Coupled Thermo-Mechanical and Photo-Chemical Degradation Mechanisms that determine the Reliability and Operational Lifetimes for CPV Technologies
- Stanford Univ., CA (United States)
This project sought to identify and characterize the coupled intrinsic photo-chemo-mechanical degradation mechanisms that determine the reliability and operational lifetimes for CPV technologies. Over a three year period, we have completed a highly successful program which has developed quantitative metrologies and detailed physics-based degradation models, providing new insight into the fundamental reliability physics necessary for improving materials, creating accelerated testing protocols, and producing more accurate lifetime predictions. The tasks for the program were separated into two focus areas shown in the figure below. Focus Area 1, led by Reinhold Dauskardt and Warren Cai with a primary collaboration with David Miller of NREL, studied the degradation mechanisms present in encapsulant materials. Focus Area 2, led by Reinhold Dauskardt and Ryan Brock with a primary collaboration with James Ermer and Peter Hebert of Spectrolab, studied stress development and degradation within internal CPV device interfaces. Each focus area was productive, leading to several publications, including findings on the degradation of silicone encapsulant under terrestrial UV, a model for photodegradation of silicone encapsulant adhesion, quantification and process tuning of antireflective layers on CPV, and discovery of a thermal cycling degradation mechanism present in metal gridline structures.
- Research Organization:
- Stanford Univ., CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
- DOE Contract Number:
- EE0006343
- OSTI ID:
- 1399517
- Report Number(s):
- DE-EE0006343 / 0000_Stanford
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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