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Analysis of EL images on Si solar module under thermal cycling

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Abstract

Thermal cycling (TC) induces defects in solar modules. The electroluminescence technique has been used to characterize the defects of solar modules, which are represented by a rectangular dark area (RDA) on the cell. In this study, the physical meaning of the RDA phenomenon on a solar module was investigated. It is proven that the RDA indicates cracks in the solder layer of the ribbon wire rather than broken electrode fingers in the solar module. For the proof, a test of TC was conducted on Si solar modules while monitoring the RDAs by EL during TC. Next, a failure analysis was performed on the RDAs, proving that the locations of the RDA coincided with the locations of the cracks in the solder layer between the Cu layer and Si wafer. Quantitative time analysis revealed that the RDA incidence in cells increased from 0 to 18% on average over TC 1000. In addition, the larger RDA incidence at the ends of the ribbon wires of the cell was detected and explained based on the previous study result of the high increases in shear strains of the solder layer at all ends of the ribbon wire after TC. Finally, a structural numerical simulation was performed to show a low probability of cracking at the electrode finger during TC.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the National Research Foundation (NRF, Grant No: 2018R1D1A1A 02086246 and 2021 R1F1A 1052595) and the Korea Evaluation Institution of Industrial Technology (KEIT, Contract No: 20017488) of the Korea.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, The State University of New York, Korea, Incheon, 21985, Korea

    Seungil Park & Changwoon Han

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  1. Seungil Park
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  2. Changwoon Han
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Correspondence to Changwoon Han.

Additional information

Seungil Park is a Ph.D. student of the Mechanical Engineering Department of the State University of New York, Korea in Incheon, Republic of Korea. He received the B.Sc. in electronic engineering from the Korea Polytechnic University, Gyeonggi-do, the Republic of Korea in 2012, and M.Sc. in materials and chemical engineering from the Hanyang University, Seoul, the Republic of Korea in 2015. His research interests include physics-of-failure and prognostics and health management.

Changwoon Han received the B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in mechanical engineering from Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea in 1993 and 1995, respectively, and a Ph.D. degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA in 2005. He was a Principal Research Engineer of the Korea Electronics Technology Institute in Seongnam, Republic of Korea, from 2005 to 2017. He is currently an Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering Department of the State University of New York, Korea in Incheon, Republic of Korea. His research interests include physics-of-failure, prognostics and health management, design-for-reliability, and photomechanics.

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Park, S., Han, C. Analysis of EL images on Si solar module under thermal cycling. J Mech Sci Technol 36, 3429–3436 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-022-0621-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-022-0621-9

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