A light redirecting film defining a longitudinal axis, and including a base layer, an ordered arrangement of a plurality of microstructures, and a reflective layer. The microstructures project from the base layer, and each extends across the base layer to define a corresponding primary axis. The primary axis of at least one of the microstructures is oblique with respect to the longitudinal axis. The reflective layer is disposed over the microstructures opposite the base layer. When employed, for example, to cover portions of a PV module tabbing ribbon, or areas free of PV cells, the films of the present disclosure uniquely reflect incident light.

An interconnect assembly. The interconnect assembly includes a trace that includes a plurality of electrically conductive portions. The plurality of electrically conductive portions is configured both to collect current from a first solar cell and to interconnect electrically to a second solar cell. In addition, the plurality of electrically conductive portions is configured such that solar-cell efficiency is substantially undiminished in an event that any one of the plurality of electrically conductive portions is conductively impaired.

A solar module is provided which has improved durability. A third wiring member (32a) includes a first portion (32a1), a second portion (32a2), and a third portion (32a3). In the first portion (32a1), metal foil (52) faces a solar cell (20). The first portion (32a1) is electrically connected to the solar cell (20). The second portion (32a2) is arranged on the solar cell (20) with the metal foil (52) facing the side opposite to the solar cell (20). The third portion (32a3) connects the first portion (32a1) and the second portion (32a2). A first wiring member (32b) electrically connects the second portions (32a2) of adjacent solar cell strings (10) to each other. The solar module (1) also includes an insulating sheet (60). The insulating sheet (60) is arranged between the first wiring member (32b) and the solar cell (20).

One or more solar cells are connected to a flex circuit, wherein: the flex circuit is comprised of a flexible substrate having one or more conducting layers for making electrical connections to the solar cells; the flex circuit is attached to a panel; and the solar cells are attached to the panel. The flex circuit can be attached to the panel so that the conducting layers are adjacent the solar cells, or the flex circuit can be attached to the panel so that the conducting layers run underneath the solar cells. The conducting layers can be deposited on the flexible substrate and/or the conducting layers can be embedded in the flex circuit, wherein the conducting layers are sandwiched between insulating layers of the flex circuit.

A paste (32) for use in metallization of a solar cell (12) includes an organic vehicle (44) and a mixture of copper-containing particles (46), metal-oxide-containing nanoparticles (50), and secondary oxide particles (52) different from the metal-oxide-containing nanoparticles (50). The secondary oxide particles (52) include particles (42) of a metal oxide and a metal of the metal oxide capable of reducing at least some of the metal-oxide-containing nanoparticles (50) to metal when heated. The organic vehicle (44) is capable of reducing the metal oxide of the secondary oxide particles (52) upon decomposition of the organic vehicle (44). A paste (32) includes a mixture of particles (42) including metallic copper particles (46), nanoparticles (50), and metal oxide particles (52) in the organic vehicle (44). The nanoparticles (50) include at least one oxide of nickel, copper, cobalt, manganese, and lead. The metal oxide of the metal oxide particles (52) has a more negative Gibbs Free Energy of Formation than a metal oxide of the at least one oxide of the nanoparticles (50).

An adhesive may be applied to a surface of a reusable carrier. Metal foil may be attached to the adhesive to couple the metal foil to the surface of the reusable carrier. The metal foil may be patterned without damaging the reusable carrier. A semiconductor structure (e.g., a solar cell) may be attached to the patterned metal foil. The reusable carrier may then be removed. In some embodiments, the semiconductor structure may be encapsulated using an encapsulant, with the adhesive being compatible with the encapsulant.

A solar cell module and a method for manufacturing the same are discussed. The solar cell module includes a plurality of solar cells each including a semiconductor substrate and first and second electrodes, each of which has a different polarity and is extended in a first direction on a back surface of the semiconductor substrate, and a plurality of conductive lines extended in a second direction crossing the first direction on the back surface of the semiconductor substrate, connected to one of the first and second electrodes through a conductive adhesive, and insulated from the other electrode by an insulating layer. The conductive adhesive includes a first adhesive layer connected to the one electrode and a second adhesive layer positioned on the first adhesive layer and connected to the plurality of conductive lines.

A technique is described depositing a new formula of indium and tin salt solutions as a precursor to form a solid transparent indium tin oxide (ITO) film on non-conductive solid substrates. The utilization of this new composition of matter prompted the discovery of a method for preparing the first top-to-bottom completely solution processed solar cell. The specific patterning of the liquid-processed ITO precursor solution and the subsequent layers of a solar cell outlined here also demonstrate a unique way to connect solution processed (as opposed to deposited using vacuum techniques) solar cells in series and in parallel. Also disclosed are related methods for zinc tin oxide (ZTO), indium oxide (IO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), cadmium tin oxide (CTO), aluminum zinc oxide (AZO), and zinc oxide (ZO).

A solar cell module and a method for manufacturing the same are disclosed. The solar cell module includes solar cells each including a semiconductor substrate, and first electrodes and second electrodes extending in a first direction on a surface of the semiconductor substrate, conductive lines extended in a second direction crossing the first direction on the surface of the semiconductor substrate and connected to the first electrodes or the second electrodes through a conductive adhesive, and an insulating adhesive portion extending in the first direction on at least a portion of the surface of the semiconductor substrate, on which the conductive lines are disposed, and fixing the conductive lines to the semiconductor substrate and the first and second electrodes. The insulating adhesive portion is attached up to an upper part and a side of at least a portion of each conductive line.

Photovoltaic devices with very high breakdown voltages are described herein. Typical commercial silicon photovoltaic devices have breakdown voltages below 50-100 volts (V). Even though such devices have bypass diodes to prevent photovoltaic cells from going into breakdown, the bypass diodes have high failure rates, leading to unreliable devices. A high-efficiency silicon photovoltaic cell is provided with very high breakdown voltages. By combining a device architecture with very low surface recombination and silicon wafers with high bulk resistivity (above 10 ohms centimeter (-cm)), embodiments described herein achieve breakdown voltages close to 1000 V. These photovoltaic cells with high breakdown voltages improve the reliability of photovoltaic devices, while reducing their design complexity and cost.