Patent ID: 8420412

Claim:
A method of forming a photovoltaic cell module including a photovoltaic cell with the use of a cell press having a table, a lid, and a plate pneumatically coupled to the lid between the lid and the table and moveable relative to the lid toward and away from the table, said method comprising: disposing the photovoltaic cell between the plate and the table; supporting the photovoltaic cell with the plate; applying a vacuum between the lid and the plate to space the photovoltaic cell and the plate from the table; introducing a substrate and a tie layer between the photovoltaic cell and the table with the substrate supported by the table and with the tie layer supported by the substrate between the substrate and the photovoltaic cell with a space between the photovoltaic cell and the tie layer; moving one of the photovoltaic cell and the table toward the other until the photovoltaic cell contacts the tie layer; and applying a vacuum between the photovoltaic cell and the tie layer such that the space between the photovoltaic cell and the tie layer is evacuated as the photovoltaic cell contacts the tie layer.