HI-PROSPECTS - HIgh resolution PRinting Of Solar Photovoltaic EleCTrode Structures

斯旺西大学进行的这项研究是为了了解这些问题，并制定解决方案，将接近透明的铜电网扩大到更大的规模。这是一个重大的挑战，因为尺寸的增加带来了科学和工程上的挑战。当结垢时，基底形状等问题（在小规模下可以忽略）变得很重要，由于温度分布的差异导致的基底应力可能导致灾难性的失效，因此随着基底尺寸的增加，必须对小规模的优化固化/烧结进行改进。此外，由于材料或加工条件（其中一些无法控制）导致的缺陷和沉积变化的容忍度在小范围内可能微不足道，但随着衬底尺寸的增加而变得重要。除了工艺和材料方面的考虑外，还有设计方面的考虑。随着衬底尺寸的增加，可能需要改变沉积网格的性质，这样就需要向电池/模块的中心方向提供更高的导体密度，因为在电池中心产生的电荷将具有延长的电阻路径长度以到达电极。这种模式的优化及其影响将在工作中进行研究。了解这些规模效应，以减轻其影响，对于开发大面积电极加工的工程解决方案至关重要。该研究活动将通过建模和并行安装系统来解决大面积线结构和几何形状的优化问题，以便在大面积上进行ESJET的实验开发。SPECIFIC还将提供光伏电池/模块的寿命测试，以确定铜电网是否对光伏性能有任何有害/有益的影响。为了建立最佳的网格图案模拟软件（如PSPICE）将用于模拟几何形状和薄膜厚度，它们对薄片电阻的影响以及随后对使用精细铜图案创建的PV电池性能的影响。这将从实验室试验中获取材料数据，并估计几何设计和工艺窗口。SPECIFIC的洁净室设施提供了一个理想的测试环境，在这里，使用传统的印刷技术对玻璃基板进行常规印刷。第二个主要研究活动是在SPECIFIC的玻璃加工线上设计和安装一个更大规模的esjet系统，并证明铜可以大面积沉积到基板上，并且该基板可用于制造大面积PV电池。这将建立基于操作/材料公差，物理布局要求和操作加工问题的安装设计。为了满足ESJET铜的沉积要求，需要设计和实施烧结工艺。这为在大面积上保持一致的能量分布（热和光子）提供了额外的挑战。这样的发展是不平凡的，必须考虑到许多复杂的相互作用参数，如光子吸收，微分热膨胀，热性能和现实世界的强度变化。光伏电池的性能和寿命将在SPECIFIC的光伏特性和寿命测试设备套件中进行。用于这些测试的标准（照度、相对湿度和温度）将根据钙钛矿和OPV电池的相关标准和内部最佳实践确定。使用传统tco、银网格和tco组合的控制样品也将用于识别那些可归因于铜网格存在的降解途径。

The research to be carried out by Swansea University is to understand the issues and develop solutions related to upscaling the near transparent copper grid to larger sizes. There is a significant challenge in this in that increases in sizebrings both scientific and engineering challenges. When scaling, issues such as substrate form (which can be ignored atsmall scale) become important, substrate stressing due to differential temperature profiles can lead to catastrophic failureand thus optimized curing / sintering at small scale will have to be refined as the substrate size increases. In addition thetolerance to defects and variations in deposit due to materials or processing conditions (some of which cannot becontrolled) may be insignificant at small scale but become significant as the substrate size increases. As well as processand material considerations, there are design consideration. As substrate size increases then there may be a need to alterthe nature of the deposited grid such that higher conductor density is required towards the centre of a cell / module as acharge generated at the centre of the cell will have a extended resistive path length to reach an electrode. The optimizationof this patterning and its impact is to be investigated in the work. Understanding these scale effects such that their impactcan be mitigated is critical in developing an engineering solution for large area processing of electrodes. The researchactivity will address the optimization of the line structure and geometry for large areas through modelling and in parallelperform install the system for experimental development of the ESJET over large areas. SPECIFIC will also provide lifetimetesting of the PV cells / modules manufactured in order to establish whether the copper grid has any detrimental / beneficialeffect on PV performance.In order to establish optimal grid patterning simulation software (such as PSPICE) will be used to model the geometriesand film thicknesses, their effect on the sheet resistance and its subsequent effect on performance of PV cells createdusing the fine copper patterning. This will take material data from the lab trials and estimate the geometric design andprocess windows.The clean room facilities at SPECIFIC provide an ideal test environment where glass substrate > 1m2 are routinely printedusing conventional printing techniques. The second main research activity is design and install a larger scale ESJETsystem on the glass processing line at SPECIFIC and demonstrate that the copper can be deposited to the substrate overa large area and that this substrate can be used to create a large area PV cell. This will establish the design of theinstallation based on operational / material tolerances, physical layout requirements and operational processing issues. Tocompliment the deposition requirements of the ESJET copper, the sintering process which will need to be designed andimplemented. This provides additional challenges in terms of maintaining consistent energy distributions (thermal andphotonic) over a large area. Such a development is non trivial having to take account many complex interacting parameterssuch as photonic absorbance, differential thermal expansions, thermal properties and real world intensity variations.The performance and lifetime of the PV cells will be carried out in suite of PV characterization and lifetime testing facilitiesat SPECIFIC. The standards used for these tests (illumination, RH and temperature) will be determined from the relevantstandards and in house best practice with perovskite and OPV cells. Control samples using conventional TCOs, Ag grid &TCOs combinations will also be used to identify only those degradation routes which can be attributed to the presence ofthe copper grid.