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US 3,982,964 AGranted
Dotted contact fine geometry solar cell
AssigneeCommunications Satellite Corporation (Comsat)
InventorsJoseph Lindmayer, James Frederick Allison
Life of this patent
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AssigneeCommunications Satellite Corporation (Comsat)
InventorsJoseph Lindmayer, James Frederick Allison
Estimating the term…
An improvement in a fine geometry solar cell having a top surface contact comprising substantially more and finer metallic fingers spaced close together for collecting photo current is disclosed. The improvement comprises a reduction in the ohmic contact area of the fine metallic fingers with the light-incident surface of the solar cell. The improved solar cell is constructed by etching a fine line pattern into the anti-reflective coating of the solar cell and then depositing a fine line electrode onto the surface of the solar cell but oriented perpendicular to the etched fine line pattern in the anti-reflective coating. Due to the 90.degree. rotation between the etched fine line pattern in the anti-reflective coating and the fine line electrode, only point contacts are made between the fine line electrode and the exposed light-incident surface of the solar cell.
A solar cell comprising a semi-conductor material having top and bottom surfaces and having a p-n junction at a distance of between 500 A and 2,000 A from the top semi-conductor surface thereof, said top surface having a metal oxide anti-reflective coating and being adapted to receive incident light radiation, said metal oxide coating having a fine line pattern etched therein to expose said top surface, an electrode on said bottom semi-conductor surface, and a patterned electrode deposited over said etched metal oxide coating such that the patterned electrode is generally transverse to said fine line pattern to produce a plurality of point contact areas between said patterned electrode and said top semi-conductor surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.