Solder thickness is important whether you are interested in tabbing ribbon, bus ribbon, or (most likely) both types of PV interconnect materials. In almost all tabbing/stringing applications, the solder coating on the interconnect ribbon provides 100% of the solder used to form a metallurgical bond on top of solar cells. With this in mind, the solder coating should be more than just a 'shiny finish' on the tabbing ribbon – but what is the proper thickness for soldering?
Indium Corp. has been making precision solder coated ribbon for quite a long time (and not just for tabbing/stringing). This experience has taught us how to control solder thickness, and also what thicknesses work in various applications. If you would like to learn how solder coating thickness affects the reliability of your solar cell, email us at: solar@indium.com.