US 12,224,364 B2
Semitransparent thin-film solar module
Andreas Heiss, Penzing (DE); Joerg Palm, Munich (DE); Helmut Vogt, Munich (DE); and Robert Lechner, Munich (DE)
Assigned to CNBM RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED GLASS MATERIALS GROUP CO., LTD., Bengbu (CN)
Filed by CNBM RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED GLASS MATERIALS GROUP CO., LTD., Bengbu (CN)
Filed on Oct. 19, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/381,686.
Application 18/381,686 is a division of application No. 16/650,590, granted, now 11,837,675, previously published as PCT/CN2018/107795, filed on Sep. 27, 2018.
Claims priority of application No. 17194085 (EP), filed on Sep. 29, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2024/0088315 A1, Mar. 14, 2024
Int. Cl. H01L 31/0468 (2014.01); H01L 31/0463 (2014.01); H01L 31/0224 (2006.01); H01L 31/046 (2014.01); H01L 31/0465 (2014.01)
CPC H01L 31/0468 (2014.12) [H01L 31/0463 (2014.12); H01L 31/022425 (2013.01); H01L 31/046 (2014.12); H01L 31/0465 (2014.12); Y02E 10/50 (2013.01)] 7 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for producing a thin-film solar module, comprising:
providing a substrate, wherein the substrate is flat;
depositing a rear electrode layer on one side of the substrate;
depositing an absorber layer over the rear electrode layer;
depositing a front electrode layer over the absorber layer;
patterning the rear electrode layer by first patterning lines;
patterning the absorber layer by second patterning lines;
patterning the front electrode layer by third patterning lines, wherein a patterning zone is formed by an immediate sequence of a first patterning line, a second patterning line, and a third patterning line, and the patterning zone form a monolithic serial connection circuit of solar cells;
forming one or more rear-electrode-layer-free optically transparent zones by section-wise removal of at least the rear electrode layer in a reduced zone region reduced by the first patterning line of at least one patterning zone, causing the rear electrode layer to be continuous in the reduced zone region;
depositing a buffer layer over the absorber layer; and
patterning the buffer layer by fourth patterning lines,
wherein the one or more optically transparent zones is filled by material of the buffer layer, and
wherein the buffer layer is in direct contact with the rear electrode layer.