Patent ID: 8187911

Claim:
A method for forming separating lines ( 5 , 6 , 7 ) wherein the separating lines ( 5 , 6 , 7 ) which are produced in the transparent front electrode layer ( 2 ), the semiconductor layer ( 3 ) and/or the back electrode layer ( 4 ), deposited as functional layers on a substrate ( 1 ) with at least one laser scanner ( 8 ) during manufacture of a photovoltaic module with series-connected cells (C 1 , C 2 , . . . ), the laser beam ( 14 ) of the laser scanner ( 8 ) producing in the field ( 17 , 17 ′) scanned thereby a plurality of separating line sections ( 18 , 18 ′) disposed side by side in the functional layer ( 2 , 3 , 4 ), whereby the laser scanner ( 8 ), after scanning the field ( 17 ), is moved relative to the coated substrate ( 1 ) by a distance which leads to the overlap ( 36 ) of a further field ( 17 ′) with the scanned field ( 17 ) in the direction of the separating lines ( 5 ), characterized in that the laser scanner ( 8 ) produces separating line sections ( 18 , 18 ′) which are of hook-shaped configuration at least at one end ( 32 , 33 ) so as to form a catching area in which the ends ( 31 , 32 , 33 ) of the separating line sections ( 18 , 18 ′) of adjacent fields ( 17 , 17 ′) overlap.