. The second module is provided with air holes a. The third module is provided with air holes b. A solder ribbon and a solar cell are sequentially stacked on the first module. A channel S2 is formed by the air holes b and the air holes a to fix the first module to the second module. A channel Si is formed by the air holes b, the air holes a and the air-permeable zone to fix the solder ribbon and the solar cell on the first module.

Wire-based metallization and stringing techniques for solar cells, and the resulting solar cells, modules, and equipment, are described. In an example, a substrate has a surface. A plurality of N-type and P-type semiconductor regions is disposed in or above the surface of the substrate. A conductive contact structure is disposed on the plurality of N-type and P-type semiconductor regions. The conductive contact structure includes a plurality of conductive wires, each conductive wire of the plurality of conductive wires essentially continuously bonded directly to a corresponding one of the N-type and P-type semiconductor regions.

In accordance with one or more embodiments herein, a method of manufacturing a photovoltaic (PV) top module, to be used together with a PV bottom module, e.g an SI-based PV bottom module, is provided. The method may include monolithically interconnecting a plurality of thin film based PV sub-cells, manufactured using a perovskite material and/or a CIGS material as solar absorbing material, in series on a substrate in order to create a PV top module including at least one first PV top sub-module, and arranging metal grid lines on top and bottom contact layers of the PV top module. The metal grid lines may be arranged either above or below the top and bottom contact layers of the PV top module.

The invention relates to improved methods and implementation of reliably manufacturing laminated solar panel products having one or more axis of curvature, wherein at least one solar cell also has one or more axis of curvature, in a manufacturing plant, the manufacturing plant being capable of continuous, optimized operation. A substrate and a superstrate having a doubly-curved geometry may be assembled with a core disposed therebetween, the core comprising a solar cell array including at least one solar cell. During the lamination process, the plant substantially eliminates cracking of the at least one solar cell of the solar array through controlled and uniform application of lamination pressure and temperature that applies uniform local pressure simultaneously to each cell, resulting in a durable and reliable product. The invention further relates to a plant and/or facility having efficient, effective, and repeatable results relating to such methods.

A flexible and mechanically-resilient Photovoltaic (PV) cell is formed of a single semiconductor wafer. It includes non-transcending craters or bling gaps, that penetrate upwardly from a dark-side surface towards a sunny-side surface but do not reach the sunny-side surface. The craters segment the wafer into miniature sub-regions, and provide mechanical resilience and mechanical shock absorption. A set of conducting wires are located on each side of the PV cell; one set collects the negative electric charge, and the other set collects the positive electric charge. The conducting wires are embedded in an adhesive transparent flexible plastic foil. Optionally, a bi-facial PV cell is similarly provided, as well as methods and systems for producing such PV cells.

A method for soldering a solar cell, includes: placing a plurality of back contact cells on a soldering platform, where back surfaces of the back contact cells face away from the soldering platform, and electrodes corresponding to two adjacent back contact cells have opposite polarities in a connection direction of a plurality of to-be-connected ribbons; placing the plurality of to-be-connected ribbons on the electrodes of the plurality of back contact cells by using a first clamping portion, a second clamping portion, and a plurality of third clamping portions, where the first clamping portion, the second clamping portion, and the plurality of third clamping portions respectively correspond to head ends, tail ends, and middle portions of the plurality of ribbons; and heating the plurality of ribbons by using a heater to connect the plurality of ribbons to the plurality of back contact cells.

A processing device for forming connection conductors for semiconductor components, in particular for producing a periodic structure, which device includes a forming unit for forming at least one connection conductor. The processing device has an advancing unit which is designed to move the connection conductors and the forming unit relative to one another in a direction of advance, and the forming unit has at least one step element, at least one forming element which can be moved relative to the step element, and a forming-element moving unit for moving the forming element relative to the stop element, the forming element, stop element and forming-element moving unit being designed to cooperate such that the connection conductor can be bent by moving the forming element between the stop element and the forming element by the forming-element moving unit. A method for forming connection conductors for semiconductor components is also provided.

Metallization of semiconductor substrates using a laser beam, and the resulting structures, e.g., micro-electronic devices, semiconductor substrates and/or solar cells, solar cell circuit, solar cell strings, and solar cell arrays are described. A solar cell string can include a plurality of solar cells. The plurality of solar cells can include a substrate and a plurality of semiconductor regions disposed in or above the substrate. A plurality of conductive contact structures is electrically connected to the plurality semiconductor regions. Each conductive contact structure includes a locally deposited metal portion disposed in contact with a corresponding one of the semiconductor regions.