Germany’s Fraunhofer Center for Silicon Photovoltaics (Fraunhofer CSP) is developing a range of high-resolution material and thin film microscopic and nanoscopic characterization methods to use in patent infringement analysis of higher efficiency solar PV products.
The work belongs to a project known in Germany as IP-Schutz. The project, which runs until March 2027, provides researchers with the necessary framework to develop experimental techniques as the basis for a reliable service in the field of intellectual property (IP) and patent infringement investigation for project partners and customers.
The expected outcome is a set of simplified and rapid measurement procedures for routine use in IP investigations, enabling legally secure evidence.
The effort is driven by the increasing number of patent lawsuits underway in many regions worldwide, according to Stefan Lange, team manager and IP-Schutz project leader at Fraunhofer CSP.
“Nowadays, a cost-efficient and highly automated PV cell and module fabrication can be established basically anywhere, but development of new solar cell and module technologies is time-consuming and expensive,” Lange told pv magazine. “Often, patents involve only microscopic or nanoscopic features or thin film interfaces whose properties are challenging to characterize.”
PV technologies such as tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon), silicon heterojunction (SHJ), and interdigitated back contact (IBC) devices demand more sophisticated analysis methods with greater spatial resolution and measurement sensitivity, according to Lange.
Some of the relevant non-destructive measurement technologies and large-area preparation methods Fraunhofer CSP will use are plasma polishing and pulsed laser ablation, but also time of flight-SIMS (ToF-SIMS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to examine cell interfaces, microscopic current pathways, and passivation layers.
Lange pointed out that this type of research differs from conventional research and development (R&D) because the methods have to be adapted to fit the commercial module samples, rather than the other way around.
“At Fraunhofer CSP, we already have considerable experience for R&D services like analyzing cells out of commercial modules, writing technical reports and expert opinions, all with legal safety,” he said, adding that documentation is more extensive and thorough than in typical R&D support, and there is no margin for error.
Along with research partner, Anhalt University of Applied Sciences, the Fraunhofer CSP has already been gathering information and material samples from industrial partners to understand their patent-related needs.
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