Stress potential analysis of solar wafer and cells during conveyor belt handling

The thickness of photovoltaic substrates, such as wafers and cells has been decreased continuously in the past. Further reductions are expected in future to take advantage of reduced material costs. The change of mechanical characteristics results in new challenges for handling and transportation of substrates. To analyze and determine the potential of stress on the substrate, in a first step harming factors had to be identified and suitable methods of measurement had to be worked out. Based on the knowledge of these influencing parameters, a test bed for investigation has been set up. Different measurement systems along the path of transportation guarantee a proper set of sensor data. The first results of the ongoing investigations highlight the influence of transportation and the consecutive alignment on the substrates. It can be shown that not only the handling but also the transportation is dependent on several boundary conditions, i.e. thickness of substrates.