Low Conductivity Decay of Sn–0.7Cu–0.2Zn Photovoltaic Ribbons for Solar Cell Application

oleh: Kuan-Jen Chen, Fei-Yi Hung, Truan-Sheng Lui, Lin Hsu

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2019-08-01

Deskripsi

The present study applied Sn&#8722;0.7Cu&#8722;0.2Zn alloy solders to a photovoltaic ribbon. Intermetallic compounds of Cu<sub>6</sub>Sn<sub>5</sub> and Ag<sub>3</sub>Sn formed at the Cu/solder/Ag interfaces of the module after reflow. Electron probe microanalyzer images showed that a Cu&#8722;Zn solid-solution layer (Zn accumulation layer) existed at the Cu/solder interface. After a 72 h current stress, no detectable amounts of Cu<sub>6</sub>Sn<sub>5</sub> were found. However, a small increase in Ag<sub>3</sub>Sn was found. Compared with a Sn&#8722;0.7Cu photovoltaic module, the increase of the intermetallic compounds thickness in the Sn&#8722;0.7Cu&#8722;0.2Zn photovoltaic module was much smaller. A retard in the growth of the intermetallic compounds caused the series resistance of the module to slightly increase by 9%. A Zn accumulation layer formed at the module interfaces by adding trace Zn to the Sn&#8722;0.7Cu solder, retarding the growth of the intermetallic compounds and thus enhancing the lifetime of the photovoltaic module.