US 12,396,268 B2
Photovoltaic device and method of manufacturing the same
Yulia Galagan, Tapei (TW); Herbert Lifka, Eindhoven (NL); and Henri Fledderus, Eindhoven (NL)
Assigned to Nederlandse Organisatie voor toegepast-natuurwetenschappelijk onderzoek TNO, 's-Gravenhage (NL)
Appl. No. 17/624,150
Filed by Nederlandse Organisatie voor toegepast-natuurwetenschappelijk onderzoek TNO, 's-Gravenhage (NL)
PCT Filed Jul. 8, 2020, PCT No. PCT/NL2020/050444
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Dec. 30, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/006731, PCT Pub. Date Jan. 14, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 19185397 (EP), filed on Jul. 10, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0352402 A1, Nov. 3, 2022
Int. Cl. H10F 19/37 (2025.01); H10F 77/20 (2025.01)
CPC H10F 19/37 (2025.01) [H10F 77/211 (2025.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A photovoltaic device with a plurality of photovoltaic modules, comprising:
a stack including:
a primary electrode layer,
a secondary electrode layer, and
a photovoltaic layer arranged between the primary electrode layer and the secondary electrode layer,
wherein the primary electrode layer and/or the secondary electrode layer is translucent,
wherein the photovoltaic layer comprises:
a first sublayer of a photovoltaic material, and
a second sublayer for charge carrier transport, the second sublayer being between the first sublayer and the secondary electrode layer;
wherein each photovoltaic module includes:
a portion of a respective section of the primary electrode layer,
a portion of a respective section of the photovoltaic layer, and
a portion of a respective section of the secondary electrode layer,
wherein respective pairs, of a first photovoltaic module and a subsequent second photovoltaic module, of the plurality are serially interconnected in an interface section between the first photovoltaic module and the second photovoltaic module,
wherein the interface section comprises a coupling element of insulating material laterally enclosing an electrically conducting core,
wherein the coupling element is sandwiched between:
a second end of the secondary electrode layer section of the first photovoltaic module that laterally extends over, and forms an electrical connection with a first face, of the electrically conducting core, and
a first end of the primary electrode layer section of the subsequent second photovoltaic module that laterally extends over, and forms an electrical connection with a second face of the electrically conducting core,
wherein a trench is provided in a meandering manner along a direction of the interface section between mutually subsequent sections of:
the primary electrode layer, and/or
the secondary electrode layer.