Cutting Solar Cells with a Laser

TLDR: It doesn’t work

 

I have some Maxeon Sunpower  C60 Cells at home. So not a whole panel, but the individual cells.

They have contacts at the bottom, are flexible, and are very efficient. But also very big, so I tried cutting them.

 

Settings used:

  • 100% power = 20W @405nm diode laser
  • 20 mm/s
  • 20 passes

with some standard calibration pattern.

 

 

The results

Maxeon Sunpower C60 solar cell top surface

It’s difficult to see in reality too. The surface is very non-reflective and looks like very deep blue water and not like a surface.

 

I’ve also turned the cell around and lasered the bottom.

Maxeon Sunpower C60 Solar Cell Bottom

With these cells, the contacts are at the bottom. Which is a copper foil with traces on it. Really good to connect and very flexible.

After all that treatment is absolutely no visible difference. But the cell sprung when I picked it up. These cells are really stable normally. My guess is that the thermal cycling damaged them.