# US 2018/0026149 A1 · Solar antenna array fabrication

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- Number: US 2018/0026149 A1
- Document ID: US20180026149A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 15/661,854
- Filed: 2017-07-27
- Published: 2018-01-25
- Earliest claimed: 2016-04-20
- Assignees: NovaSolix, Inc.
- Applicants: NovaSolix, Inc.
- Inventors: Jyotsna IYER; Paul COMITA; Robert E. COUSINS; Laurence H. COOKE
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180026149A1

## CPC

- H10F 77/42: directly associated or integrated with photovoltaic cells, e.g. light-reflecting means or light-concentrating means
- H10F 10/18: Photovoltaic cells having only Schottky potential barriers
- H10F 19/80: Encapsulations or containers for integrated devices, or assemblies of multiple devices, having photovoltaic cells
- H10F 77/147: {Shapes of bodies}
- H10F 77/484: {Refractive light-concentrating means, e.g. lenses}
- H10F 77/488: {Reflecting light-concentrating means, e.g. parabolic mirrors or concentrators using total internal reflection}
- H10F 77/937: {Busbar structures for modules}
- H10K 85/221: {Carbon nanotubes}
- Y02E 10/52: PV systems with concentrators
- H10F: INORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES SENSITIVE TO INFRARED RADIATION, LIGHT, ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION OF SHORTER WAVELENGTH OR CORPUSCULAR RADIATION
- H10K: ORGANIC ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION

## Abstract

A solar antenna array may comprise an array of carbon nanotube antennas that may capture and convert sunlight into electrical power. A method for constructing the solar antenna array from a glass top down to aluminum over a plastic bottom such that light passing through the glass top and/or reflected off the aluminum both may be captured by the antennas sandwiched between. Techniques for patterning the glass to further direct the light toward the antennas and techniques for continuous flow fabrication and testing are also described.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A solar antenna array configured to convert sunlight into electrical energy comprising:
a glass sheet;
a plurality of parallel ground lines under the glass sheet;
a plurality of parallel voltage lines under the glass sheet;
a clear insulating sheet under the parallel ground lines and the parallel voltage lines;
a power bus bar under the clear insulating sheet;
a ground bus bar under the clear insulating sheet;
a plurality of carbon nanotubes forming fuzz on the ground lines;
a plurality of carbon nanotube antennas connected between adjacent voltage and ground lines of the plurality of parallel voltage lines and the plurality of parallel ground lines, respectively; and
a plurality of diodes;
wherein the plurality of parallel ground lines are alternatingly interleaved with the plurality of parallel voltage lines,
wherein each of the plurality of parallel ground lines is electrically connected to the ground bus bar,
wherein each of the plurality of parallel voltage lines is electrically connected to the power bus bar, and
wherein each of the respective carbon nanotube antennas is coupled to a ground line and, through a respective one of the plurality of diodes, to a voltage line.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The solar antenna array in claim 1, wherein the plurality of carbon nanotube antennas vary in length and orientation for reception of multiple wavelengths of sunlight through the glass layer and reflected off the power bus bar and the ground bus bar.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The solar antenna array in claim 2, wherein one or more of the plurality of diodes are geometric diodes.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The solar antenna array in claim 3, wherein the geometric diodes are formed by the contacting the tip of the carbon nanotube to the metal voltage line with a diameter that is at least ¼ of the diameter of the carbon nanotube. The solar antenna array in claim 3, wherein a respective geometric diode is formed by contacting a tip of a respective carbon nanotube antenna to a respective voltage line, wherein a diameter of the tip is sufficiently small that a ratio between a diameter of the respective carbon nanotube antenna and the diameter of the tip is at least 4:1.

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

The solar antenna array in claim 2, wherein two or more of the carbon nanotube antennas are electrically connected together by the fuzz.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The solar antenna array in claim 5, wherein the two or more of the carbon nanotube antennas are connected to at least two different consecutive ones of the parallel voltage lines.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The solar antenna array in claim 1, wherein the glass sheet includes one or more lenses above the plurality of parallel ground lines and the plurality of parallel voltage lines, wherein the one or more lenses are configured to disperse light passing through the glass sheet above the plurality of parallel ground lines and the plurality of parallel voltage lines to the plurality of carbon nanotube antennas.

### Claim 8

A method of fabricating a solar antenna array comprising
a plastic cover;
power and ground bus bars;
a clear insulating sheet;
power and ground lines; and
a glass sheet; wherein the method comprises:
a) forming the power and ground lines on top of the glass sheet;
b) forming the clear insulating sheet on top of the power and ground lines;
c) forming the ground and power bus bars on top of the clear insulating sheet; and
d) forming the plastic cover on top of the ground and power bus bars.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The method of fabricating a solar antenna array as in claim 8, wherein the forming the power and ground lines on top of the glass sheet further includes forming a layer of nickel between the clear insulating sheet and the ground lines.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method of fabricating a solar antenna array as in claim 9, wherein the forming a layer of nickel includes growing carbon fuzz and carbon nanotube crossovers from the nickel to power lines.

### Claim 11 (depends on 8)

The method of fabricating a solar antenna array as in claim 8, further comprising inverting a structure formed by the method according to claim 8 in order to enable operation of the structure as a solar antenna array.

### Claim 12 (depends on 8)

The method of fabricating a solar antenna array as in claim 8, wherein no alignment is performed between the operations a)-d).

### Claim 13

A reconfigurable array of double-diode structures comprising:
a plurality of double-diode structures, organized in an array of rows and columns, each double-diode structure containing a power line and a ground line; and
a plurality of switches, each containing two opposing geometric diodes;
wherein in each row the ground lines of the double diode structures are connected together, in each row the power lines of the double diode structures are connected together, in each column the ground line of each double diode structure is connected to the power line of an adjacent double diode structure, and the switches connect each of the double diode structures in at least one row to other rows.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The reconfigurable array of double-diode structures as in claim 13, wherein in a first mode the switches are not conducting, in a second mode the switches are conducting in a first direction, and in a third mode the switches are conducting in a second direction opposite to the first direction.