Prediction of Screen-Printed Electrodes with Fine-Line and Arbitrary Structures

Currently, the photovoltaic manufacturing industry is confronted with an upcoming material shortage, primarily driven by the continued dependence on silver for front-side metallization in TOPCon, SHJ, and PERC solar cells. This study employs a mathematical model originally introduced by Ney et al. in 2019 to predict the outcome of printed contact structures based on mesh characteristics. For validation, printing experiments are conducted with variations in printing speed, screen angle, and calendaring strength. It is generally observed that predictions for screens with a 20 degrees mesh angle are less accurate than for other angles. In addition, it is noted that the prediction became more accurate with increasing channel width. Although, for some cases, a prediction accuracy between 77 and 87% is achieved, it is important to acknowledge that the results obtained from the simulation deviate from the real-world observations to some extent. Additionally, a clear correlation between mesh thickness and printed volume is observed, enabling the prediction of silver usage and potential material savings. The photovoltaic industry faces material shortages due to reliance on silver. Reducing silver usage while maintaining efficiency is challenging. Mesh optimization is crucial for improving printed electrodes and saving silver. This study presents a geometrical model predicting the printing result for fine-line flatbed screen printing. Validation experiments show varying accuracies and scaling possibilities.image (c) 2024 WILEY-VCH GmbH