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Studies of Interfacial Microstructures and Series Resistance on Electroplated and Hot-Dipped Sn-xCu Photovoltaic Modules

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Abstract

The present study applied molten Sn-xCu (x = 0.3, 0.7, 2.5, and 5.0 wt.%) alloy solders to a photovoltaic (PV) ribbon. A hot-dipped Sn-0.7Cu PV ribbon reflowed on a Si solar cell had the lowest series resistance of the tested module (Cu/Solder/Ag). After biasing for 72 h, the rapid growth of intermetallic compounds (IMCs) (Cu6Sn5, Ag3Sn) caused the series resistance of the module to increase by 52%. To improve the performance of the PV module, an electroplated PV ribbon was used in place of the hot-dipped one. The required solder thickness for the electroplated ribbon was one third that for hot-dipped ribbon. Applying less solder to a PV ribbon avoids the overgrowth of IMCs and thus enhances module conductivity.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge Dr. Kuan-Jen Chen for assistance in technical services (SIMS) by Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) Instrument Center of National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) and MOST, Taiwan for financially supporting this study under Grant No. MOST 105-2628-E-006-001-MY2.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instrument Center, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, 701, Taiwan

    Kuan-Jen Chen

  2. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, 701, Taiwan

    Fei-Yi Hung, Truan-Sheng Lui & Lin Hsu

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  1. Kuan-Jen Chen
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  2. Fei-Yi Hung
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  3. Truan-Sheng Lui
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  4. Lin Hsu
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Correspondence to Fei-Yi Hung.

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Chen, KJ., Hung, FY., Lui, TS. et al. Studies of Interfacial Microstructures and Series Resistance on Electroplated and Hot-Dipped Sn-xCu Photovoltaic Modules. J. Electron. Mater. 47, 6028–6035 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-018-6483-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-018-6483-3

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