US 11,923,474 B2
Solar cell interconnection
Thomas P. Pass, San Jose, CA (US); Gabriel Harley, Mountain View, CA (US); David Fredric Joel Kavulak, Fremont, CA (US); and Richard Hamilton Sewell, Los Altos, CA (US)
Assigned to Maxeon Solar Pte. Ltd., Singapore (SG)
Filed by Maxeon Solar Pte. Ltd., Singapore (SG)
Filed on Dec. 7, 2017, as Appl. No. 15/834,452.
Application 15/410,560 is a division of application No. 14/496,226, filed on Sep. 25, 2014, granted, now 9,559,233.
Application 15/834,452 is a continuation of application No. 15/410,560, filed on Jan. 19, 2017, granted, now 9,865,759.
Prior Publication US 2018/0102453 A1, Apr. 12, 2018
Int. Cl. H01L 31/05 (2014.01); B23K 31/02 (2006.01); H01L 31/068 (2012.01); H01L 31/0745 (2012.01); H01L 31/18 (2006.01)
CPC H01L 31/0512 (2013.01) [B23K 31/02 (2013.01); H01L 31/05 (2013.01); H01L 31/0504 (2013.01); H01L 31/0508 (2013.01); H01L 31/0682 (2013.01); H01L 31/0745 (2013.01); H01L 31/18 (2013.01); H01L 31/1876 (2013.01); Y02E 10/50 (2013.01); Y02E 10/547 (2013.01)] 21 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A photovoltaic (“PV”) string, comprising:
a first solar cell coupled to a first conductive foil and comprising first doped polysilicon regions disposed over or on a back side of a substrate of the first solar cell, wherein the first conductive foil includes a single layer of material having a first portion and a second portion, wherein the first portion of the first conductive foil is coupled to the first doped polysilicon regions of the first solar cell, and wherein the second portion of the first conductive foil extends beyond an edge of the substrate of the first solar cell;
a second solar cell coupled to a second conductive foil and comprising second doped polysilicon regions disposed over or on a back side of a substrate of the second solar cell, wherein the second conductive includes a single layer of material having a first portion and a second portion, wherein the first portion of the second conductive foil is coupled to the second doped polysilicon regions of the second solar cell and wherein the second portion of the second conductive foil extends beyond an edge of the substrate of the second solar cell, and wherein the second portion of the first conductive foil overlaps the second portion of the second conductive foil;
a plurality of joints between and directly coupling the second portion of the first conductive foil and the second portion of the second conductive foil, wherein the plurality of joints is along a line parallel to the spacing between the substrate of the first solar cell and the substrate of the second solar cell, the plurality of joints along an axis between and parallel with adjacent edges of the first solar cell and the second solar cell; and
a cutout through the second portion of the first conductive foil and the second portion of the second conductive foil, the cutout intervening between a first of the plurality of joints and a second of the plurality of joints along the axis, and the cutout having a lateral width between the adjacent edges of the first solar cell and the second solar cell that is greater than an extent of overlap of the second portion of the first conductive foil and the second portion of the second conductive foil between the adjacent edges of the first solar cell and the second solar cell from a plan view perspective.