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US 10,256,359 B2Granted
Lattice matched multijunction solar cell assemblies for space applications
AssigneeSolAero Technologies Corp.
InventorDaniel Derkacs
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A multijunction solar cell and its method of manufacture including interconnected first and second discrete semiconductor regions disposed adjacent and parallel to each other in a single semiconductor body, including first top subcell, second (and possibly third) lattice matched middle subcells; and a bottom solar subcell adjacent to said last middle subcell and lattice matched thereto; wherein the interconnected regions form at least a four junction solar cell by a series connection being formed between the bottom solar subcell in the first semiconductor region and the bottom solar subcell in the second semiconductor region.
Claims16
A multijunction solar cell having a terminal of a first polarity and a terminal of a second polarity comprising a semiconductor body including:
- (a) a first semiconductor region including:
- an upper first solar subcell (a1) composed of a semiconductor material having a first band gap;
- a second solar subcell (b1) adjacent to said upper first solar subcell (a1) and composed of a semiconductor material having a second band gap smaller than the first band gap and being lattice matched with the upper first solar subcell (a1);
- a third solar subcell (c1) adjacent to said second solar subcell (b1) and composed of a semiconductor material having a third band gap smaller than the second band gap and being lattice matched with the second solar subcell (b1);
- a fourth solar subcell (d1) adjacent to said third solar subcell (c1) and composed of a semiconductor material having a fourth band gap smaller than the third band gap and being lattice mismatched with the third solar subcell (c1), and including a first electrode (e1) in electrical connection to a top surface of the fourth solar subcell (d1), and a second electrode (f1) in electrically coupled to a base-emitter layer of the fourth solar subcell (d1);
- (b) a second semiconductor region disposed adjacent and parallel to the first semiconductor region and including:
- an upper first solar subcell (a2) composed of a semiconductor material having the first band gap;
- a second solar subcell (b2) adjacent to said upper first solar subcell (a2) and composed of a semiconductor material having the second band gap smaller than the first band gap and being lattice matched with the upper first solar subcell (a2);
- a third solar subcell (c2) adjacent to said second solar subcell (b2) and composed of a semiconductor material having the third band gap smaller than the second band gap and being lattice matched with the second solar subcell (b2);
- a fourth solar subcell (d2) adjacent to said third solar subcell (c2) and composed of a semiconductor material having the fourth band gap smaller than the third band gap and being lattice matched with the third solar subcell (c2), and including a first electrode (e2) in electrical connection with a top surface of the fourth solar subcell (d2), and a second electrode (f2) in electrically coupled to the bottom surface of the fourth solar subcell (d2) connected to a terminal of a second polarity;
- (c) a first opening in the first and second semiconductor regions providing a spatial separation between the fourth solar subcells (d1) and (d2);
- (d) a first highly doped semiconductor conduction layer adjacent to the third solar subcells (c1) and (c2) having a bottom electrode extending from the first highly doped semiconductor conduction layer into the first opening between the fourth solar subcells (d1) and (d2), the bottom electrode not directly contacting either of the fourth solar subcells (d1) and (d2);
- and
- (e) wherein the upper first solar subcells (a1) and (a2) include a top electrode that is electrically coupled with a terminal of first polarity;
- wherein the upper first solar subcells (a1) and (a2), second solar subcells (b1) and (b2), and third solar subcells (c1) and (c2) are each, respectfully, contiguous and composed of the same semiconductor material;
- wherein the fourth solar subcells (d1) and (d2) are composed of layers of the same semiconductor material that are spatially separated and not contiguous with the first opening between them, such that the layers are electrically isolated;
- wherein the first electrode (e1) electrically coupled to the top surface of the fourth solar subcell (d1) of the first semiconductor region is electrically coupled with the bottom electrode of the first highly doped semiconductor conduction layer;
- and
- wherein the second electrode (f1) electrically coupled to the bottom surface of the fourth solar subcell (d1) is electrically coupled with the first electrode (e2) that is in electrical connection with the top surface of the fourth solar subcell (d2) so as to form a five junction solar cell.
16 more elements
A multijunction solar cell including a terminal of first polarity and a terminal of second polarity comprising:
- first and second semiconductor regions formed from a single monolithic semiconductor body, each region including substantially identical lattice matched tandem vertical stacks of at least an upper first solar subcell and a bottom second solar subcell in which the second semiconductor region is disposed adjacent to and with respect to the incoming illumination, parallel to the first semiconductor region;
- a highly doped semiconductor conduction layer intermediate the upper first solar subcell and the bottom second solar subcell;
- wherein the upper first solar subcells are contiguous and composed of the same semiconductor material;
- wherein the bottom second solar subcells are composed of layers of the same semiconductor material, but are not contiguous and are spatially separated by an opening in the first and second semiconductor regions, such that the layers of the bottom second solar subcells are electrically isolated;
- a bottom electrode electrically connected to the bottom second solar subcell of the second semiconductor region, the bottom electrode electrically connected to a terminal of second polarity;
- a top electrode on the upper first solar subcells, the top electrode electrically connected to a terminal of first polarity;
- and
- an electrical interconnect connecting the bottom second solar subcell of the first semiconductor region in a series electrical circuit with the bottom second solar subcell of the second semiconductor region so that at least a three junction solar cell is formed by the electrically interconnected semiconductor regions.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.