Paul Boughton
Adhesives Research, a leading developer and manufacturer of custom pressure-sensitive adhesive tapes, specialty coatings, films and laminates, offers electrically conductive pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) foil tape, ARclad 90038, as an alternative bus bar material for delivering highly-reliable conductivity in thin-film photovoltaic (PV) modules.
In thin-film PV modules, the electrical current generated in the module’s semiconductor is extracted by contacts on the front and rear of the cell. Widely spaced thin metal strips, often referred to as fingers, transport the electrical current generated within the cells to a larger metal bus bar strip. The purpose of the bus bar is to efficiently gather the electrical current from the individual fingers and transport the current from the solar module to a nearby junction box.
ARclad 90038 is a 2.4-mil, highly conductive PSA tape featuring a 1-ounce tin-plated copper foil backing and demonstrates excellent conductivity and corrosion resistance for bus bar applications. Rated UL 510, this tape features Adhesives Research’s patented homogenous conductive adhesive technology that forms exceptionally stable, conductive bonds to electrical contact points even under extreme environmental stress. The adhesive-coated foil tape construction offers a clean, easy-to-use format for efficient application, unlike copper ribbons and conductive adhesives or epoxies that require a two-step bonding process. ARclad 90038 can be provided in roll or spooled format to minimize line downtime.
Adhesives Research also offers a full range of PSA products to complement ARclad 90038 for a number of PV module applications, including electrical interconnections, wire management, bonding and assembly and encapsulation.
For more information, visit www.AdhesivesResearch.com
In thin-film PV modules, the electrical current generated in the module’s semiconductor is extracted by contacts on the front and rear of the cell. Widely spaced thin metal strips, often referred to as fingers, transport the electrical current generated within the cells to a larger metal bus bar strip. The purpose of the bus bar is to efficiently gather the electrical current from the individual fingers and transport the current from the solar module to a nearby junction box.
ARclad 90038 is a 2.4-mil, highly conductive PSA tape featuring a 1-ounce tin-plated copper foil backing and demonstrates excellent conductivity and corrosion resistance for bus bar applications. Rated UL 510, this tape features Adhesives Research’s patented homogenous conductive adhesive technology that forms exceptionally stable, conductive bonds to electrical contact points even under extreme environmental stress. The adhesive-coated foil tape construction offers a clean, easy-to-use format for efficient application, unlike copper ribbons and conductive adhesives or epoxies that require a two-step bonding process. ARclad 90038 can be provided in roll or spooled format to minimize line downtime.
Adhesives Research also offers a full range of PSA products to complement ARclad 90038 for a number of PV module applications, including electrical interconnections, wire management, bonding and assembly and encapsulation.
For more information, visit www.AdhesivesResearch.com
