Maxeon subsidiary files patent infringement lawsuit against Shanghai Aiko

Maxeon Solar Technologies announced that its subsidiary Maxeon Solar Pte. filed patent infringement lawsuits against Shanghai Aiko Solar Energy, its subsidiaries Aiko Energy Germany and Solarlab Aiko Europe, and its wholesaler Memodo in Mannheim District Court, Germany. The lawsuit against Aiko and Memodo alleges infringement of Maxeon’s European Patent No. EP2297788B1, or “Back-contacted solar cells with doped polysilicon regions separated via trench structures and fabrication process therefor”. This patent relates to proprietary and fundamental solar cell architectures for rear or back contact solar cells, also known as All-Back Contact, or ABC, solar cells or Interdigitated Back Contact, or IBC, solar cells. Back contact solar cells, such as Maxeon IBC solar cells, are distinct from conventional front contact solar cells, which have metal contacts on the front surface. Front surface metal contacts block sunlight and reduce efficiency.