Integrated micro-inverter and thin film solar module and manufacturing process

摘要

Embodiments of the present invention include a method for manufacturing, and a structure for a thin film solar module. The method of manufacturing includes fabricating a thin film solar cell and fabricating an electronic conversion unit (ECU) on a single substrate. The thin film solar cell has at least one solar cell diode on a substrate. The ECU has at least one transistor on the substrate. The ECU may further comprise a capacitor and an inductor. The ECU is integrated on the substrate monolithically and electrically connected with the thin film solar cell. The ECU and the thin film solar cell interconnect to form a circuit on the substrate. The ECU is electrically connected to a microcontroller on the solar cell module.

主权项

1. A method for manufacturing a thin film solar module, the method comprising:
fabricating a thin film solar cell, having at least one solar cell diode, on a substrate; and fabricating an electronic conversion unit (ECU), having at least one transistor, on the substrate, including monolithically integrating the ECU with the thin film solar cell on the substrate, and electrically connecting the ECU and the thin film solar cell to form a circuit on the substrate; wherein the monolithically integrating the ECU with the thin film solar cell includes: depositing a backside electrode material onto the substrate; segmenting the backside electrode material into a multitude of segments; using a first of the segments to form the at least one solar cell diode; and using a plurality of others of the segments to form the ECU.