GCSP research stipend | Fall 2018

X-ray topography method for solar cell deflection, cracking and stress measurements

Delamination and cell cracking account for a high percentage of the power losses in midlife-failure of solar modules and is becoming likely to increase in the future. Most cracks originate due to the mismatch of thermo-mechanical properties between the wiring and the silicon during the soldering process, a process optimized from the point of view of the inactive materials. The type of cracks and the stress factors that govern critical crack length propagation are widely unknown. During this project, X-ray topography (XRT) will be used to monitor the generation and evolution of solar cell cracking, deflection and stress in minimodules.